What Lies Ahead: The Minnesota State (4-1-1, 2-0-0 NSIC) soccer team continues its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule as its faces Northern State (4-3, 1-1 NSIC) Saturday at the Pitch at Gage Towers. Saturday will also be autograph day after the game for the Mavericks. MSU will then host Mary (4-2-0, 2-0-0 NSIC) on Sunday at the Pitch. Both games are slated to begin at 1 p.m.
Recapping the Past Weekend: The Mavericks went 2-0 as they opened their 2011 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule on the road. Saturday the Mavericks beat Concordia 1-0 as Brittany Henry scored the only goal of the game 8:53 into the first half. Freshman goalkeeper Molly McGough earned her first shutout at MSU on the three saves she made against the Golden Bears.
MSU kept its winning streak going on Sunday when it beat SCSU 4-1. Junior forward Nicole Dooher had her first two-goal game as a Maverick and she also tallied an assist in the win. Sophomore forward Courtney Vallarelli had a big day herself as she had scored a goal and assisted Dooher’s first goal. Freshman midfielder Emily Moris tallied her second goal of the season which would mark the game-winner for MSU. McGough tallied four saves in the win over the Huskies.
Scoutin’ the Wolves: Northern State (4-3, 1-1) rolls to town Saturday after it beat Wayne State 2-0 last Sunday. The Wolves have scored 14 goals and average 11.4 shots per game. NSU has given up nine goals on the season and only let up just one goal in the first half as it has won three of its past four games.
Junior Rachel Goslina leads her team and the NSIC in scoring as she has six goals on the season. Goslina also adds three assists and was NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12. Senior Ashley Elliott has scored four goals, including two game-winners this season. Freshman goalkeeper Shaina Stein has two shutouts this season and a1.45 goals against average and a .820 save percentage. The Wolves are coached by Steve Kehm.
MSU/NSU History: The Mavericks own a 4-1-1 record over the Wolves all-time. MSU has outscored NSU 7-3 in the six games but has been shutout the last two meetings. Northern State beat Minnesota State 1-0 last season.
Scoutin' the Marauders: The University of Mary (4-2-0, 2-0-0 NSIC) comes into the match-up with a perfect record in the NSIC coming into the weekend. U-Mary has played 25 players this season through its first seven games. The Marauders have scored nine goals this season and have let up just four goals. U-Mary is averaging 13.2 shots per game and has more than twice as many corner kicks as its opponents (27-12). With already three overtime games under its belt, U-Mary has won two of those games.
Marauder sophomore forward Alex Bachmann-Williams leads the team in the offensive category with two goals, which were both game-winners, and two assists in her six games. Junior forward Michelle Jones has scored two goals and an assist this season. Besides having one shutout, junior goalkeeper Ashley Akers has started all six games and posts a 0.65 goals against in 2011. University of Mary is coached by Levi Evans.
MSU/U-Mary History: The teams have tied the last two meetings, but MSU owns a 3-0-2 record against U-Mary in the fives meetings between the schools. The Mavericks have outscored the Marauders 9-2 in the overall meetings. Last year the teams met at the University of Mary campus as Nicole Dooher had the lone MSU goal and landed three shots on goal. U-Mary’s leading scorer Bachmann-Williams had the only goal for the Marauders in 2010.
The Weatherman Says: Saturday Mankato is heading for a high of 65 degrees when the Mavericks face the Wolves. U-Mary comes to town Sunday as the high is set for a sunny 71 degrees.
A Look at Shots and Ole’s: The Mavericks have 116 shots in the first half, compared to 66 shots in the second half. Even though they average less shots in the second half the have scored eight goals (57%) in the final 45 minutes.
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