ST. PAUL, Minn. – A season that exceeded all expectations, came to a heartbreaking end for the Bethel University women's soccer team in a 1-0 loss in double overtime at St. Thomas, keeping the Royals out of the MIAC playoffs. A victory would have put the Royals into the four-team playoffs for the first time in program history, but a pair of 1-0 losses in the final week kept the Royals out. Bethel was picked to finish ninth in the pre-season MIAC poll and the Royals, led by four dynamic seniors and first year head coach Amanda Maxwell, impressed all year long, but in the end fell just short of their goal.
 
“I am so proud of the girls and putting their entire heart into the game,” coach Maxwell said. “This team should feel great about their season. It was a sad way to end the season but I am so thankful for these girls and their desire to be better each day.”
 
In a similar story as Wednesday at St. Olaf the Royals controlled the ball for much of the game and dominated in shots attempted as they outshot St. Thomas 21-7. The Royals had 10 corener kicks to just one for St. Thomas but just could not get the lone goal they needed. The Tommies scored their lone goal at the 1:07:10 mark in the second overtime on a shot just out of Bethel goalkeeper Kathryn McGaffey's reach. St. Thomas shutout their last four opponents to close the season and finished with the same MIAC record as the Royals at 5-4-2 and in sixth place in the MIAC standings.
 
Seniors Anne Fazio, Kelsey Flaherty, Lydia Bergeson and Kelsey Holmberg ended their decorated careers as Bethel Royals Saturday afternoon.