Box Score
Top-seeded Saint Benedict took an early two-goal lead and overcame a late own-goal to hang on for a 3-2 win over No. 2 Macalester in Saturday's 2013 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Women's Soccer Playoff Championship. The Blazers add the postseason title to their MIAC regular-season championship, and received the conference's automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament.

Macalester is now 13-5-1 on the season and will find out Monday if it is selected for the national playoffs, while St. Benedict goes into the NCAA's at 16-2-1.

Three different players all scored for Saint Ben's Saturday at Haws Field on the Saint John's campus in Collegeville, Minn., to help the Blazers capture their second MIAC Playoff title in three seasons. The Scots cut the lead in half with a goal from their star striker Georgia Cloepfil (Sr., Portland, Ore. / Lincoln), but saw Saint Ben's retake a two-score cushion, and couldn't complete the comeback in the final minutes as they finished as the conference's runner-up in both the regular season and postseason tournament.

The Blazers asserted their championship hopes during a definitive six-minute stretch in the first half. Val Clintsman positioned herself in front of the net and knocked in a rebound off Macalester's keeper to give Saint Benedict a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute. Less than six minutes later, CSB star Colleen Bouchard set up teammate Taylor Hedin, who connected on a kick from 18-yards out to give the No. 1 seed a quick two-goal lead.

The teams entered the second half with Saint Benedict seemingly possessing the momentum, but Macalester made things much more interesting in the 53rd minute. Cloepfil netted her 19th goal of the season when teammate Micheala McGonigle (Fy., Seattle, Wash. / Holy Names Academy) fed her a long pass upfield that Cloepfil tucked inside the near post to cut the Blazers' lead in half at 2-1.

Cloepfil has had a goal or assist in 11 of Macalester's past 12 games.

However, CSB had an answer. Just over seven minutes later, Grace Vaughan corralled a rebound and passed it to Peggy Reiner, who found the back of the net to re-establish a two-goal lead for the Blazers. Macalester cashed in on an own goal in the 86th minute to give the Scots one last dash of hope in the final minutes, but Saint Ben's didn't allow another score, and hung on for a 3-2 win in the title game.

Macalester keeper Ellen Palmquist (Sr., Fort Collins, Colo. / Poudre) made six saves and allowed three goals in the loss. Macalester had more shots (21-17) and shots on goal (14-9), while Saint Benedict held a 9-6 edge in corner kicks. The Scots committed seven fouls against three for the Blazers.

_{Photo above: Lily Jilk goes up for a header Saturday against St. Ben's.}