WAUKESHA, Wis. - Difficult nonconference matchups can often serve as a good measuring stick early on in the season.
The Carroll University women's soccer team experienced that firsthand in a physical, hard-fought 3-1 loss to St. Olaf College at Schneider Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was the home opener for Carroll, which dropped to 1-1 overall.
The loss took on added significance as it ended the Pioneers' 13-game home-field winning streak dating back to Oct. 17, 2015.
St. Olaf, competing in its first game of the season, scored two unanswered goals over the course of the opening 20 minutes to build momentum.
Senior midfielder Hannah Stoker scored in the third minute and sophomore forward Mackenzie Schoustra had the eventual game-winning shot in the 19th minute to lead the Oles, who outshot Carroll 10-4 in the contest - including a key 7-1 margin in the first half.
The Pioneers showcased their heart and resilience in the second half by continuing to attack on every possession, eventually finishing as junior forward Rachel Van Sluys (Sheboygan, Wis.) scored an unassisted goal at the 78:48 mark.
St. Olaf ensured a victory as Schoustra added an unassisted goal in the 89th minute.
Sophomore goalkeeper Christina O' Block (Libertyville, Ill.) registered four saves in playing the entire 90 minutes for Carroll, which attempted six corner kicks.
Despite the final outcome, Carroll head coach Susie Foster was quick to point out that her young, aggressive team (including six seniors, six juniors, nine sophomores and 18 freshmen) continues to make consistent progress with each competition and will learn a great deal from the experience.
"Over the course of the past two weeks, we've really worked hard both on and off the field in preseason camp," said Foster, whose team opened the season with a 7-1 victory on the road over the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. "Being an extremely young team with a ton of new players, we are gradually incorporating them into the program, our culture and what we ultimately are all about. From that standpoint,
everyone has done a fantastic job of coming together, working hard and improving each time we step on the field.
"We were proud to kick off the season with a great victory over UW-Platteville and tried to carry that momentum into the home opener. In terms of schedule, we always attempt to play games against high-caliber programs because it always presents a good challenge as we attempt to reach our potential. Today, versus a great team like St. Olaf, we not only faced an outstanding squad but more importantly continued to learn how to play together and made the adjustments (referring to the rate of play, intensity and physicality) on the field. Our intensity was completely different in the second half and we eventually found the back of the net. 
"Even though we didn't come away with a victory on our home field, this should serve as good motivation to come back and prepare hard for the games to come. We're excited about the possibilities this season."