By Meliyah Venerable / Delta Sports Editor

A 30-yard free kick with one minute remaining in overtime gives Culver-Stockton College the 1-0 victory over Missouri Valley College. This game was the last regular season game for the Vikings, dropping their record in the Heart to 9-2-1.

The game was a defensive battle all the way through. The first half ended scoreless, Marina Barneda recorded her first save of the game with a few minutes left in the half. At the start of the second half the Wildcats were awarded a penalty kick, but Barneda saved it. This was also Barneda’s first penalty kick save of the season. 

The second half also ended scoreless forcing the game into overtime. For most of the overtime period, neither team could make a shot on goal, but with one minute remaining in overtime Culver did. A 30-yard free kick made it past Barneda giving the Wildcats the 1-0 victory over the Vikings.

Valley had 12 total shots taken, but could not get past the Wildcat goalkeeper. Barneda had six total saves this game, and Paula Inclan had two shots on goal.

 This loss dropped the Women from No. 18 to No. 21 in the NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

“I think we need to keep playing our soccer style, keep trusting in each other, and keep believing that we can beat any team,” Inlcan said, “I think we are on the right path so we just need to make sure we don’t get comfortable, make sure that we’re still hungry, and that we will do anything in our reach to accomplish our objectives.”

The Vikings will host the Heart Postseason Tournament Quarterfinal game at Gregg-Mitchell Field Saturday at 6 p.m with hopes to advance further into the postseason tournament. 

“I think that our goal is pretty clear, we want to win the postseason tournament, and we want to qualify for Nationals,” Inclan explained, “Last year we arrived at the final but we lost, and we qualified for Nationals but we didn’t travel to play the final rounds, so I think that this year the objective should be to go further, improve what we did last year. I think we are set up pretty good to accomplish the goals, we have the chance of hosting the first 2 rounds of playoffs, and we are currently ranked 20 in the nation, so if all goes well, we should be in a good start position to accomplish the goals.”