Mankato, Minn. --- Second-seeded Minnesota State women's soccer welcomes seventh-seeded Northern State to The Pitch for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Quarterfinal match on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. 

Looking Back at Last Week: Minnesota State (13-3-2, 12-2-1 NSIC), which is receiving votes in the national poll, concluded its regular season schedule with wins over Winona State and Upper Iowa. The Mavericks shut out the Warriors 3-0 on Friday night in Winona, Minn., and the Peacocks 2-0 at The Pitch on Sunday afternoon.

Offensive Prowess: During the regular season, Minnesota State led the NSIC in goals per match (2.50), total shots (368) and shots on goal (184). The Mavericks, who have compiled a 9-0-1 record in their last 10 matches, have outscored their opponents 27-4 over that span. 

Nordeen and the Shutout Specialists: The Maverick defense has propelled Minnesota State to a tie for the 6th-highest shutout percentage (.722) in NCAA DII. Minnesota State leads the NSIC in shutouts (13) and shutout percentage, and is second in the NSIC with a .720 goals against average. Junior defender Abby Nordeen is the reigning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week. Nordeen played 179 out of 180 potential minutes in the Mavericks' two shutout victories, and she tallied her first career goal -- the game winner -- in MSU's 2-0 win over Upper Iowa on Sunday afternoon.     

All-Time Mavericks: Senior midfielder Kiana Nickel became the fifth student-athlete in program history to eclipse the 100 point plateau. Nickel reached the 100 point milestone in the Mavericks' 4-3 win over U-Mary on Oct. 23. In the Mavericks' 2-0 win over Upper Iowa on Sunday afternoon, Nickel garnered her 101st career point with her 31st career assist -- one behind the program record of 32 held by Amanda Burrows (1998-2001) and Brianne West (2009-12).

Jenny and the Mavs: Junior midfielder Jenny Hoerter finished the regular season on a three-match point streak. Over the streak, she has tallied three goals and two assists for eight points. Hoerter netted the game-winning goal against Winona State on Friday night.

Keeping up With Cottew: Sophomore forward Morgan Cottew leads Minnesota State in goals (14) and points (33). Cottew, who scored three goals last week, enters Wednesday's match ranked third in the NSIC in both goals and points. She is tied for 16th in NCAA DII in goals and tied for 17th in points.   

New Horns: Freshman midfielder Alesha Duccini and freshman forward Taylor Kenealy have been regular contributors on the offensive side of the ball. Duccini has tallied seven goals and five assists for 19 points -- tied for the eighth-most single-season points by a freshman in Maverick history. Kenealy has garnered five goals and five assists for 15 points -- the fourth most points by a Maverick in 2016. 

NSIC Tournament: Minnesota State has won four NSIC Conference Tournament Championships with the most recent coming in 2014. Last season, the Mavericks' reached the semifinals where they tied Winona State 1-1. The Warriors advanced to the finals with a shootout win. 

Scouting Northern State: The Wolves (9-8-0, 7-8-0 NSIC) had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 1-0 loss at No. 11 Minot State on Sunday. 

The Wolves, who are fourth in the NSIC in goals per match (2.06), are led on offense by Anna Bondy, who recorded team-highs in goals (15), assists (8) and points (38). She ranks second in the NSIC in both goals and points and is tied for second in assists.

Facing Northern State: The Mavericks are 11-1-1 all-time against the Wolves. The two teams met on Oct. 16 in Aberdeen, S.D., with Minnesota State prevailing 2-0.

Looking Ahead: The winner of the Mavericks and the Wolves advances to the NSIC Tournament Semifinal where they will meet the winner of Bemidji State and St. Cloud State. The time and location of the semifinal round will be determined after the quarterfinal matches. The championship match is scheduled to be played at 2:00 p.m., on Sunday at the same site as the semifinal matches.