MANKATO, Minn. --- #21 Minnesota State will open the 2023 season against Oklahoma Baptist at The Pitch on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. The Mavericks will then travel south to Kansas City, Mo. to take on #16 Emporia State at 11:00 a.m. Sunday's match against Emporia will be hosted at Bourke Field, home to the Rockhurst Hawks.

Facing OBU: The Mavericks won their own the only match played against the Bison winning by a final of 3-0 on November 19 in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. MSU scored all three goals in the last eight minutes of the first half. The match was Mackenzie Rath's 11th career shutout landing her tied for seventh all-time at MSU. Rath currently owns 23 shutouts which is third amongst all-time Mavericks.

Scouting the Bison: OBU finished its season with a 7-9-4 overall record and 5-3-4 conference record landing the Bison third in the Great American Conference. OBU last earned the top seed in the GAC in 2018 after owning a 15-5-1 overall record. The Bison's offense is led by seniors Alanna Bloomingdale and Kaylee Swaner who both tied for second in team points last year with seven. In goal, senior Mia Pendleton severed as the Bison's wall last year accumulating 14 starts while owning a .732 save percentage and a 1.57 goals-against average for a 3-7-3 record in 2022.
  
Facing ESU: Similarly to OBU, The Mavericks own the only game played against the Hornets winning by a final of 2-1 on November 9 in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. MSU forward Dakato Wendell collected her team-leading 16th goal in overtime to steal the game from ESU.

Scouting the Hornets: ESU finished its season with a 13-6-5 overall record and a 7-1-3 conference record landing the Hornets second in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association. ESU fell to Bemidji State in last year's NCAA Central Region Championship after falling 3-1 in penalty kicks. The Hornets are led by graduate students Mackenzie Dimarco and Hannah Woolery who both earned Academic All-American honors and were named to the D2CCA All-American First-Team. Dimarco also was named Second-Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. The two forwards combined for 79 points which accounted for 51% of ESU total points for the 2022 season. In goal, graduate student Tori Bailey has severed as the Hornet's rock last year accumulating 16 starts owning a .741 save percentage and a 1.15 goals-against average for a 10-3-1 record in 2022.

If You're Going: Thursday's game is free and open to the public with no ticket required. There will also be no concessions available.