MANKATO, Minn. -- No. 7 Minnesota State (9-1-1, 6-1-1) are set to take on Concordia-St. Paul at home on Friday at 3:00 p.m., and are on the road against Winona State on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
The Mavericks are off the back of suffering their first loss of the season against Minnesota Duluth in a 3-0 game. The loss saw the Mavericks extended shutout streak get snapped, ending just short of 1,000 straight minutes. Prior to Sunday's loss, the Mavericks shutout Bemidji State 1-0, as Maddix Archer scored the game's only goal.
MSU remains atop the NSIC standings with a two-point advantage over Northern State whom they tied earlier this season.
Scouting the Golden Bears:
The Golden Bears enter Friday's match with a 5-1-5 record (4-1-3 NSIC) and winners of their last two matches. Last weekend they defeated Minnesota Crookston 2-0, and MSU Moorhead 3-0, recording back-to-back shutouts. The Golden Bears only loss of the season came on Sep. 18 when they fell 1-0 to UMary.
Sophia Haase has been the best offensive player for CSP as she is tied first amongst all NSIC players in goals with ten. She has converted over half of her shots on the net, proving to be one of the elite finishers in the NSIC. For her performance this season, Haase is a three-time NSIC offensive player of the week, adding her third of the year last weekend following a three-goal weekend.
Lexi Petit has been a consistent offensive presence; she is second on the team in goals with three, and first in assists with five. Petit has the second most points with 11 and leads the team in shots on goal with 19.
Sydney Potter has been the lone goalie for the Golden Bears this season, and she has been one of the best in the NSIC. She is tied for the second-best goals against average in the conference with a 0.45 GAA, only behind Lauren McAlpine. She is second in shutouts with six and third in save percentage with a .886.
All-Time Versus CSP:
The Mavericks enter this weekend 23-2-2 all time against the Golden Bears, while holding a 6-2-2 record in the last ten meetings. Last season the two teams played to a 1-1 tie in the NSIC semifinals with the Mavericks winning the shootout 4-2 to advance to the NSIC Championship. Archer was the goal scorer for MSU while Haase scored CSP's only goal. Across the matchups, the Mavericks have scored 78 goals, averaging 2.89 per game.
Scouting the Warriors:
Winona State enters the weekend with a record of 1-8-1 (1-6-1 NSIC). Last weekend they went 1-0-1, winning their first match of the season. They defeated MSU Moorhead as McKayla Paukner scored with one second left to win the game 1-0 in dramatic fashion. The Warriors followed the win up with a 1-1 tie against Minnesota Crookston as they capped off their best weekend of the season. They will take on St. Cloud State before taking on the Mavericks this Sunday.
Paukner and Madison Barnick are tied for the team lead with two goals and four points, spearheading the Warrior offensive attack. Barnick has been the most consistent shooter, putting 11 shots on net in 17 attempts. Kyleigh Jannisch has been a solid contributor and playmaker, leading the team in assists with two.
In net Abigail Rounds has been the main goalkeeper for the Warriors, playing in all ten of their matches. She has made 24 saves to the tune of a .533 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average. Against MSU Moorhead, she recorded her first shutout of the season, and sixth of her career.
All-Time Versus Winona State:
The Mavericks are 19-14-2 all-time against the Warriors but have dominated the series since 2010. In those 16 matches, the Mavericks are 14-1-2 and have not lost since the Warriors won in a shootout during the NSIC Semifinals in 2015. The last regulation loss for the Mavericks was in 2013. Last season at The Pitch, Lauren McAlpine made six saves en route to a 2-0 shutout. MSU is 5-9-1 on the road against the Warriors, proving to be a difficult spot for them to play. Across the series, the Mavericks have scored 59 goals and averaged 1.69 per game.
