No. 15 Bemidji State hits the road for tough weekend of NSIC play
The No. 15 Bemidji State University soccer team is back on the road for the second consecutive week as they travel to Mankato, Minn. for a 3 p.m. Friday matchup with Minnesota State University before a trip to St. Paul, Minn. to go head-to-head with Concordia University-St. Paul at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Beavers 5-0-0 Beavers own a 2-0-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference record and are led by reigning NSIC Offensive Player of the Week, Sara Wendt, who leads the nation in goals scoring with eight, which includes a league-best four game-winning goals, and an assist. Allyson Smith has the Beavers’ other game-winner and has two goals and is tied for the team’s lead with Maggie Cade and Megan Dahl with three assists. Between the posts, Alyssa Stumbaugh has played the majority of time between the posts (364:27) and is 4-0-0 with a 0.99 goals allowed average and .789 save percentage. Georgiana Harber got the start in the Beavers’ last outing earning a one-save, 2-0 shutout over Minnesota State University Moorhead (Sept. 19) and owns a 0.00 GAA and a 1.00 save percentage.
The Beavers are second in the NSIC averaging 2.200 goals per game, while allowing 0.80 goals per game to rank third in the league.
The BSU-MSU soccer series dates back to 1996 and spans 18 matches. BSU trails the Mavericks 3-13-2 all-time, the Beavers are 1-7-1 versus MSU on their home pitch. Since Oct. 1, 2016 BSU is 2-2-1 versus MSU. The last time the teams met, Oct. 20, 2019, MSU pulled out a 1-0 victory in Mankato, Minn. Jenny Vetter logged the game’s lone goal in the 89th minute to tip the match in the Mavericks’ favor. BSU goalkeeper Emma Riedi made stops on seven of the eight shots she faced.
MSU is 3-2-0 on the season and is 1-1-0 in NSIC play. Last weekend, the Mavericks opened league play with a 2-1 win over Wayne State College before dropping a 1-0 decision to Augustana University. The team is averaging 1.40 goals per game, while they have allowed 1.2 goals per contest. Individually, Vetter, the reigning NSIC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, is tied with Allie Williams for the team’s goal scoring lead with two apiece. Clare Longueville has started three of MSU’s five matches and is 2-1-0 with a 1.65 GAA and a .750 save percentage. Mackenzie Roth is 1-1-0 and leads the team with a 0.50 GAA and .917 save percentage.
Bemidji State enters the weekend owning a 12-9-2 edge in the BSU-CSP series but is 5-6-2 when playing at Sea Foam Stadium. Since the 2016 campaign, the series is tied 3-3-0 with CSP owning a 2-1-0 edge in games played in St. Paul. The last time the teams met, CSP earned a 1-0 victory over BSU in St. Paul. Alexa Hepner logged a goal in the 77th minute to give the Golden Bears the victory.
CSP opens the weekend with a 2-2-1 record and hosts University of Minnesota Crookston for a Friday evening match. The Golden Bears lead the NSIC in goals per match netting an average of 2.40, while they have allowed 1.6. Katie Anderson ranks second in NSIC goal scoring behind BSU’s Wendt with four through five matches. Jena Berkland has added two goals. Jessi Jordan has played every minute of the season in the goal. She is 2-2-1 with a 1.53 goals allowed average and a .733 save percentage with 22 saves.