What's On Tap: The Mavericks are set to take action this weekend in a pair of NSIC matches beginning Friday night in Bemidji, Minn., at 7 p.m. On Sunday, No. 13 Minnesota State will take the field vs. the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota, Crookston starting at 1 p.m.

Depth Perception:, With a couple of key players resting this last weekend for Minnesota State, some players had to step up. The Mavericks demonstrated great depth up and down the lineup with five different players scoring in a 7-0 win over Sioux Falls on Saturday. Three freshman were able to put the ball in the net against the Cougars including two from Morgan Cottew (Minneapolis, Minn.). Junior Kiana Nickel (Wayzata, Minn.) also scored two goals in the victory. On Sunday, Cottew netted her first career hattrick with Nickel adding one goal herself. Cottew and Nickel are tied for the team lead in goals with six a piece.

Looking Back at Last Week:, The No. 13 Mavericks stand at 5-1 overall and 3-0 in NSIC matches through the first six contests this season. Last Saturday, Minnesota State throttled the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls, beating them by a score of 7-0. The victory as led by Nickel and Cottew, netting two goals each. Senior goalkeeper Lauren Hoeppner (Lakeville, Minn.) and freshman Taylor Livermore (Muscatine, Iowa) were not challenged once on the day, as the Cougars were unable to get any shots on goal. On Sunday, MSU followed suit by shutting out Southwest Minnesota State University. The match featured three goals scored by Cottew and one added from Nickel. Hoeppner recorded one save in the match as the Mustangs were able to produce just one shot.

Scouting the Beavers: BSU currently has a record of 5-1 on the season and a 2-1 record in league play. Last week the Beavers hosted and defeated the University of Mary 2-0 on Saturday before losing to Minot State 4-1 on Sunday. BSU is ranked fourth in the conference. The Beavers have scored 11 goals while giving up five goals thus far. BSU has produced 78 shot attempts while putting 46 of those shots on net.

Head coach Jim Stone is in his 14th season at the helm of the Beavers program and is the all-time leader in wins at BSU with a record of 133-99-23. Junior Sarah Stram (F/M, Elk Grove Village, Ill.) leads the team in points (12) and goals (5). Freshman goalkeeper Anna Fobbe (St. Paul, Minn.) has given up three goals on the season and holds a record of 4-1 to start the 2015 campaign.

Inside the MSU vs. BSU Series: The Mavericks and the Beavers have met 11 times before with MSU leading the head-to-head contest with a 9-1-1 record.

Scouting the Golden Eagles: UMC has an overall record of 1-4-1 and 1-2 in NSIC play. Last week the Golden Eagles defeated the University of Mary 2-0, but not before dropping a match to Minot State at home 1-0 on Saturday.

Head coach Joe Alianiello is in his fourth season as head coach of the Golden Eagles and owns a 11-32-11 overall record. Crookston has scored four goals on the season while holding opponents to 10 goals through the first six games of play.

Inside the MSU vs. UMC Series: The Mavericks have never lost to the Golden Eagles, boasting a record of 8-0-0. In their last meeting the MSU defeated UMC 3-0 in Mankato.

Stars of the Northern Sun:, Freshman Morgan Cottew took home NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors this week for her performances against the University of Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State, scoring five goals for 10 points that included a first career hattrick vs. SMSU. Sophomore Abby Nordeen (Huntley, Ill.) garnered NSIC Defensive Player of the Week accolades playing a keep part in allowing just one shot in two games last week. Junior Kiana Nickel also had a good weekend scoring three goals in the two matches vs. USF and SMSU. Currently, Nickel is in second place for points in the NSIC with 13, Cottew ranks fourth (12), and SeniorKorey Kronforst (Cary, Ill.) ranks sixth (11).

Taking the Advantage: Minnesota State has outscored their opponents 25-3 thus far and holds a 136-58 advantage in shots through the first six games of 2015. The Mavericks also claim a 36-7 advantage over, their counterparts in corner kicks.

The Road Ahead: The #13 Mavericks will head to Moorhead, Minn., and Aberdeen, S.D., next weekend to take on Minnesota State University, Moorhead on Oct. 3rd and Northern State on Oct. 4th. The matchup vs. the Beavers of MSU-Moorhead will kickoff at 12 p.m. while the contest against the Wolves of Northern State is slated for 1 p.m.

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