MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State soccer team heads to Missouri this weekend for a pair of nonconference contests vs. #7 Central Missouri, Friday at 7:00 p.m., and Northwest Missouri State, Sunday at 1:00 p.m..
Last Time Out: The Mavericks own a 1-0 record after opening the regular season on a winning note last Saturday at The Pitch. Sophomore forward Allie Williams scored the golden goal thanks to a cross-box assist from freshman Maille Mathis, which marked Mathis' first career point. The Mavericks prevailed 1-0 in overtime with freshman goalkeeper Clare Longueville recording a clean sheet in her first collegiate match as the Maverick keeper. Minnesota State outshot Missouri Southern 17-11 in the season opener.
The Golden Goal: Sophomore forward Allie Williams scored her first career game-winning goal in last Saturday's match vs. Missouri Southern at The Pitch in a 1-0 overtime thriller. freshman forward Maille Mathis registered her first collegiate point on the goal with an assist on a cross to Williams' right foot for the winner.
A Clean Debut: Freshman goalkeeper Clare Longueville made her first start in her first match at the collegiate level, last Saturday vs. Missouri Southern. In 92:29 of action, Longueville secured her first career clean sheet in the 1-0 overtime win vs. the Lions at The Pitch.
Top Returner: Junior forward Jenny Vetter is the Mavericks' top-retuning scorer for the 2021 season. The Mankato, Minn., native netted a pair of goals during one official match last spring vs. Minot State (March 5) to add to a career total of 62 points (26-10--62) in 32 matches during her time 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 The Jennies: The Mavericks own a 6-7-2 record against the Jennies all-time. Most recently, Minnesota State defeated Central Missouri in the 2019 NCAA Central Regional Championship in Mankato, Minn., 3-0 at Scheels Field in the Maverick All-Sports Dome back on Dec. 6, 2019.
Scouting #7 Central Missouri: The Jennies currently own a 2-0 record after winning contests vs. Oklahoma Baptist and Southwestern Oklahoma State to open the 2021 campaign, last week. In 2019, the Jennies concluded the season with a 19-3-1 (10-0-1 MIAA) record and finished on top of the MIAA standings during the regular season. That season, Central Missouri won its first and second round NCAA Tournament matches to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. UCM first took down Southwest Oklahoma State 4-1 before besting Concordia-St. Paul 2-0.
In just two games so far, junior forward Kassie Newsom leads the Jennies with three points including a goal and an assist. In the Jennies last match, Newsom took seven shots and now leads Central Missouri with eight attempts and three on goal. Backstopping the Jennies, Lindsey Johnson was named MIAA Co-Goalkeeper of the Week. Johnson stopped all nine shots that were asked of her en route to recording a pair of clean sheets over 180 minutes of action, last week.
Facing The Bearcats: In one match during the all-time series vs. Northwest Missouri State, the Mavericks own one 9-1 victory over the Bearcats (Sept. 6, 2002).
Scouting Northwest Missouri State: The Bearcats are off to a 2-0 start this season following a pair of victories vs. Sioux Falls, 2-0, and Wayne State, 4-2, last weekend. Back in 2019, the Bearcats concluded their campaign with a 6-10-3 (4-5-2 MIAA) record.
Leading the way offensively for NWMSU are sophomore forwards Kaylie Rock and Teagan Blackburn who each have a pair of goals and an assist for five points, respectively, in two matches this season.
Our History: The 2021 season marks Minnesota State's 27th season playing women's soccer. The Mavericks are 353-124-37 (.740) in 514 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 143-18-11 (.831) record in 172 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: After their trip to Missouri, the Mavericks travel to Nebraska to take on Wayne State, Sept. 17, before heading to South Dakota to open conference action vs. Augustana, Sept. 19.
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