The regular season home finale gave every bit of playoff intensity with two clubs jockeying for the final Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference playoff spots in the final weekend of the 2018 regular season. The University of Mary received a late goal with 3:17 remaining to send the University of Minnesota Duluth's playoff hopes crawling on thin ice. The Marauders (8-6-2; 7-5-2 NSIC) won their fifth straight match after Megan Lowery scored off a corner kick to end the Bulldogs' four-game home winning streak.

UMD (7-9-1; 6-7-1 NSIC) finished 4-2-1 at home. That is the Bulldogs' third straight home winning season and 20th overall.

With the other results from across the conference today, UMD is on the outside looking in as the top eight teams in the standings move on to the postseason tournament, which begins Wednesday, Oct. 31. The Bulldogs only chance to enter the postseason would be to force a three-way tie with Northern State University and Winona State University and advance via the goal differential tie-breaker. Therefore, UMD must win at Minot State University on Sunday and hope for losses by the Wolves and Warriors on Sunday, as well. As it stands heading into Sunday, Northern State is minus-1, Winona State is plus-4 and the Bulldogs are plus-2 in goal differential. 

Game time for UMD's final regular season match is at 1:00 p.m. at Herb Parker Stadium in Minot, N.D.
 
Both teams were evenly matched. The Bulldogs had the advantage in shots 17-12 while both goalkeepers made six saves in the contest. Mary's Caylin Cathey nearly scored twice late in the opening half. Senior goalkeeper Carlye Wright, who collected a season high in saves today, thwarted the first attempt and Cathey sent her second shot wide. 

UMD dialed up chances with senior defender Erika Hjort's header just missing to the right in the 30th minute. Senior defender Lizzy Fontes had her shot in the 50th minute bounce off the cross bar and sophomore forward Holly Kaboord had her close-range attempt stopped by the Marauders' Madisyn Waltman in the 78th minute.

Mary only attempted a pair of corner kicks in the match and it took advantage of its only corner in the second half. Jade Smith sent her corner to Cathey who found enough space in the scrum to fire in the lone goal. 
 
The Bulldogs got in one last ditch effort. A foul at midfield with 11 seconds left UMD with just one chance to even the game but the UMary defense blocked goalkeeper Wright's shot after the play in by junior forward Logan Nash.

Cathey led all players with five shots while Kaboord led the Bulldogs with three shots. Kaboord and freshman midfielder Alli Jenkins each registered a pair of shots on goal for the Bulldogs. 

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