Ashland, WI –
 
This time there would be no magical finish.
 
After sweeping through the UMAC schedule undefeated, including winning their last three matches in overtime, the Northland College LumberJill Soccer Team seemed to be one of destiny.  Today, in hosting the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Championship Game at Ponzio Stadium, it seems destiny had something else in mind as the top-seeded Jills fell to the #3 seed UM-Morris 2-0 in front of a loud and energetic crowd.
 
The chances were plentiful for Northland from the start.  An early shot from Laura Rethmann from a Madeleine Wieland cross in the opening minutes went off the crossbar.  Several other scoring chances for the Jills went wide as the stout UM-Morris defense would not be deterred from their mission to give no clean shots from the middle for Northland.
 
Then, with 8:33 remaining in the first half, adversity struck the LumberJills.  High-flying, goal-scoring striker Kaiya Voldberg went down with an apparent leg injury.  The ultra-quick Voldberg has been a go-to scorer for the Jills all season and her absence left a void of speed and skill on the outside for the rest of the match.
 
Sensing an opportunity, the normally defensive-minded Cougars began to push forward and create opportunities of their own.  UM-Morris would manage to control the ball on the Northland side of the pitch for a majority of the remainder of the half, although neither team would score ending the half 0-0
 
The second half opened much the same way the first half ended.  UM-Morris would use a strong, driving attack to begin to put pressure on the Northland defense.  4:59 into the second half, the Cougars would get on the board.  UM-Morris forward Molly Hancuh's corner kick would bend towards the near-side post.  As LumberJill keeper Emily Romuald moved out to play the ball, a group of four players would move to the post in an attempt to make a play.  The combination of extra players and Romuald's gloves would give the ball just the right amount of misdirection, spinning the ball just inside the post and giving the Cougars an unlikely 1-0 lead. 
 
The Jills would not be deterred, however, as the Northland attack picked up immensely.  At one point, with approximately twenty minutes to go in the match, Northland would receive five consecutive corner kicks.  Again, the UM-Morris defense, along with UMAC Tournament MVP, UM-Morris keeper Torri Jordan, was up to the task, holding the Jills without a clean shot for nearly the entire afternoon. 
 
LumberJill keeper Emily Romuald was a star in her own right, coming out of the net on several occasions to stop Cougars opportunities.  With the LumberJill offense beginning to press as time started to wind down, UM-Morris once again saw opportunity as a long clearing pass from Hancuh found a streaking Brooke Lorentz down the left side.  Two touches and a shot later, the LumberJills found themselves down 2-0 with only a mere 3:50 left to go in the match. 
 
The desperate Jills would try to muster one final push, but for Northland, time would simply run out.  For Northland, it would be the only time this season they would be shutout against a conference opponent.  Laura Rethmann would lead the Jills with 4 shots, including 2 on goal, while keeper Romuald would save 2 of the 4 Cougar shots on goal.  Northland would outshoot the Cougars overall 12-7 and have a 13-3 advantage in corner kicks. 
 
Northland concludes its' season with a 12-6-1 record, including an undefeated UMAC regular season at 7-0-1.  Wieland and Voldberg finish the season second and third in the UMAC in total shots, shots-per-game and points-per-game.  They would also finish third and fourth in goals and goals-per-game, respectively. 
 
A tremendous opening season in the new Ponzio Stadium will not be forgotten on today's loss.  In fact, it will go down as one of the greatest LumberJill Soccer seasons since Northland went to NCAA Division III.  And there's no magic needed for that.
 
Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, Wisconsin.  The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 15 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.