Mankato, Minn.— The Mavericks will play at home on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. The Mavericks will be hosting the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs. Minnesota State then heads to North Dakota, where it will play the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux Sunday at 1 p.m.

Looking Ahead: MSU will continue its NSIC schedule on the road Oct. 8-Oct. 10. Friday Oct. 8 the Mavericks will take on Augustana, then head to Wayne State on Sunday.

Weekend Recap: The Mavericks went 0-1-1 this past weekend. Scoring only one goal on the road trip, MSU tied the University of Mary on Friday. Sophomore forward Nicole Dooher scored the lone goal at 39:41, making it her second goal of the season. Sophomore midfielder Cassie Weik earned her first point of the season getting the assist on Dooher's goal. Marauders forward Alex Bachman-Williams countered with a goal at 56:26, knotting the game at 1-1. The score would remain tied after two overtimes. The Mavericks were outshot by U-Mary 14-10.MSU lost to Northern State University 1-0 on Sunday afternoon, marking the Mavericks first loss to Northern State in the two schools history of seven games. The decision maker of the game was a goal by NSU forward Maggie Fedor at 63:27. The Mavericks outshot the Wolves 21-10, including 15 shots in the second half. MSU freshman goalkeeper Brittany Cygan recorded her first start of her Maverick career, making one save.

About Southwest Minnesota State: The Mustangs are 1-4-1 overall, with a 0-3-1 NSIC record. SMSU gained its only victory with a 2-1 win over Minot State. The Mustangs recently tied Northern State 1-1 and fell to University of Mary 1-0. Southwest Minnesota State has scored four goals on the season, averaging 0.64 a game. The Mustangs are led by Kelly Fitzgerald, who leads the team with two goals and 11 shots on goal this season. Kendra Olchefske tends the nets for SMSU, generating a 1.76 goals against average and a .843 save percentage. Amy Olson is in her third year of coaching  Southwest Minnesota State.

MSU/SMSU History: Minnesota State owns a 10-0 record against Southwest Minnesota State. The last time the two teams played was in 2009, the Mavericks shutout the Mustangs 3-0. MSU has dominated the series outscoring SMSU 50-2. MSU has held Southwest Minnesota State scoreless in eight of the ten matches.  The Mavericks greatest margin of victory came in 2000, when MSU beat the Mustangs 9-0.

About University of North Dakota: The Fighting Sioux are 0-8-0 this season and are part of the Great West Conference. Three of the eight North Dakota losses have been decided by one goal this season. UND has scored five goals this season, averaging 0.62 goals per game. North Dakota is led by Rachael Loomis, who has three points and 18 shots on goal. Monica Stierman, the goaltender for the Fighting Sioux, owns a 2.38 goals against average and a .740 save percentage on the season. UND has been shutout five games this season, while it has been held to one goal or less in seven of the eight matches this season.

MSU/UND History:  The Mavericks lead the all-time series 12-0-2 against the Fighting Sioux. The two teams used to be in the NCC together until the conference dissolved.  MSU played UND twice in the 2007 season, with the Mavericks winning 5-2 and 2-0. Minnesota State has outscored North Dakota 39-11 in the 14 meetings. Ten of the 14 games have been decided by two goals or less.

Season Outlook: The Minnesota State women’s soccer team has recorded 12 winning seasons in a row and looks to extend the streak this season. As the team enters its the third season under head coach, Peter McGahey, MSU hopes to make it back to the NCAA postseason tournament for the third year in a row.

Seniors, Seniors: This year’s senior class is smaller than it has been in previous years, but it does not lack in the leadership department. Leading the way for the Mavericks is senior forward Laura Leber (Council Bluffs, Iowa), an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District V First Team Member and a NSIC All-Conference First Team member. Leber is tied in third on the MSU all-time goals list with 34, and sits fifth in points with 78. If Leber has the same type of season as last year (11 goals, 25 points) she could move up to second in goals and third in points, in MSU history. With a team filled with youth, the Mavericks look toward their four seniors for leadership in the 2010 season. Joining Leber at forward is Ann Kincaid, who had six goals last season. Two Omaha, Neb., natives, midfielder Jessie Audas and defender Emily Petrovich, give experience to the Mavericks with each playing in over 60 matches in their career.

The Fresh-o-more Offense: The Maverick underclassmen are leading the offense for the team this season. Sophomores Nicole Dooher and Brittany Henry along with freshmen Courtney Vallarelliand Ashley Sykora own five of the six MSU goals this season. The only upperclassman who owns point in 2010 is Jessie Audas, who scored the game winner against St. Cloud State.

Third Times a Charm: The 2010 season marks the third year all three coaches have been on the sidelines together. Besides McGahey, Gretta Arvesen and Stephanie Clark-Swanson have helped guide the Mavericks to the NCAA tournament every year since since they started in 2008.