Despite a career-best eight saves from sophomore goalkeeper Julie Burton and a stonewall defense, the Butler women’s soccer team saw its season come to an end with a 1-0 loss to No. 15 Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the semifinals of the Horizon League Soccer Championships.

“We played extremely well,” sophomore Ali Backscheider said. “It didn’t work out in our favor, but we’re happy with how we played.”

Milwaukee junior midfielder Helen Steinhauser scored the lone goal of the match in the 35th minute, and it was enough to let the Panthers (18-2-0, 8-0-0) slip by with the win.

On the goal-scoring play, freshman midfielder Kelsey Holbert ran the ball into the box and then found Steinhauser at the near post. Steinhauser took advantage, finding the back of the net with a one-touch shot.

The Bulldogs (8-10-2, 3-5-0) shut down the Panthers’ attack in the second half but were not able to generate an effective offensive effort.

Photo by Maria Porter

By the end of the match, Milwaukee held a 17-6 advantage in shots and had seven corner kicks to Butler’s one.

Freshman forward Elise Kotsakis recorded Butler’s lone shot on goal.

“We have to score to win, and we didn’t score,” Backscheider said.

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs were able to silence Milwaukee All-American forward Sarah Hagen throughout the match. Hagen is second in the nation with 24 goals.

“We shut her down and took her out of the game,” junior forward Katie Griswold said. “[Sophomore midfielder] Anna [Ventimiglia] completely dominated her.”

The Bulldogs also had three fewer fouls and seven more saves than the Panthers.

With the season over, the Bulldogs already are looking forward to next fall.

“We played really well with just one senior, and that just shows what kind of team we’re going to have next year,” Griswold said.

In a game for Butler’s history books, the women’s soccer team came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Valparaiso and move on in the Horizon League tournament.

The game, played Tuesday in Valparaiso, featured 20 minutes of extra play and eight rounds of penalty kicks.

In the first 40 minutes, offense was the theme of the game, with all four goals coming in the first half.

Junior Rachel Scott scored on a rebound off a shot by fellow junior Katie Griswold, and sophomore Olivia Colosimo scored on a free kick.

After a defensive second half that featured several saves from Bulldog goalkeeper Julie Burton, the game went to overtime.

After no offensive action in two overtimes, the game went to a shootout, which Butler won by a count of 5-4.

Valparaiso had two opportunities to win in PKs, but both were shut down.

The match featured 37 shots and 37 fouls between the two teams.

Burton had seven saves in the marathon of a match.

Bundled-up fans came out to the Butler Bowl on Oct. 28 for the team’s last conference match against Loyola.

They watched the Bulldogs (8-9-1, 3-5) work to come back from a 2-0 first- half deficit.

In the 10th minute, Rambler freshman defenseman Valerie Gonyo headed a Loyola free kick into the net to put them up 1-0.

“You fall behind early, the game changes, and you have to chase it a little bit,” Butler coach Tari St. John said.

Loyola tallied another goal just less than 28 minutes later when junior forward Ana Michelini broke away on a run and chipped the ball over Burton.

“We put the effort in, we were connected, and I think we played really well with each other,” freshman foward Elise Kotsakis said. “We just couldn’t get it in the back of the net.”

Kotsakis, who had a career-high nine shots during the match, changed that in the 74th minute, scoring the only goal of the second half.

The goal-scoring play started with a pass from  Griswold to Kotsakis, who buried the ball in the net from 12 yards out.

Butler’s offense could not find the net again, and the Bulldogs finished the regular season with a sub-.500 record.

By the end of the match, Butler had outshot Loyola 18-8 and had eight shots on goal to the Ramblers’ six.

“We always like to win just for pride,” Burton said. “I think it’s good that we can come back from two goals and make those changes.”

The Bulldogs next play on Nov. 4 against Horizon League regular-season champion Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the semifinal round of the conference tournament.

The Panthers (16-2-0, 8-0-0) defeated the Bulldogs 4-1 in a match earlier this season.

In a game that was critical to conference standing, the Butler women’s soccer team got a crucial 2-0 win against Horizon League foe Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sunday.

With the win, the Bulldogs (8-8-1, 3-4-0) clinched, at worst, a sixth-place finish in the Horizon League, which guarantees them a spot in the league tournament.

“We’re good enough to be in the tournament,” freshman forward Stephanie Kaylor said.  “We shouldn’t have ended our season without being in it, and we‘re relieved to have clinched a spot.”

As they have done often this season, the Bulldogs came out as the aggressors against the Phoenix (3-10-4, 1-4-2). The team’s offensive pressure would be rewarded in the match’s 19th minute.

The goal-scoring play started when Kaylor fired the ball into the box.

Photo by Maria Porter

Phoenix senior goalkeeper Maddie Drusch attempted to break up the play, but the ball deflected off her hands and into the goal to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

The Bulldogs and Phoenix played an evenly-matched contest for the rest of the half and took the 1-0 lead going into halftime.

The Bulldogs outshot Green Bay 7-6 in the first half and tallied five corner kicks.

“We played really well from the beginning,” junior forward Katie Griswold said.  “Our team really played as a unit.”

The second half would see no letdown from Butler, as the Bulldogs took only six minutes to notch their second goal of the match.

This time, Griswold drew a foul in the box and received a penalty kick.

“I got a pass from someone and beat a player, and a girl just took me out,” Griswold said.  “It’s really nerve-wracking when you go up there, but I never make eye contact with the goalkeeper. I just pick a corner and go for it.”

Griswold converted the opportunity, and the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead with 38 minutes remaining.

Butler was able to hold off Green Bay for the remainder of the game and pick up its eighth victory of the season.

Freshman forward Elise Kotsakis led the Bulldogs with three shots, and sophomore goalkeeper Julie Burton had five saves for Butler.

The win got Butler back on track in conference play and broke a three-game losing streak. The third loss in the slide came on Wednesday against Valparaiso.

The Crusaders (8-6-3, 4-2-1) took the decision 1-0 on Wednesday to remain in third place in the Horizon League.

Butler was led by Griswold and junior Rachael Melendez, who each collected five shots.

Burton made four saves for the Bulldogs in the defeat.

The Bulldogs return to action one last time before the conference tournament when they host Loyola under the lights on Friday.

Loyola won their first Horizon League match on Sunday, with  a 1-0 victory over Youngstown State.

The Ramblers (5-10-3, 1-4-2) are battling Cleveland State for the sixth and final spot in the league tournament.

After enduring one injury after another, it seemed that Butler women’s soccer player Natalie Galovska would never catch a break.

“When my doctor said I should probably call it quits, I remember thinking, ‘No, not again,’” Galovska, now a senior, said.

After battling injuries through her teens, Galovska’s aspirations were realized when she was offered a scholarship to play Division I soccer at Butler.
But then the aches and pains returned.

During her junior season, Galovska, then a midfielder, suffered a pulled quadricep and was approached by coach Tari St. John about the possibility of taking a medical redshirt.

Photo by Maria Porter

Hopeful to return, Galovska declined.

However, her knee buckled during a pregame warmup, ending her season and jeopardizing her soccer career.

When she approached St. John about switching from midfield to goal, Galovska’s idea was well received.

“I just wasn’t ready to end it,” Galovska said. “I thought maybe there was one last chance. Maybe I could help out somehow if I were in goal.”

Galovska played goalie as a kid, and the Bulldogs were in need of depth at the goalkeeper position.

After working with goalkeeper coach Elise Edwards during the spring and honing her skills in the summer, Galovska emerged as the Bulldogs’ top option.

“There are special traits that make a good goalkeeper—risk taking and courageousness,” St. John said, “and Natalie has those. She’ll take a foot to the face if that means she’s going to save a goal for us.”

Galovska began the season as the Bulldogs’ No. 1 goalkeeper, starting nine games and amassing a 4-5 record.

Her first career victory was also her first shutout, a 1-0 win over Indiana State.

As Butler’s lone senior, Galovska’s career will be celebrated Friday in the Bulldogs’ final home match of the regular season.

“She is always there to offer advice or guidance when someone is struggling,” junior midfielder Kelly Grott said. “When senior night comes around, it’s going to set in that she won’t be around next year.”

While sophomore Julie Burton will move into the goalkeeper role for the Bulldogs after Galovska graduates, St. John said Galovska’s presence will be missed.

“She’s had a profound impact on this program with the inspiration she’s provided,” St. John said.

Butler women’s soccer coach Tari St. John doesn’t shy away from challenges.

As a collegiate player, St. John helped establish what is now a nationally-renowned program at Purdue. As a head coach, she has put Butler on the map as a force to be reckoned with in the Horizon League.

After leading Pius XI High School to back-to-back state titles in soccer, St. John was a founding member of the Purdue women’s soccer team in the fall of 1998.

While playing under coach Rob Klatte at Purdue, St. John helped transform the Boilermakers from a Big Ten bottom-dweller to an NCAA tournament contender.

“Rob Klatte is probably the most impactful and influential coach that I’ve played under,” St. John said. “A lot of my philosophies have definitely derived from being under his tutelage. He was a great mentor and still is.”

Klatte spoke highly of St. John’s ability to recover from an ACL injury as a junior to become a co-captain as a senior and help lead Purdue on an NCAA tournament run.

“[St. John] was one of very few players that you could rest assured she was going to show up, battle and play with intensity every game,” Klatte said. “It says a massive amount about the wherewithal, determination and dedication that she possessed and still does possess.”

St. John used those qualities when she began her coaching career at Butler in 2004.

Photo courtesy of Butler Sports Information

After serving as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs throughout the team’s 2004 and 2005 campaigns, St. John returned to West Lafayette to assist Klatte at Purdue.

Her tenure there didn’t last long and just a few months later, St. John received the head coaching position at Butler.

She immediately began to change the face of the women’s soccer program.

“The big reason I came to Butler had a lot to do with Tari,” senior goalkeeper Natalie Galovska said. “I saw that she had that determination and conviction to change the program, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

St. John wasted no time establishing the Bulldogs as contenders in the Horizon League.

The first Butler team she coached finished with a record of 5-11-3, including 2-5-2 in conference play.

Last year St. John led Butler to a 6-2 conference record and a No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Tournament.

At the end of the season, she was named the 2010 Horizon League Coach of the Year.

“Looking at what she has done during my four years is night and day,” Galovska said. “What’s crazy to me is how much better it’s going to get.”

Photo by Maria Porter

Not even chilly conditions could prevent the Butler women’s soccer team from taking down Youngstown State Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (7-5-1, 2-1-0) triumphed 2-1 over the Penguins (3-6-2, 0-1-1) for their second straight conference win.

“If you score early, that may change the way they are going to play,” Butler head coach Tari St. John said.

Butler flexed its offensive muscles early, scoring five minutes into the game on a 25-yard strike from junior forward Katie Griswold.

The goal was Griswold’s team-leading fifth this season.

After being staked to an early lead, Butler kept up the pressure, both on offense and defense.

The Bulldogs outshot the Penguins 13-1 in the opening half, which ultimately led to another Butler goal.

The strike came from freshman defenseman Kelly Mahoney, who buried the ball in the back of the net off of a corner kick in the 38th minute to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage.

The second goal proved to be valuable insurance for Butler. Youngstown State freshman forward Jade Flory provided a goal for the Penguins in the 63rd minute to pull within one.

The Bulldogs outshot the Penguins 18-5 on the afternoon. Freshman forward Elise Kotsakis led the way with five shots.

“The game had a lot of variables like the bad weather and a different field than what we are used to,” Kotsakis said.  “The one thing we did was make sure we played a 90 minute game and kept our lead.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Julie Burton got her fourth start of the season in net for the Bulldogs and notched her third win of the season.

Butler also was in action on Thursday when it hosted its second night match in less than a week. This one was against non-conference rival Xavier.

The game went into double overtime and eventually ended in a 2-2 tie, giving the Bulldogs their first draw of the season.

Butler started the game strong, breaking out to a 2-0 lead before halftime.

The Musketeers (6-4-1) were able to pull closer in the second half when senior forward Jessica Brooks scored in the 69th minute.

Xavier then came up with the equalizer late in the contest when junior defenseman Brooke Eberly scored in the 86th minute.

The game would remain deadlocked until the final whistle at the end of the second overtime period.

While the game will go down as a tie, the statistics will show that the Bulldogs were the aggressors, holding a 23-13 advantage in shots.

The Bulldogs will take the pitch again today when they host Cleveland State (7-4-1, 0-2-1)  at 3:30 p.m. for another Horizon League showdown.

While Saturday night might be all right for fighting, Saturday night was also all right for winning for the Butler women’s soccer team.

The Bulldogs (6-5-0, 1-1-0) took on Wright State in the first night game ever held at the Butler Bowl and walked away with a 1-0 win over the Raiders (5-4-2, 0-1-1).

“The atmosphere is just awesome when the lights are on,” junior forward Rachael Melendez said.

Photo by Reid Bruner

Butler had an early scoring attempt when Melendez drew a penalty shot. But the Bulldogs were unable to cash in, as Wright State sophomore goalkeeper Brooke McCurdy stopped the shot.

Butler’s next offensive push came in the 39th minute when freshman Elise Kotsakis blew by one defender before splitting two more near the 15-yard line.

Once there, she settled into a pocket and fired the ball into the net for the game’s first and only goal.

Butler proved to be up to the task of holding a 1-0 lead, as the defense stayed strong in the second half.

Senior goalkeeper Natalie Galovska made three critical saves in the match, including one that denied Wright State in a free kick situation from just outside the box.

“All I remember is seeing our defenders get organized,” Galovska said. “I was just able to get there, and I just reacted to the best of my capabilities.”

The Bulldogs outshot the Raiders 15-11, including a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal.

With the win, the Bulldogs gained valuable momentum heading into their next match with non-conference opponent Xavier.

The match against the Musketeers (6-4-0) will be played under the lights at the Butler Bowl Thursday at 7 p.m.

The weekend was filled with highs and lows for the Butler women’s soccer team during the squad’s nail-biting double overtime victory against Oakland and close loss at Detroit.

The Bulldogs (5-5-0, 0-1 HL) were able to find the net in the second half of the game against the Titans (7-3-1, 1-0 HL), but it was too little, too late, as Detroit grabbed the 2-1 win on Sunday.

The Titans scored the only goal of the first half and the first goal of the second half.

In the 28th minute, Detroit junior midfielder Sarah Dzuris punched home a free kick from 25 yards out to give her team an early advantage.

The eventual game-winning strike came from Titans junior defenseman Rebekah Dornbos, who put away an unassisted goal in the match’s 46th minute.

Butler finally broke through on a goal from junior forward Katie Griswold in the 78th minute, but Detroit’s defense stayed strong for the remainder of the half.

“We have made a habit of starting slowly and giving up goals early but haven’t been punished for it,” head coach Tari St. John said. “Today we were made to play.”

Butler was able to tally nine shots against Detroit’s eight. Senior goalkeeper Natalie Galovska recorded three saves.

Butler began the weekend by defeating Oakland in a hard-fought match that ended with a double overtime goal by junior defensman Claire Milam.

The Golden Grizzlies (2-6) struck first when sophomore forward Serena San Cartier scored her first goal of the season, putting Oakland ahead 1-0.

The Bulldogs, who had 17 shots in the contest, went scoreless in the first half.

Oakland notched its second goal two and a half minutes into the second half.

Despite being down by a pair, St. John said the team was still confident they could go home with a win.

“These girls are resilient, that’s for sure,” St. John said. “Even at two down, there wasn’t a player that didn’t think we could make a comeback.”

Butler started that comeback with an own goal from the Golden Grizzlies, which occurred after a shot from Butler freshman midfielder Ann Zerfas.

The Bulldogs then seized a game-changing moment on a corner kick in the 77th minute. Freshman forward Stephanie Kaylor connected with sophomore midfielder Jackie Hafele, who knocked the ball off her head and into the net for a game-tying goal.

The match could not be decided in regulation time or after one overtime period. Butler held on until the 105th minute, when Milam sealed the win for the Bulldogs, putting away a rebound on a shot by freshman forward Elise Kotsakis.

The Bulldogs will continue their conference season when they host Wright State Sept. 24 at the Butler Bowl.

The Butler women’s soccer team found that the team that controls the game does not always win as they fell short in two games this weekend by the slimmest of margins.

The Bulldogs (4-4-0) dropped a 1-0 decision to Southeast Missouri State on Friday and followed that with a tough 1-0 double overtime loss to Louisville on Sunday. Both contests were part of The Tropical Smoothie Invitational at the University of Kentucky.

Butler faced off against the struggling Cardinals (2-4-1) from Louisville in the Bulldogs’ tournament final on Sunday.

An evenly played match ended in the 101st minute and sent Butler to a 1-0 double overtime defeat.

“As a team everyone was together on the game plan,” senior goalkeeper Natalie Galovska said. “That game could have gone either way and it just a matter of who was going to score first.”

The Bulldogs finished with one more shot than Louisville (11-10), but it was the Cardinals’ sophomore defenseman Katie Walz who tallied the game’s only goal. The strike gave Walz her first career collegiate goal.

Walz one-timed a cross from freshman forward Kim Sharo to end the contest.

The Bulldogs were led by freshman forward Elise Kotsakis, who had four shots, and junior forward Rachel Melendez, who added two shots for Butler.

The Bulldogs opened tournament play against Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks (4-2-0) had won three of their first four matches coming into the contest.

Despite minimal offensive pressure throughout the match, Southeast Missouri State pulled out a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal in the 49th minute from freshman forward Erin Shulman.

Butler was on the attack frequently, tallying 22 shots against the Redhawks’ five. However, only two of the Bulldogs’ shots were on net, as Butler could not break through against sophomore goalkeeper Ashton Aubuchon.

“We spent so much time in their end that there really wasn’t a whole lot of space,” head coach Tari St. John said.  “Our decision making was not great at times.”

Kotsakis again led the team with four shots while junior Katie Griswold and sophomores Nikki Hafele and Olivia Colosimo had three apiece.

At the conclusion of tournament play, sophomores Jackie Hafele and Anna Ventimiglia were selected to the all-tournament team.

Butler will use the remainder of the week to prepare for two weekend contests against Oakland and conference foe Detroit.

Photo by Taylor Cox

The Butler women’s soccer team began its season over the weekend with a loss at Indiana and a victory over Madonna.

On Sunday the Bulldogs fell to in-state foe Indiana, 6-1. Junior Katie Griswold scored the team’s only goal with a penalty kick in the first half.

Freshman Elise Kotsakis led Butler with three shots, two of which were on goal. Sophomore Anna Ventimiglia and freshman Ann Zerfas each had two shots.

Senior Natalie Galovska and sophomore Julie Burton each spent time in front of the net for the Bulldogs. Galovska had three saves and Burton had two blocks, but it was not enough to stop Indiana’s offense. The Hoosiers outshot Butler 19 to 12.

On Friday, the Bulldogs opened the season with a  win over Madonna, 4-0.

“For our first game, it was perfectly executed,” head coach Terri St. John said.

Junior Rachael Melendez got the ball rolling early for Butler with a goal in the ninth minute. Melendez was set up by a short pass from sophomore Jackie Hafele inside the box.

Melendez followed up with a second goal less than five minutes later after stealing a bobbling ball from Madonna’s goalie.

Melendez credited her goals to “awesome opportunities” and said the team “has a lot of heart.”

Zerfas scored Butler’s third goal with a precise side net shot after taking a left side pass from sophomore Mary Allen.

Butler finished up the half with a goal by freshman Lucy Chauvin with about four minutes remaining. Chauvin put the ball in the net after receiving a long cross from sophomore Olivia Colosimo.

“Our first half could have been better, but the second half we did a better job,” St. John said.

Although Butler continued to attack during the second half, the Bulldogs were kept off the scoreboard.

Both Butler goalies, Burton and Galovska, kept Madonna scoreless.

The Bulldogs are a youthful team, with just three juniors and one senior. St. John said Butler fans do not need to fear the team’s lack of upperclassmen this season.

“Age isn’t the story line anymore,” St. John said. “We’re a very experienced team.”

Galovska, the team’s lone senior, is seeing her first action since suffering an injury last preseason.

“Sometimes I forget I’m a senior,” Galovska said. “I feel like more of a big sister.”

Galovska is ready to take on her role as “big sister” as the season continues.

“I’m really excited,” Galovska said. “Our style of soccer is different this year. We’ve been playing good, mature soccer.”

The Bulldogs will travel to Terre Haute Friday to play Indiana State and return home Sunday to host Pac-12 foe Oregon State at the Butler Bowl.