Mankato, Minn. --- The No. 21 Minnesota State soccer team hits the road this upcoming weekend to face Northern State and MSU Moorhead. The Mavericks and Wolves will square-off on Friday in Aberdeen, S.D., at 7:00 p.m. Then MSU and the Dragons will play on Sunday in Moorhead, Minn., at 1:00 p.m.

Looking Back at Last Week: The Mavericks swept last weekend's home matches and now have a record of 11-2-0 (8-2-0 NSIC), good for third place in the conference standings. MSU defeated Minnesota Crookston 7-0 and then Bemidji State 1-0.
 
In the first match, sophomore Jenny Vetter notched both of her goals in the 28th minute, including one via penalty shot, to put the Mavericks up 2-0. Twelve minutes later, Sophomore Nadia Lowery put the Mavericks up 3-0 before heading into halftime. Early on in the second half freshman Allie Williams record her first two goals in the 58th and 59th minutes. Her first goal came via a free kick, while senior Taylor Barzowski assisted on the second one. Senior Julia Nellis then tallied her first goal of her career in the 74th minute, before Williams completed the hat trick with a goal in the 77th minutes, once again assisted by Barzowski.

In the second match, The Mavericks scored the lone goal of the match in the 89th minute in the second half off the left foot of Vetter. Vetter's 12th goal of the season came after she stole the ball at midfield and scored on an open net. The Beaver goalkeeper came off her line to try and beat Vetter to the loose ball, but Vetter got to the ball first and then split the two defenders back in the box.

Freshman Mackenzie Rath (2-1) started the first match against UMC and collected her first career sole shutout, making one save in the contest. Senior Alexa Rabune (9-1) posted her fifth sole shutout of the season against the Beavers, matching a season high of eight saves. 

Goaltender of the Week: Alexa Rabune was named the NSIC Goaltender of the Week for the second time this season and the third time in her career after her performance against Bemidji State. Rabune made four saves in each half to keep the Beavers off the board. Her record on the season moves to 9-1, while having a 0.50 goals-against average, a .900 save percentage with 45 saves and five sole shutouts through 11 matches played in net. Rabune now has 23 career shutouts (second all-time), 35 career wins (tied for second all-time) and 178 career saves (sixth all-time) in her time at Minnesota State.

Hat Trick: Allie Williams collected a hat trick against the Golden Eagles this past Friday, scoring in the 58th, 59th and 77th minutes. This is the first hat trick for the Mavericks since the 2016 season when current senior Taylor Kenealy scored three against UMD. Williams now has seven goals and three assists for 17 points in her freshman campaign.

Scouting Northern State: The Wolves have a 3-8-1 (1-7-1 NSIC) record in the 2019 season, sitting next to last in the conference. Last weekend NSU was defeated by Augustana 5-1 and then tied with Wayne State 1-1 in double overtime.

Senior Stephany Estrada and sophomore Gabby Roman have both scored two goals for the Wolves this season to lead the team. Junior Morgan Bury has made 11 of the 13 starts so far this season going 3-8-0 record with a 1.59 goals-against average, .773 save percentage, 58 saves and a shutout. 

Facing Northern State: The Mavericks have a 13-1-1 record against the Wolves all-time. MSU won the meeting last season 1-0 at The Pitch.

Scouting MSU Moorhead: The Dragons have a 4-4-4 (2-4-3 NSIC) record in the 2019 season and sit 10th in the conference. Last weekend MSU Moorhead first won 1-0 over Wayne State and then were defeated by Augustana 3-0.

Freshman Mckenzie Ickert leads the Dragons in points on the season with nine by having three goals and assists a piece. Sophomore Kayleigh Sedlacek has started 10 of the 12 matches for MSU Moorhead, going 2-2-3 with a 0.81 goals-against average, .887 save percentage, 63 saves and four shutouts.

Facing MSU Moorhead: The Mavericks have a 15-2-0 record against the Dragons all-time. Minnesota State won the match last season against MSU Moorhead 3-0 in Mankato, Minn.

Looking Ahead: The Mavericks will continue conference play with a home and road match next weekend. The Mavericks will welcome Augustana to Mankato on Nov. 1 with the match starting at 2:00 p.m., at The Pitch. The Mavericks will then play their final road conference match against Wayne State at 1:00 p.m., in Wayne, Neb.