Mankato, Minn. ---  The second-seeded Minnesota State soccer team (17-1-3, 14-0-1 NSIC) treks to Allendale, Mich. to do battle with  top-seed Central Missouri Friday at 2 p.m. EST in the NCAA Division II Central Region championship match on the campus of Grand Valley State University, the midwest region's first-seed.

The Jennies are the lone team to defeat MSU this season by way of an 87th minute goal in Warrensburg, Mo. on Sept. 2nd.

This marks the Mavericks' fourth appearance in the central region title match and second appearance in the sweet sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.  MSU has never won a central region championship contest.

With a victory, Minnesota State would collide with the championion of the midwest region, either No. 1 Grand Valley State or No. 6 Wisconsin-Parkside, Sunday at 2 p.m. EST.

Recapping Last Weekend's Action: Minnesota State dropped third-seeded Central Oklahoma, 1-0, last Sunday afternoon behind an 81st minute goal from senior Brianne West.  The Mavericks controlled the match from start-to-finish en route to advancing to the third round of the NCAA tournament.

Scouting the Jennies:  First-seed Central Missouri (16-2-4) reached the third round by way of a 3-0 victory over fourth-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma State. The regular-season champions of the MIAA are also ranked twelfth in the country.

UCM boasts four double-digit scorers led by freshman Alexis Robbers (10-0--20) and junior Becky Lackey (7-4--18).  Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Hartzler has compiled a 0.46 GAA, .850 save percentage, and 9-1-2 record in 12 starts to date.  

Inside the MSU/UCM Series:  Minnesota State holds a 3-4-1 all-time record against Central Missouri in a series dating back to 2001.  MSU's last win was a 2-1 victory in 2005, while the Jennies defeated the Mavericks, 2-1, in the first weekend of the season.

The Rest of the Field: With a win on Friday, the Mavericks would meet either first-seed Grand Valley State or sixth-seed Wisconsin-Parkside with a berth in the NCAA Final Four on the line.  MSU is 1-1-1 all-time against UWP, but the program's have not met since 1998.  The Mavericks sit 0-1-2 historically versus GVSU, including a scoreless tie earlier this year in Mankato.

The Lakers of Grand Valley State enter the third round with a 19-1-2 overall mark and were crowned regular-season and tournament champions of the GLIAC conference.  They are outscoring opponents 73-7, own a 12-0-1 record at the GVSU Soccer Field, and are riding a 50-match home unbeaten streak.

The Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers, owners of a 14-4-1 record, reached the third round with back-to-back upsets in the first two rounds.  UWP topped third-seed William Jewell, 2-0, before knocking off second-seed Quincy, 2-1.They are outscoring counterparts 36-16 this year and held a nine-match winning streak earlier in the season.

Home Sweet Home: Last week's win over UCO marked the final home match for this year's nine seniors. The Mavericks finished 10-0-2 at the Pitch at Gage Towers this season and will continue a school-record 25-game home unbeaten streak dating back to 2010 when they open the 2013 campaign.

Keep on Streaking:  Along with its home unbeaten streak, Minnesota State carries a 19-match unbeaten streak, also a school record, into this week's showdown with UCM.  MSU also tied a school-record on Oct. 28 as it dropped Winona State for its13th consecutive victory.

Nationally Known:  The Mavericks rank 14th in the nation in scoring average with 2.62 goals/game.  Minnesota State is also third in the country in scoring defense at 0.369 goals/game and fourth in shutout percentage with  0.667 shutouts/game.   Individually, senior Nicole Dooher sits seventh nationally with 12 assists on the year, while fellow senior Brianne West's 10 helpers rank her 14th.  Sophomore Molly McGough ranks third in GAA at 0.333 and 10th with a .875 save percentage.

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