MANKATO, Minn. -- The No. 3 Minnesota State women's soccer team wraps up their regular season home schedule this weekend. They face MSU Moorhead on Friday at 3:00 p.m., and close out the weekend against Minnesota Crookston on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Last Time Out:
The Mavericks (11-1-1, 8-1-1) bounced back last weekend after suffering their first loss two weeks ago. On Friday, they returned to The Pitch to take on Concordia-St. Paul, and they controlled the game from the jump. After a back and forth first 15 minutes, Amara Smith buried a goal to give the Mavericks the lead. They would waste little time adding on as just 38 seconds later Mila Rustin would fire a bullet that would also beat the goalkeeper for a quick 2-0 lead. This marked the second time this season that Smith and Rustin scored 40 seconds or less apart, also doing it in the opening four minutes against UMary. Maddix Archer would add one herself five minutes later, receiving a beautiful feed from Meghan Sullivan before she headed the ball in for another Maverick goal. MSU held onto the lead and kept CSP scoreless until Anna Stromberg also found pay dirt, scoring her first of the season with an impressive shot from the left-hand side of the box to seal a 4-0 win for the Mavericks.
They followed that up with another 4-0 win, this time on the road against Winona State. After a foul by the Warrior keeper, Archer had an opportunity on the penalty kick and she did not miss, putting the Mavericks in front 11 minutes in. After the rest of the half was back and forth, MSU came out strong in the second half scoring twice in the first 10 minutes. Archer would score once again to stay red-hot with Smith getting credited with an assist. Four minutes later after another Warrior penalty, Smith buried a PK goal of her own. Just like the CSP match, Stromberg would score in the last ten minutes to close out another Maverick shutout win. Lauren McAlpine made some incredible saves during the match, racking up six total saves, highlighted by a diving save in the 84th minute to maintain the clean sheet.
Smith and Archer have been a problem all season long for opposing defenders; they are tied for the team's lead in goals with seven. Their seven goals apiece is tied for fourth best in all the NSIC, and they are the only pair of teammates inside the top ten. They are fourth and fifth in points as Smith has 17 points, while Archer is one behind with 16.
McAlpine returned to form making 12 saves over the weekend to record her 10th and 11th shutouts of the season, the best in the NSIC and second best in all of Division II. She has allowed a miniscule 0.31 goals per game and owns a .938 save percentage, both ranking first in the NSIC and amongst the best in the country.
Scouting MSU Moorhead:
The Dragons enter the weekend owners of a 3-8-2 record (2-7-1 NISC) and are coming off a 1-1-0 weekend. They played host to Minnesota Duluth as part of their Homecoming weekend, beating the Bulldogs in a 1-0 battle. Mary Cox would score in the eighth minute and that is all it took for the Dragons as Emilia Kristensen would make 10 saves to record an impressive shutout. After the win they would head on the road to take on Bemidji State and would fall 3-0.
Cox has been MSU Moorhead's best scorer, leading the team in goals with three, and points with seven. She has posted 26 shots with ten shots on the net. Sophie Thompson is the only other Dragon with multiple goals, as she has tallied two so far. Erika Bergh and Clara Butler make up the rest of the team's goals this season, each scoring one thus far.
Kristensen is one of four netminders to play every minute for their team this season. She enters the weekend with a 1.69 goals against average, and a .798 save percentage. She has made 87 saves across 13 matches while recording 3 shutouts during that time.
All-Time Series:
The Mavericks are 20-3 all-time against the Dragons and are currently on a two-game winning streak. Prior to the loss in 2023, the Mavericks had been on a 17-game winning streak. Overall, at The Pitch, MSU has a 10-1 advantage, including a 9-0 trouncing the last team these teams met at The Pitch. Smith and Archer were amongst the goalscorers during that match. Last season, Smith also scored during the matchup as part of a 2-0 shutout in Moorhead.
Scouting Minnesota Crookston:
The Golden Eagles enter the weekend with a 0-8-5 record (0-7-3 NSIC) and are off the back of a 0-1-1 weekend. They also celebrated their homecoming during a match against Bemidji State that ended in a 1-1 tie. Marasia Warren scored in the 59th minute to tie it up as the teams remained deadlocked until clock hit triple zeroes. Marsia Green would score the Golden Eagles lone goal on Sunday in a 5-1 loss to Minnesota Duluth.
Callie Holthaus and Sydney Christopherson are the only two Golden Eagles besides Green and Warren to score this season, each of them having one apiece. They have struggled to get offense going all season with just four goals, but all four of them have come in the last five matches, so the offense is starting to find its rhythm.
Phoenix DeBrusk has been the primary goalkeeper this season, starting in 10 of their 13 games. She has made 38 saves to the tune of a .731 save percentage and a 1.47 goals against average. She has recorded one shutout and been a part of two additional combined shutouts with Payton King. King has started three matches and played in five, recoding a 1.43 goals against average with 17 saves for a .773 save percentage.
All-Time Series:
The Mavericks are 18-0 all-time against the Golden Eagles dating back to their first matchup in 1999. At The Pitch, the Mavericks have won all eight meetings and have averaged 4.89 goals per game during the series. Last season in their only meeting Mila Rustin scored to help the Mavericks win a 2-0 match where they outshot the Golden Eagles 24-3 on the road. The last time these teams met in Mankato, the Mavericks outshot Crookston 36-2 en route to a dominate 4-0 win.
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