Mankato, Minn. --- What's on Tap:  The Minnesota State women's soccer team (12-1-1, 11-0-0 NSIC) faces one long-time opponent and another new one in NSIC contests against Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls with only four contests remaining in the regular-season.

Recapping Last Weekend's Action:  MSU successfully kept it's NSIC mark unblemished away from home by opening the weekend last Friday night with a 5-1 win over Minnesota  Duluth.  Four different Mavericks recorded multiple points in the offensive barage

Junior Courtney Vallarelli lifted Minnesota State to victory Sunday afternoon by forcing a turnover and scoring the match's lone goal, unassisted, as sophomore Molly McGough earned her ninth shutout in the 1-0 win over St. Cloud State.

Scouting the Mustangs:  Southwest Minnesota State (7-5-1, 5-5-1 NSIC), who is in the midst of a five-match homestand, defeated Northern State, 2-1, and MSU-Moorhead, 3-0, to move into a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Northern Sun.

    Two freshman, Miranda Cadena and Kendahl Fisher, are the only Mustangs with double-digit points this season totalling 6-2--14 and 4-5--13 respectively for the NSIC's fifth-highest scoring offense.  Sophomore netminder Sonya Smith has posted a 0.75 GAA and .873 save percentage in 13 starts to head the conference's fourth-best scoring defense.

Inside the MSU/SMSU Series: Minnesota State owns a 12-0-0 all-time record over the Mustangs in a series dating back to 1996.  The programs have competed the last four seasons after a five-year hiatus.  The Mavericks have outscored SMSU 59-2 overall and 20-0 in NSIC play, including a 4-0 victory a year ago.

Scouting the Cougars: Sioux Falls (0-13-1, 0-10-1 NSIC) fell to MSU-Moorhead, 2-0, last Saturday before rebounding to tie Northern State, 1-1, for its first-ever Northern Sun point.

Junior Mikenna Greathouse has scored four of the seven USF goals this season to lead the Cougars on offense.  Fellow junior Samantha Maybon boasts a team-high .795 save percentage and team-best 1.94 GAA in four starts in net for Sioux Falls.

Inside the MSU/USF Series:  Minnesota State has only faced new-NSIC member Sioux Falls once in the program's 17-year history.  The Mavericks defeated USF 7-0 in that lone meeting a year ago in Mankato.

Home Sweet Home:  The Mavericks are 7-0-1 at the Pitch at Gage Towers this season and currently in the midst of a school-record 21 game home unbeaten streak dating back to 2010.

Keep on Streaking:  Along with its home unbeaten streak, Minnesota State is unbeaten in its last 12 games and has won ten straight contests.

Climbing the Ranks: After debuting at #24 in the NSCAA Poll, MSU has moved up six consecutive weeks and now sits at #1.  The number one ranking marks the highest national ranking in Maverick soccer history. Minnesota State also holds the top spot in the Central Region poll.

Nationally Known:  The Mavericks rank 8th in the nation in scoring average with a 2.9 goals/game mark.  Minnesota State is also 7th in the country in scoring defense at 0.42 goals/game. Individually, senior forward Nicole Dooher sits fourth nationally with ten assists on the year, while sophomore Molly McGough ranks sixth in GAA at 0.35.

Leading the Way:  Minnesota State currently leads the NSIC in nearly every major statistical category including shots (315), points (137), goals (41), assists (55), goals allowed (6), and rates second in shutouts (9). Dooher ranks first in the conference in assists (20) and tied for second in points (18). Senior Brianne West and junior Tori Meinhardt (left) are tied for fourth in the NSIC with five assists a piece.

Standing Out:  MSU currently owns sole possession of first-place in the NSIC at 11-0-0. Winona State sits one game behind at 10-1-0 with Upper Iowa 3.0 games behind at 8-2-1.

The Road Ahead:  Three of the Minnesota State's final four regular-season matches will come away from Mankato with the lone home game a 1 p.m. showdown Friday Oct. 26th against Winona State.

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