MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State soccer team returns home for its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches at The Pitch of the season, Friday, vs. Bemidji State before hosting Minnesota Crookston, Sunday.
Last Time Out: The Mavericks own a 3-2 overall record following a road trip which opened NSIC action last weekend where MSU split for a 1-1 record in conference play after beating Wayne State and losing to Augustana.
On Friday, the Mavericks took down the Wildcats with a 2-1 victory. Freshman forward Louisa Shromoff scored MSU's first goal 12 minutes into the match off a through ball from freshman forward Ashlyn Watt, which Shromoff used to advance past the Wildcat's keeper before finding the back of the net with her right foot. It marked the first collegiate point for both Maverick freshmen involved and gave MSU a 1-0 lead in the first half. Just 10 minutes later, in the 22nd minute, junior forward Jenny Vetter provided an insurance marker with her second goal of the season. Vetter's tally was the eventual game-winner after the Wildcats cut the deficit in half, 2-1, with a goal in the 86th minute.
MSU dropped its first NSIC contest of the season 1-0 vs. the Vikings, Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D. AU scored the only goal of the match in the 55th minute. It marked the Mavericks first time being shutout since Nov. 8, 2019 (vs.Concordia-St. Paul at The Pitch).
Top Returner: Junior forward Jenny Vetter is the Mavericks' top-returning scorer this season. With her game-winning tally last Friday vs. WSC, Vetter now stands tied for third in MSU's all-time game-winning goals chart. The Mankato, Minn., native has 66 career points (28-10--66) in 37 matches at Minnesota State. Back in 2019, Vetter led the Mavericks in goals (20), points (47), game-winning goals (10) and shots on net (70), all while concluding the season second on the team with seven assists.
Awards and honors Vetter earned for her efforts during the 2019 campaign included being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team, being named to the USC All-American First Team the D2CCA All-American Second Team, the D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year, the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year and the NSIC Tournament MVP. Vetter was also named to the D2CCA All-Central Region First Team, the USC All-Central Region First Team, the CoSIDA All-District Team, the All-NSIC First Team, the NSIC All-Tournament Team and the NSIC Fall All-Academic Team.
Facing Bemidji State: The Mavericks are 13-3-2 in the all-time series vs. Bemidji State. Over the course of 18 matches between the two in-state rival schools, the Mavericks have outscored the Beavers 60-10. In the last meeting, the Mavericks defeated the Beavers 1-0 with a late goal from Jenny Vetter. However, in the last five meetings, the series is tied at 2-2-1.
Scouting the Beavers: The Beavers lead the conference standings after week one with a 2-0 mark in NSIC action and 5-0 record overall. Last weekend, the Beavers defeated Northern State, 2-1, and MSU Moorhead, 2-0.
Senior forward Sara Wendt leads the way offensively for the Beavers with a team and conference-high eight goals and an assist for 17 points this season. Nationally Wendt sits second in goals per game (1.60) and points per game (3.40) and is tied for first with four game-winning goals this season. In goal for BSU, junior Alyssa Stambaugh has backstopped all but one match for the Beavers. In four matches, Stambaugh has 15 stops and four goals against in 364:27 of playing time.
Facing Minnesota Crookston: In 13 all-time meetings between the Mavericks and Golden Eagles, MSU is undefeated. On average, the Mavericks score 5.08 goals per game vs. UMC and own a 66-4 advantage in scoring during the series which dates back to Sept. 19, 1999. In the last meeting, MSU defeated UMC 7-0. Sophomore forward Allie Williams recorded a single-game career high with three goals in the match.
Scouting the Golden Eagles: The Golden Eagles own a 1-4 (1-1 NSIC) record this season and opened week one of their conference slate with a 1-0 win over MSU Moorhead prior to a 4-0 loss to Northern State.
Having started and played in all 450 minutes of action for UMC this season, freshman defender Abby Fettinger is tied for the team lead in points with a pair of them off a goal vs. the Dragons, last Friday. She also leads the Golden Eagles with seven shots on goal this season.
Our History: The 2021 season marks Minnesota State's 27th year playing women's soccer. The Mavericks are 355-126-37 (.721) in 518 contests since their inception as a varsity sport in 1995. Minnesota State concluded its 12th season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2019 and owns a 144-19-11 (.859) record in 174 games during conference play.
Over the course of its history, MSU has claimed 10 regular-season conference championships, including five North Central Conference championships and five NSIC championships. The Mavericks have also won eight NSIC Tournament championships in 12 years of existence in the NSIC. Minnesota State made its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament during their last official season back in 2019. MSU owns a 10-11-5 overall record in NCAA postseason play.
Looking Ahead: The Mavericks are back on the road after this weekend, taking on MSU Moorhead, Friday, Oct. 1, before heading to Northern State, Sunday, Oct. 3. After that, MSU will host four straight at The Pitch.
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