Mankato, Minn. --- Minnesota State soccer starts Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with two matches at The Pitch this weekend. The Mavericks face St. Cloud State on Friday at 4:00 p.m., and Minnesota Duluth on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.  

Looking Back at Last Week: Minnesota State (1-1-1, 0-0-0 NSIC) played its first home matches of the 2016 season. It defeated Ferris State 2-0 on Friday, before losing to No. 2 Grand Valley State 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. 

In their win over Ferris State, the Mavericks outshot the Bulldogs 24-10, including a 19-3 shot on goal advantage. Minnesota State's goals were scored by freshman Alesha Duccini and sophomore Morgan Cottew. Duccini's goal was the first of her Maverick career, and Cottew's was the first of her season and the 10th of her collegiate career. Freshman Taylor Kenealy recorded the first assist of her Maverick career. Freshman Alexa Rabune (1-1-1) stopped all three shots she faced to record her second shutout of the season.

On Sunday, the Mavericks matched the Lakers with 16 shots, but Grand Valley State tallied nine shots on goal compared to four by Minnesota State. Kenealy scored MSU's lone goal -- the first of her career -- while tallying three shots in the match. Kenealy's goal was assisted by junior Jenny Hoerter. Through the first three matches, Kenealy has tallied team-highs in shots (13) and shots on goal (10), and points (3). She also shares the team lead in goals (1) and assists (1). Rabune collected five saves in the match.     

Scouting St. Cloud State: St. Cloud State (1-2-1, 0-0-1 NSIC) opened up the 2016 season with a 2-0 victory at Northern Michigan on Sept. 2, but the Huskies have not won since. The Huskies lost to Michigan Tech 1-0 on Sept. 4 and to  Grand Valley State 8-0 on Sunday in a neutral-site match at The Pitch. In their conference opener, St. Cloud State played to a scoreless draw at Minnesota Duluth on Tuesday night. 

The Huskies are led by freshman Brooke Bares, who scored both goals in St. Cloud State's victory over Northern Michigan. In 2015, the Huskies' offense was paced by sophomore Maria Kass, who garnered, eight goals, two assists and 18 points. Kass led the team in both goals, points, and shots (34).
  
Scouting Minnesota Duluth: The Bulldogs (2-1-1, 0-0-1 NSIC) opened up 2016 with a 1-0 win at Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1. Minnesota Duluth then split two home matches -- losing to Michigan Tech 1-0 on Friday night and defeating Northern Michigan 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. In their first conference match, the Bulldogs tied St. Cloud State at home on Tuesday night.
Minnesota Duluth is led by senior Kailey Beatt, who tallied five goals and 11 points -- both team-bests -- and one assist in 2015. In the early going this season, sophomore Lizzy Fontes and freshman Emma Spooner have tallied one goal each.    

Facing St. Cloud State: The Mavericks are 24-5-1 all-time against the Huskies, including wins in 16 of their last 17 meetings. Minnesota State has won eight-straight matches dating back to 2010. Over that span, MSU has outscored St. Cloud State by a combined margin of 23-6. Last season, the Mavericks prevailed 3-2 at The Pitch.  

Facing Minnesota Duluth: Minnesota State is 18-8-3 all-time in matches with Minnesota Duluth. Over their last 10 matches, the Mavericks are 6-3-1 against the Bulldogs. Last season, Minnesota State defeated Minnesota Duluth 1-0 at The Pitch.