Duluth, Minn.--- No. 16 Minnesota State (5-1-0, 3-0-0 NSIC) wins a slugfest against Minnesota Duluth (2-5-0, 1-3-0 NSIC) 1-0.
 
The first half was back and forth between the Mavericks and the Bulldogs, but no shots ended up in the back of the net ending the half tied 0-0. The Bulldogs were controlling the possession of the ball at the beginning of the match with the Mavericks not getting a shot off until the 14th minute. After that, Minnesota State started possessing the ball a little more, shooting six shots (four on goal) compared to Minnesota Duluth's eight shots (four on goal).
 
The Mavericks turned it around in the second half by applying more pressure and forcing more opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net. That is exactly what they did in the 66th minute when freshman forward Brynn Desens scored her second goal of the season. The goal came from near the top of the box with the assist coming from sophomore forward Molly Sarafolean. MSU played great defense to close out the game by only allowing three shots total in the second half.
 
In total, Minnesota State outshot Minnesota Duluth 19-11 (11-6 on goal) with most of the damage coming in the second half.
 
Junior goalkeeper Alexa Rabune made saves on all six shots on goal earning her third shuout of the season. Bulldogs' goalkeeper Sisley Ng made 10 saves on 11 opportunities.
 
This was a really physical battle between the two teams by racking up a total of 16 fouls with things getting chippy towards the end of the game.
 
The Mavericks continue their road trip with a stop in St. Cloud, Minn., to take on the St. Cloud State Huskies on Sunday, Sept. 23rd at 1:00 p.m.