Mankato, Minn.--- No. 17 Minnesota State upended Winona State 3-1 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener on Friday afternoon at The Pitch.

The Mavericks (3-1-0) started off strong from the opening kickoff against the Warriors (1-2-0) on their way to a decisive win. Junior midfielder Alesha Duccini started the scoring quickly in the 5th minute netting her first goal of the season coming off the corner kick from senior forward Morgan Cottew, bringing the score to 1-0. The Warriors had chances to score in the first half, but two shots hit the crossbar without any harm done. The time of possession was dominated by MSU, outshooting WSU 11-4 before half.

The second half was more balanced between the two teams with the heat and humidity playing a role. There was more scoring in the second half with sophomore forward Molly Sarafolean adding her second goal of the season in the 47th minute and Duccini getting the assist. In the 61st minute with the Mavericks up 2-0, sophomore forward Molly Riley put away her first goal of the season off the assist from freshman forward Jenny Vetter. Down 3-0, the Warriors got on the board in the 66th minute with a goal coming from Chase Rehm with the assist of Alyssa Reynolds.

The Mavericks outshot the Warriors 24-12 (15-5 on goal) on their way to a win. For the second time this season, the Mavericks recorded 15 shots on goal.

Junior Goalkeeper Alexa Rabune made four saves on five opportunities while making some key saves throughout the game. Warriors' goalkeeper Jourdan Valkner made 12 saves on 15 opportunities.

The Mavericks continue their home weekend play against Upper Iowa on Sunday, Sept. 16th with kickoff being at 1:00 p.m., at The Pitch.