Mankato, Minn. --- The No. 23 Minnesota State soccer team will welcome Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State to Mankato, Minn., to finish out its four-match homestand. The Mavericks and Golden Eagles will square-off on Friday and then MSU will turn its attention to the Beavers on Sunday, with both matches being at The Pitch at 1:00 p.m.

Looking Back at Last Week: The Mavericks swept last weekend's home matches and now have a record of 9-2-0 (6-2-0 NSIC), good for fourth place in the conference standings. MSU defeated Southwest Minnesota State 5-1 and then Sioux Falls 5-0.
 
In the first match, sophomore Jenny Vetter's goal broke the scoreless tie in the 13th minute, giving the Mavericks a 1-0 lead. Vetter then took it upon herself to score her seventh goal of the season and second goal of the match with a shot to the lower right corner in the 20th minute. Freshman Allie Williams gave Minnesota State the 3-0 lead in the 31st minute for her third goal of the season. Freshman Abby Begin rounded out the scoring in the first half in the 34th minute, scoring her first collegiate goal. Southwest Minnesota State made it 4-1 in the 57th minute of the second half when senior Alli Miskowiec scored with a shot to the lower left corner. The Mavericks scored the final goal in the 71st minute when sophomore Sydney DePrenger scored her first goal of the season.

In the second match, the Mavericks got on the board first when Vetter stole the ball and took it upon herself to go down the field and score her eighth goal of the season in the 27th minute. Minnesota State then added another goal in the 37th minute when Williams scored with a shot off her right foot to the upper left corner. The Mavericks would score their third goal of the half when Vetter scored her second goal of the match and team-leading ninth of the season in the 39th minute, after the Cougar goalkeeper came off her line. The Mavericks got on the board again within the first minute of the second half when sophomore Nadia Lowery bent the shot from the top of the box to the upper left corner. A goal from sophomore Brynn Desens in the 57th minute pushed the Maverick lead to 5-0 on a little chip in goal right next to the net.

Senior Alexa Rabune (8-1) won both decisions after making six saves in 160 minutes. Freshman Mackenzie Rath finished the combined shutout in game two making one save. 

Vetter's Big Weekend: Jenny Vetter had a big weekend in the wins over SMSU and USF by scoring four goals, two in each match, and collecting three assists. The career-best three assists came in the win against USF and helped with the career-high seven points. Both feats are tied for second and sixth in a match in Minnesota State history, respectively. After the big performance, Vetter was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career. Vetter now has nine goals and six assists for 24 points on the season, leading the NSIC in both goals and points.

Scouting Minnesota Crookston: The Golden Eagles have a 0-8-0 (0-7-0 NSIC) record in the 2019 season, sitting last in the conference. Both matches were postponed for UMC last weekend, but the Golden Eagles fell to U-Mary on Monday 7-0. 

Junior Maggie Peterson and sophomore Kiya Gere have both scored a goal for the Golden Eagles this season. Junior Athena DiMario Done has made seven of the eight starts so far this season going 0-7-0 record with a 3.57 goals-against average, .722 save percentage and 57 saves. 

Facing Minnesota Crookston: The Mavericks have an undefeated 12-0-0 record against the Golden Eagles all-time. MSU won the meeting last season 8-0 in Crookston, Minn.

Scouting Bemidji State: The Beavers have a 8-2-1 (7-0-1 NSIC) record in the 2019 season and sit tied for first in the conference. Last weekend BSU swept both matches, defeating Minot State 3-1 and U-Mary 1-0 in double overtime.

Sophomore Sara Wendt leads the Beavers in points on the season with 15 by scoring seven goals and collecting an assist. Junior Emma Riedl and freshman Alyssa Stumbaugh have split time in net this season for BSU, combining for a 0.70 goals-against average, .855 save percentage, 47 saves and four shutouts.

Facing Bemidji State: The Mavericks have a 12-3-2 record against the Beavers. MSU dropped the match last season against BSU 3-2 in double overtime in Bemidji, Minn.

Looking Ahead: The Mavericks will continue conference play on the road next weekend. On Oct. 25, MSU will travel to Aberdeen S.D., to take on Northern State at 7:00 p.m. The Mavericks will then face MSU Moorhead in Moorhead, Minn., on Oct. 27 at 1:00 p.m.