Mankato, Minn.-- The No. 14 Mavericks  (13-2-3, 10-1-2 NSIC) face Bemidji State in the first round of the 2011 NSIC / US Bank Women's Soccer Tournament on Wednesday.  The game is slated for a 1 p.m., start at the Pitch at Gage Towers.

MSU Last weekend: Minnesota State suffered its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference loss Sunday as it was beat by Minnesota Duluth 1-0. The lone goal of the game came at 1:28 into the game as UMD’s Riley Allen beat MSU keeper Molly McGough. The goal was the first goal the Mavericks have given up in nine games. MSU was favored over UMD in the shots on goal category with a 5-2 margin. Minnesota State junior forward Brittany Henry led the team on offense with two shots on goal.
     Minnesota State tied Bemidji State 0-0 Saturday in Bemidji.  For the second-straight game the Mavericks ended in a 0-0 tie which extended its unbeaten streak to 14 games, tying the 2007 team for the longest unbeaten streak in school history.
MSU landed 11 shots on goal in the first period and totaled 19 on the day. The Beavers launched six shots on freshman keeper Molly McGough. Brianne West led the Mavericks offensive attack with five shots on goal in the game.

Scoutin the Beavers: Bemidji State (8-7-3, 6-4-3 NSIC) has scored 20 goals this season and have given up 22 goals. BSU have fired 130 shots on goal in 2011 and averages 13.5 shots per game. The Beavers have played in seven overtime games this season, owning a 4-0-3 record in extra time. BSU is coached by Jim Stone.
    Senior Kirsten Erickson leads the Beaver offense with nine goals and four assists on the year. Erickson has 38 shots on goal and five game-winners. Senior Bri Scanlon has three goals and three assists this season. Senior goalkeeper Abby Kjonaas has started 15 games and owns a 1.18 goals against and a .860 save percentage. Kjonaas has seven shutouts this season.

MSU/BSU History: The teams have met seven times as the Mavericks are 5-1-1 against the Beavers. Last weekend the teams met in the final weekend of the regular season as both teams were unable to score a goal, resulting in a 0-0 tie. Minnesota State blasted  19 shots on goal compared to the Beavers six last Saturday. The only loss MSU received from BSU was last season when Bemidji State came to Minnesota State and beat them 1-0 in the last game of the regular season. BSU’s Bri Scanlon scored the game-winner in 2010. The Mavericks have outscored the Beavers 38-2 in those seven games.

The Rest of the Field: The 2011 NSIC / US Bank Women's Soccer Tournament quarterfinals begin on Wednesday at the top four seeds. The semifinals will be played at the highest remaining seed on Friday. The NSIC Women's Soccer Championship will take place on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the same site as the semifinals.
    Winona State enters the tournament as the top seed as it hosts the eight-seeded Upper Iowa on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.   Third-seeded Minnesota Duluth will host sixth seeded Augustana at 1:00 and St. Cloud State hosts the fifth-seeded University of Mary at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday.

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