ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (6-1-2, 3-1-2 NSIC) are back on the road this upcoming weekend, facing Sioux Falls on Friday, October 5^th and Southwest Minnesota State on Sunday. Both games will start at 1 p.m.
 
The Golden Bears are currently tied with St. Cloud State for fifth place in the NSIC with 11 conference points. They have also given up the fewest amount of goals of any team in the conference so far this season, only allowing four through nine games for the lowest goals allowed average (0.44) of any NSIC team.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The team is coming off a 1-1 weekend, falling to Minot State on Friday night in overtime, before bouncing back to explode past UMary on Sunday.
 
Against Minot State, CSP held a 6-1 edge in shots in the first half and a 14-7 edge in shots overall, but were unable to get a shot on goal throughout the game. The Bears' defense held the Beavers to only one shot on goal in regulation, which was stopped by goalkeeper Emily Nelson. In the overtime, CSP got off a shot first, but it was MSU who would find the back of the net, as they took advantage of a foul called on the Bears, using a set piece to head in a goal to win the game.  
 
Concordia rallied on Sunday, though, scoring three goals in the second half to defeat UMary for the third time in CSP history. Each team took four shots in the first half, but none were on net. Junior Emily Boyer got the scoring going for the Bears, tallying her first collegiate goal when she lofted a shot over the goalie in the 54^th minute.
 
Haleigh Bares joined Boyer in scoring her first collegiate goal, when the sophomore midfielder fired a shot from 25 yards out that found the back of the net in the 80^th minute. Less than two minutes later, senior Brooke Salo added another goal for CSP, helping them win 3-0 for the second time this season.
 
SIOUX FALLS SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears are 7-1 when facing the Cougars, and CSP holds a 4-0 record when facing Sioux Falls on the road. Five of Concordia's seven wins against USF have been by two or more goals, although their last two meetings have been decided with a 1-0 score with each team winning on the road.
 
LAST MEETING WITH USF
Last season, the Golden Bears came away with a 1-0 win against the Cougars on the road. Concordia dominated possession, holding a 15-3 advantage in shots, while also having seven corner kick opportunities. Leah Johnson provided the game-winner for the team, scoring in the 69^th minute with a pass from Jordan Rowan-Stafford. Eight different CSP players fired shots throughout the game, with Jade Weller shooting a team-high five times.
 
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls are 4-6 on the year and 3-4 in conference play. They are also coming off a 1-1 weekend, losing to Bemidji State 1-0 and defeating Minnesota Crookston 1-0. When playing at home, the Cougars are 3-4. The Bears and the Cougars do not have any common opponents yet this season.
 
The Cougars return 17 players from last season and added five new players for this year. The team has scored 11 goals so far, with three different players tallying two goals apiece. Sophomore Lindsey Power is leading Sioux Falls in points with seven, with two goals and three assists on the year. Junior midfielder McKayla Philippi is close behind Power with six points. Brayden Paul has played all 900 minutes in net so far this season, making 56 saves while giving up 19 goals with a .747 save percentage.
 
As a team, the Cougars average 14.3 shots and 1.1 goals per game. They have a .077 shot percentage, but a .503 shot on goal percentage. Their 14.3 shots per game ranks sixth in the NSIC. Sioux Falls gives up an average of 1.9 goals per game, which is 13^th in the conference.  
 
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE SERIES HISTORY
When facing the Mustangs, CSP holds a 9-11-1 record since starting to play them in 1999. SMSU won the first seven games in a row before the Bears forced a 1-1 tie in October of 2005. In more recent years, the Bears have won nine of the last 12 competitions, including the last two in a row. The Bears are 5-6 when playing in Marshall.
 
LAST MEETING WITH SMSU
The Golden Bears were victorious in last year's matchup, winning 2-1 at Sea Foam Stadium. Weller scored first for the Bears, burying a shot from inside the box in the 10^th minute of play. Seconds later SMSU's Alli Miskowiec tied it up, getting by the defense and firing a shot into the bottom left corner of the net. With under ten minutes left in the game, Rowan-Stafford scored what would end up to be the game-winner, lifting the Bears to a 2-1 win. CSP held a strong 22-8 shot advantage throughout the game.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Southwest Minnesota State are 3-6 overall and 3-4 in NSIC play. In their most recent weekend of play, they defeated Minnesota Crookston 4-1, but fell to Bemidji State 4-0. On the season so far, the Mustangs are 0-2 when playing at home.
 
The team has two big offensive threats in freshman Abbey Hoisington and junior Alli Miskowiec, who each have 11 points. Hoisington has five goals on the year with an assist and Miskowiec has three goals with three assists. Both junior Jessica Craigmile and sophomore Jenna Meyer have seen time in net, with Craigmile making the most appearances. Craigmile has made 47 saves and is 2-4 on the year with a .770 save percentage.
 
The Mustangs average 10.3 shots per game and score an average of 1.56 goals per game. Their defense gives up an average 2.22 goals per game and allows teams to take 16.2 shots per game. SMSU tends to score more often in the second half with 10 of their 14 goals being scored in the second frame.   
 
KEY STATS
-The Golden Bear defense picked up their fifth shutout of the year against UMary and continues to have the lowest goal allowed average in the NSIC at 0.44.
-The defense also allowed only three shots on goal throughout their past two conference games.
-Emily Boyer and Haleigh Bares both recorded their first career goals over the weekend.
-Brooke Salo now leads the Bears in points (9) and goals (4), after adding her fourth of the year against UMary.
-Goalkeeper Jordyn Clark earned her second full shutout of the year and remains undefeated on the season with a 5-0-1 record.