What's On Tap: Coming off the best season in school history, the Minnesota State women's soccer program begins the Brian Bahl-era and the 2013 campaign this weekend when the sixth-ranked Mavericks host Truman State Friday at 4 p.m., and 11th-rated Central Missouri Sunday at 12 p.m.

Friday's contest will mark the first official match for first-year head coach Brian Bahl, the fourth coach in Maverick soccer history. Minnesota State returns five starters from last year's team that was crowned NSIC regular-season champions and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight, including Daktronics Second Team All-Region pick senior Tori Meinhardt and First Team All-Region selection junior Molly McGough.

Beat the Best to Be the Best:  Minnesota State will be tested early and often this season as two of the Mavericks' first four games this season come against teams ranked in the top-15 nationally. MSU will host No. 11 Central Missouri this Sunday at The Pitch, before hitting the road next weekend to challenge No. 2 Grand Valley State on Sunday, Sept. 15th in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Starting Strong Out of the Gate: MSU is 12-6-0 all-time in season openers and has not lost an opening game since a 2-1 home loss to Truman State in 2006. The Mavericks are 1-1-0 all-time in openers against TSU. Additionally, seniors Tori Meinhardt and Courtney Vallarelli along with junior Emily Moris have all scored one goal in season openers during their career.

Looking Back at Preseason Play: The Mavericks went 2-1 in three exhibition contests over the past two weeks sandwiching wins over Macalester (2-1) and Washburn (3-1) around a narrow defeat to Fort Hays State (1-0).

Sophomore Korey Kronforst netted three of the five MSU goals in preseason play as Meinhardt and junior Danielle Myers each added one of their own. Defensively, senior Brittany Cygan had a team-high five saves during the exhibition slate, while sophomore Lauren Hoeppner captured four of her own.

Scouting the Bulldogs: Truman State is coming off a 2012 season that saw the Bulldogs finish 12-6-1 overall and 8-4-0 in conference play, good for a third-place finish, in their final season as members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. This year TSU joins the Great Lakes Valley Conference and returns 17 total letterwinners, including seven starters.

Head coach Mike Cannon is entering his 21st season at the helm of the Bulldog program and ranks seventh all-time in victories among NCAA Division II coaches with a 265-96-38 career record. Truman State returns senior Trisha Shoemaker (Fwd., 5-4, Pleasant Valley, Iowa) who earned Second Team All-MIAA and NSCAA Second Team All-Region honors last year after leading the Bulldogs in goals (9) and points (21). Additionally, senior Kelsey Ridgway (Def., 5-10, West Des Moines, Iowa) returns after claiming First Team All-MIAA plus NSCAA and Daktronics Second Team All-Region accolades a year ago.

Inside the MSU vs. TSU Series: The Mavericks defeated TSU, 2-1, a year ago in Kirksville, Mo., in the programs' first meeting since 2006. However, the Bulldogs still own a 7-3 advantage all-time in a series dating back to 1997.

Scouting the Jennies:  No. 11 Central Missouri is coming off a 2012 season that saw the Jennies finish 16-2-5 overall, including a 10-0-2 mark in the MIAA earning them a conference title. UCM returns 15 letterwinners and six starters from last year's team that was eliminated from the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament after a shootout-loss to MSU.

Head coach Lewis Theobald owns a 95-18-13 career record in six years guiding the Jennies. UCM returns senior Carly Stanley (Fwd., 5-3, De Soto, Kan.) who was a First Team All-MIAA pick and All-Region selection afternetting five goals and 16 points, good for third on the team. Additionally, sophomore Morgan Hartzler (GK, 5-8, Kearney, Mo.) is back after posting a 9-1-3 record and 0.49 GAA in 2012.

Inside the MSU vs. UCM Series: Minnesota State went 0-1-1 against the Jennies a year ago, including a 5-4 shootout victory in the NCAA tournament. Those meetings marked the first between the teams since 2007 with Central Missouri holding a 4-3-2 all-time lead in a series dating back to 2001.

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