MANKATO, Minn. — Minnesota State (8-0-1, 5-0-1) defeated Southwest Minn. St. (1-6-2, 1-4-1) 6-0 on Sunday at The Pitch. The Mavericks led 2-0 at halftime and added four goals in the second half. The six goal performance is the Mavericks most of the season and they extended the shutout streak to eight games.
Maddix Archer scored once and added two assists for four points. Archer has tallied at least one goal in two consecutive games.
Amara Smith tallied the game-winning goal and finished with three shots. Smith has scored in both games this weekend, scoring four total.
Savanna Stockness scored and led the Mavericks with four shots.
Lauren McAlpine recorded three saves over 90 minutes and finished with her eighth straight shutout.
MSU built a 2-0 first-half lead, with Smith opening the scoring on a penalty kick at 9:11 before
Reese Hilsenbeck scored off an Archer assist in the 17th minute. The Mavericks generated early pressure with shots from Smith and Hilsenbeck in the opening eight minutes, while McAlpine made a save on Sophia Wilson's attempt in the fourth minute. The Mavericks kept pushing after the second goal, earning three corner kicks from and following with shots by
Ruthie Gyasi and
Addie Dobratz. Southwest Minn. St. created a late stretch of chances with five shots from the 35th to 42nd minute, but McAlpine saved Wilson's shot in the 38th minute and the Mavericks reached halftime ahead 2-0.
The Mavericks turned a 2-0 halftime lead into a 6-0 finish, scoring four times in the second half while keeping Southwest Minn. St. off the board. Archer converted a penalty kick at 47:02 after the Mavericks opened the half with immediate pressure, including shots from
Mila Rustin, Stockness, and
Marin Johnson. Johnson scored at 56:58 off assists from Hilsenbeck and Archer, marking her first goal of the season, then she set up Stockness less than two minutes later with
Meghan Sullivan also assisting to make it 5-0. It was Stockness's first goal of the season. McAlpine preserved the shutout with a save on Jada Backes in the 70th minute before
Abby Hoiska added the Mavericks' final goal in the 73rd minute from
Lauren Schindler. The goal was Hoiska's first of the season. The Mavericks played a strong last 15 minutes to close out the 6-0 shutout.
Up next, MSU visits Bemidji State on Friday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m. at Chet Anderson Stadium in Bemidji, Minn.
