Mankato, Minn. - The No. 16 Minnesota State (1-0) women's soccer team is set to open the 2026 home slate against No. 10 Central Missouri (2-0) and No. 5 Grand Valley State (1-0-1) at The Pitch this weekend. On Friday, the Mavericks battle the Jennies at 4:00 p.m., followed by a match against the Lakers on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
The Mavericks are coming off a 2-1 victory on the road against Central Oklahoma, starting the season off with a win.
Against Central Oklahoma, senior Ella Huettl opened the scoring just 50 seconds into the match when she shot one past the Bronchos goalkeeper; she was assisted by junior Amara Smith on the play. The Mavericks took the 1-0 lead into halftime, as senior Lauren McAlpine stopped two shots that came her way to maintain the advantage. Early in the second half, the Bronchos tied it up as they outshot the Mavericks 12-3 in the half. In the 70th minute junior Meghan Przybilla netted the eventual game-winning goal, assisted by senior Anna Stromberg. McAlpine made a big save late in the game to secure the win.
About Central Missouri:
The Jennies enter the weekend ranked as the tenth-ranked team in the country after their 2-0 start to the season. They are led by a strong defensive unit that has yet to concede a goal over their two games.
Central Missouri enters the weekend coming off a 1-0 win over Missouri S&T, and another 1-0 win over Drury. Ryann Clark and Mikayla Ernst both scored goals last weekend and added an assist, to tie for the team lead with two points so far. While goalkeeper Kristen Wright has not allowed a goal across both games to begin her season.
Minnesota State holds a 9-11-2 record all-time against the Jennies. The last matchup saw the Mavericks win 1-0 at The Pitch last season. Minnesota State is 5-1-2 all-time at The Pitch against Central Missouri
About Grand Valley State:
The Lakers head into the weekend landing at fifth nationally in the latest rankings after going 1-0-1 last weekend. They are led by a relentless offensive attack that has produced 34 shots, with 15 of them being on target.
Grand Valley State tied then-No. 22 Ashland 1-1 in their season opener last Thursday, and defeated Cedarville 3-1 on Saturday. Vesna Dennison has scored two goals so far this season with Ava Kozak and Sarah Langley both chipping in a goal apiece. Goalkeeper Macie Hunter has allowed two goals this season to backbone the Lakers defensive core, helping lead them to their 1-0-1 start.
The Mavericks enter the matchup against the Lakers with a 4-7-4 all-time record. The most recent matchup last season saw the visiting Mavericks come away with a thrilling 1-0 victory. The last matchup at The Pitch took place in 2024 where Minnesota State and Grand Valley State tied 1-1, as MSU advanced in the shootout 5-4 to advance to the NCAA Division II semifinals.
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