WINONA, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (10-6-1, 8-5-1 NSIC) clinched a playoff spot on a cold Friday night with a 1-0 victory over the Winona State Warriors (9-7-1, 8-5-1 NSIC). This is the second time in the last three years that the Bears have made the NSIC playoffs.
 
Concordia is now in a tie for sixth place with Winona State. Sunday's contests will determine what seed the Bears will be in the upcoming playoffs, the first round of which will be hosted at the top four seeds' home fields.
 
With the win, the Golden Bears have now recorded the most conference wins in a season, winning more NSIC games than any other team in Concordia's Division II history. This also marks the third time that CSP has won ten or more total games in a season and the first time they have done so since 2006.
 
Head coach Steve Bellis took some time to reflect on the game, saying, "We had an outstanding tactical performance, showing lots of patience and game understanding. We look forward to next week!"
 
The first half opened with the Bears holding most of the possession, with junior Jordan Rowan-Stafford taking a shot within the first minute. Rowan-Stafford took the first three shots for the Golden Bears, all within twelve minutes. Her third shot was the winner though, as she took a pass from teammate Shannon Wynne and broke free from the defenders and beat the goalie to bury the only goal that the Bears would need in the win. This was Rowan-Stafford's third goal of the year and her second game-winner, as she is pacing the offense with twelve points. The Oakdale native also moves up to a tie for 13^th in most career points in Concordia's record book. Wynne picked up her third assist of the year on the play. The Bears continued to threaten the Warrior defense all half, holding an 8-3 shot advantage at the break.
 
In the second half CSP stayed aggressive, putting more pressure on the Winona side of the field. The Bears had a few opportunities off of set pieces, but were unable to convert. Rowan-Stafford rocketed one of the free kicks from 25 yards out, but it went just wide. The Warriors were by no means passive opponents, as they put together some chances of their own. At one point, a throw-in went into the box, where the ball bounced around between Concordia defenders and Warrior attackers, but the Bears blocked two shots in the box and then cleared it to preserve their lead. The Bears finished the game with a 14-8 shot advantage and the defense only allowed three shots on goal all game. Rowan-Stafford led the offense with four shots, three of which were on goal. Junior Jade Weller and freshman Cayla Renwick were also active on offense, combining for five shots.  
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Nelson recorded three saves on the night for her fifth shutout of the year. Nelson now has the fourth most career shutouts in program history with nine. This was the team's seventh shutout this season, which is tied for the most in any Concordia Division II season. The last time that the Bears had seven shutouts in one season was back in 2007.
 
The Golden Bears have a day off before taking on Upper Iowa at home for their last regular season game on October 29^th at 1 p.m. The team will be honoring their two seniors, Kelli Heytens and Shannon Wynne, during the game for all of their contributions to the CSP program. If you are unable to make it in person, follow along online at cspbears.com/watch.