Mankato, Minn. --- Minnesota State soccer continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with matches at Sioux Falls on Friday at 6:00 p.m., and at home against Southwest Minnesota State on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Looking Back at Last Week: Minnesota State (2-2-1, 1-1-0 NSIC) went 1-1-0 in two matches at The Pitch. The Mavericks started the week by losing 2-1 to St. Cloud State on Friday, before rebounding to defeat Minnesota Duluth 5-0 on Sunday afternoon. 

In the loss to St. Cloud State, the Mavericks outshot the Huskies 17-9, including a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal, but Minnesota State only tallied one score. Sophomore Morgan Cottew, who is second on the team in goals (3) and points (8) and tied for the team lead with two assists, scored the Mavericks' lone goal. 

On Sunday, Minnesota State picked up its first NSIC win of 2016 by defeating Minnesota Duluth. The Mavericks jumped out to an early lead -- scoring four goals in the first 20:00. 

Senior Dana Savino, Cottew and freshman Taylor Kenealy scored the Maverick goals. Savino's goal -- the game winner -- was her first score of the season and the 14th of her collegiate career. Cottew's goal was her third of 2016 and the 12th of her Maverick career. Kenealy, who leads the team in shots (19), shots on goal (14), goals (4) and points (9), recorded her first-career hat trick. She is the eighth student-athlete in program history to tally at least three goals in a match. 

Senior Kiana Nickel tallied one assist in each match last week to move into a three-way tie for fifth place in program history with 25 career assists. Nickel also moved into eighth place on the all-time point list with 79. 

Sophomore Taylor Livermore saw her first game action of 2016 in goal during the Mavericks' win over Minnesota Duluth. Freshman Alexa Rabune (2-2-1) played the first half and Livermore played the second half. Rabune has started all five games in goal -- holding opponents to 1.27 goals per game. She owns a .760 save percentage.  

Scouting Sioux Falls: Sioux Falls (1-4-1, 1-2-0 NSIC) defeated MSU Moorhead 1-0 in Moorhead, Minn., on Sunday to end a four-game losing streak. In their win over the Dragons, the Cougars' lone goal was scored by Alexa D'Acunto -- her first of the season. 

This season, four student-athletes have scored one goal each for Sioux Falls: D'Acunto, Lola Weiss, Jackie Montes, and Brooke Jansen.

Morgan Perkins (1-4-1) has started all six games in goal for the Cougars. Perkins is holding the opposition to 1.90 goals per game, while recording a .782 save percentage. 

Scouting Southwest Minnesota State: The Mustangs (3-3-0, 2-1-0, NSIC), who have alternated wins and losses in each match played this season, come to The Pitch having defeated Northern State 3-2 in overtime on Sunday afternoon in Aberdeen, S.D.

Alexandra Mikowiec and Amanda Hartmann provided the offense for Southwest Minnesota State against Northern State. Mikowiec scored once and Hartmann found the back of the net twice, including the game-winning goal in the 95th minute. 

Hartmann leads the Mustangs with three goals and Mikowiec is second with two.

Jessica Craigmile (3-3-0) has started every game for the Mustangs in 2016. She has a .711 save percentage and is holding opponents to 1.79 goals per game.
 
Facing Sioux Falls: The Mavericks are 5-0-0 all-time against the Cougars. Minnesota State has outscored Sioux Falls 31-1 all-time.  Last season, the Mavericks won 7-0.

Facing Southwest Minnesota State: The Mavericks are 15-1-1 in matches against the Mustangs, including a 4-0 win last season. The Mustangs last defeated the Mavericks 2-1 in 2013.