BSU Women’s Soccer returns home to host first home matches of 2023
Bemidji State Women’s Soccer hosts Upper Iowa and Minot State to wrap-up non-conference season
The 2023 Bemidji State University Women’s Soccer team makes its Chet Anderson Stadium debut this weekend by hosting its first two home matches of the season. The Beavers return home after a weekend in Missouri to host familiar foes Upper Iowa University and Minot State University for their final two non-conference matches of the regular season.
The Beavers kick-off the weekend Friday, Sept. 8 by hosting new Great Lakes Valley Conference member Upper Iowa at Chet Anderson Stadium at 7 p.m. BSU will have the next three days off before hosting Minot State Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 4:00 p.m.
Bemidji State Notes
The Beavers are coming off a season-opening weekend where they earned two draws against Missouri Western State University and Rockhurst University in St. Joseph, Mo.
BSU opened the season with a 1-1 draw at Missouri Western State after junior Maria Stocke scored the equalizing penalty-kick goal in the 83rd minute for the Beavers. The goal would be the lone goal for BSU over the weekend as it followed with a 0-0 draw with Rockhurst the following Sunday.
In her first start in goal since 2021, junior goalkeeper Edie Frantzen helped the Beavers earn two draws by stopping five-of-six shots over the weekend including three in her first collegiate clean sheet against Rockhurst.
Failing to record a win this past weekend, the BSU Women’s Soccer team dropped out of the United Soccer Coaches Top-25 National Poll. It is the first time since Oct. 18, 2022 that the Beavers were missing from the poll.
Friday’s match will be the 19th meeting between the Beavers and Peacocks with BSU dominating the al-time series holding a 13-5-0 record.
The Beavers are currently riding an eight-match winning streak versus UIU and haven’t loss since 2013. They last meet Oct. 9 of last year with BSU earning a 3-0 victory in Bemidji.
Bemidji State and Minot State will meet for the 18th “Beaver Battle” in their all-time series with BSU holding the upper hand with a 11-5-1 series record.
Bemidji State is unbeaten in its last eight matches (7-0-1) against Minot State including a 2-0 two-overtime victory to capture the program’s first ever NSIC Tournament Championship last year in Mankato, Minn.
BSU’s last loss against Minot State was Sept. 25, 2016.
Stocke paces the Beavers after scoring their lone goal this past weekend while senior Lauren Hodny leads the team with two shots on goal. Sophomore Sylve Waters posted five total shots to lead the team with fellow sophomore Katrina Barthelt following with four. Waters’ five shots were tied for the sixth most in the NSIC over the weekend.
Frantzen is one of eight goalkeepers in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to play in all 180 minutes this past weekend. She is sixth in the NSIC with a .500 goals against average and tied for seventh in save percentage.
Bemidji State will rely on its youth this year as 12 of its 22 starters from last weekend were underclassmen. Freshmen Julia Freed, Megan Ko and Keely Yager started both matches in their first collegiate appearances while Madeline Davey, Lucy Stanton and Ella Wade each started one match for their BSU debuts.
Fifth-year senior Halle Peterson led the team with 170 of the team’s 180 minutes played while Freed and Ko followed with 147 and 140, respectively. The three fortified the BSU backline that held opponents to just one goal over two matches and a .038 shots percentage.
The Peacocks travel to Bemidji looking for their first win of the season after going 0-2-0 in their season-opening weekend. UIU failed to score a goal over the weekend and fell 2-0 against NSIC opponents Concordia University-St. Paul and Winona State University.
Minot State is coming off a 2-1 season-opening victory at University of Minnesota, Crookston last Sunday in their only match of the season so far. It will face Montana State University-Billings and Black Hills State University Sept. 7 and 9 before facing the Beavers Sept. 12.