ST. PAUL, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict soccer team has fared well in overtime games so far this season, but Wednesday afternoon that extra time was no friend to the Bennies.
 
CSB fell 1-0 in overtime to No. 19 St. Thomas Wednesday in St. Paul. The loss marked just the second MIAC loss of 2019 for Saint Benedict, and the first overtime loss of the season and the Bennies' first loss to a ranked team. With three games left in the regular season, CSB is now 8-4-2 overall and 5-2-1 and in fifth in the MIAC. Augsburg and the Tommies are tied for first in the league with 19 points, St. Kate's is third and Carleton is one point ahead of CSB in fourth.
 
The first half was relatively quiet, with just three shots on net between the two teams. Kendall Koenen made the first save of the game in the 11^th minute when St. Thomas (11-2-2, 6-1-1) put a shot on net, and Abby Welsch had a shot on in the 20^th minute. Chloe Miller had a shot on net in the 35^th minute, but that was saved. The Tommies had a wide shot in the final seven minutes of the first half, but no clear shots.
 
Roxy Veldman put some pressure on the Tommies with a shot on net in the 50^th minute, and UST answered with a shot on net two minutes later, but Koenen came up with the save. Koenen made back-to-back saves in the 78^th minute to keep the game scoreless, and CSB had its best opportunity of the game in the final minute of regulation when it ran the ball into the box, but the St. Thomas defense was able to block any shot attempt CSB could come up with, and the game went to overtime.
 
Haley Neumann put a shot on net just over a minute into the overtime, and Saint Benedict had a corner kick, but it was the Tommies who were able to capitalize. At the 94:19 mark, UST took a shot from the top of the box, and sent the ball into the lower right corner of the net past Koenen to end the game.
 
St. Thomas held an 11-5 edge in total shots, including a 6-5 margin in shots on net. Koenen finished the game with five saves. Five different players had a shot on net for CSB, which took just two corner kicks all game.
 
CSB is back at home for two of its final three regular-season games – and takes on three of the league's top six teams. Saint Benedict hosts third-place St. Kate's Saturday at 1 p.m., travels to sixth-place Bethel Oct. 30 and then hosts fourth-place Carleton at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2.