What's On Tap: The 13th-rated Minnesota State soccer team will hit the road for the second weekend in a row as they travel to, MSU-Moorhead on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. before battling Northern State on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Aberdeen, S.D.

MSU is off to a great start as it holds a current record of 7-1-0 and 6-0-0 in the NSIC. Minnesota State's only loss came in the second weekend of the season vs. a then number four-rated Grand Valley State., Since then, the Mavericks have out scored their opponents 14-0 and have outshot challengers 98-29 in the last four games.

Looking Back at Last Week: The Mavericks picked up a couple of wins over NSIC opponents last weekend on the road. MSU defeated Bemidji State 1-0 before producing its sixth shutout of the year against Minnesota Crookston, defeating the Golden Eagles 2-0 on Sunday.

Senior Korey Kronforst (Cary, Ill.) netted her fifth goal in the four games she has faced Bemidji State, in the 1-0 victory. Freshman Morgan Cottew (Minneapolis, Minn.) tallied her first career assist on the goal. Junior Kiana Nickel (Wayzata, Minn.) scored her team-leading seventh goal on the year against UMC while Kronforst picked up her team-leading sixth assist of 2015. Sophomore Laura Schwickerath (Cedar Falls, Iowa) tacked on her first goal of the season late in the game on a penalty kick after a Golden Eagle infraction. Senior Lauren Hoeppner (Lakeville, Minn.) produced her fifth shutout of the season and now is 7-1-0 on the year.

Firing On All Cylinders: The Mavericks lead the NSIC in nearly all major categories including: Goals for (28), goals against (3), goals/game (3.5), goals given up/game (0.38), scoring margin (+3.12), 2nd in shots (171), and in save% (0.929). Individually, Minnesota State, players sit atop the NSIC in categories including Goals (Nickel,T-1st (7), Cottew T-3rd (3)), Assists (Kronforst-1st (6), Savino-2nd (4), Erickson/Lindstrom T-3rd (3)), and game-winning goals (Nickel, T-1st (3). For goal keepers, Hoeppner leads the conference in save percentage, goals against average and shutouts with 0.929 and 0.400 ratings and 6 scoreless games, respectively.

Scouting the Dragons: MSU-M has an overall record of 1-3-3 on the season and is 1-3-1 in conference play. The Dragons come off a weekend in which they were shutout by Augustana by a score of 2-0, before Tying Wayne State 1-1 on Sunday.

Head coach Rollie Bulock is in his 17th season at the helm of the Dragons program and holds a record of 95-184-14. Senior Lindsey Micheletti (M, Eagan, Minn.), junior Jessica Johnson (M, St. Michael, Minn.), and junior Sienna Rebollozo (F, Dallas, Texas) each have scored one of the Dragons for three goals on the year., MSU-Moorhead is being outscored 9-3 on the season and being outshot by its opponents at a clip of 155-91.

Inside the MSU vs. MSUM Series: Saturday's meeting between the Mavericks and the Dragons will be the 14th all-time with MSU holding an 11-2-0 lead over MSUM.

Scouting the Wolves: Northern State comes into the weekend with an overall record of 4-3-1 and are 2-2-1 in the NSIC. The Wolves are coming off a weekend in which they defeated Wayne State 3-1 before losing to Augustana 2-0 on Sunday.

Head coach Steve Kehm has lead the Wolves since their inaugural season in 1998 compiling a record of 172-137-35 in his 18 seasons. Junior Anna Bondy (MF, Pierre, S.D.) leads NSU with nine points and four goals. Senior Brittany Tietz (GK, Aberdeen S.D.) has started all five games that she has seen action in games in this season. She has given up four goals and owns a 0.80 goals against average while posting a .905 save percentage.

Inside the MSU vs. NSU Series: This will be the 12th meeting between the Mavericks and the Wolves. MSU owns a four-match winning streak over NSU and leads the all-time series with a record of 9-1-1.

Stars of the Northern Sun: A total of four Mavericks have garnered Player of the Week honors this season with Hoeppner claiming the most recent title. Freshman Morgan Cottew and sophomore Abby Nordeen received the honors last week and senior Korey Kronforst took home the title in the first week of the 2015 season. The Mavericks currently sit atop the NSIC standings having out scored their oppositions by a mark of 28-3.

Taking the Advantage: Minnesota State has outscored their opponents 28-3 thus far and holds a 171-78 advantage in shots through the first eight games of 2015. The Mavericks also claim a 40-14 advantage over their counterparts in corner kicks.

The Road Ahead: The #13 Mavericks will host Minot State for Home Coming on Oct. 10th and the University of Mary the following day. The matchup vs. the Beavers of Minot State will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. while the contest against the Marauders of U-Mary is slated for 1:00 p.m. as well.

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