Soccer | 9.11.18

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Following a successful non-conference portion of the season, coming away with a 3-0 record, the Concordia-St. Paul soccer team will now set its sights on conference opponents, starting with the Upper Iowa Peacocks (1-3, 0-1 NSIC) and the Winona State Warriors (1-1, 1-0 NSIC).
 
The Golden Bears' first NSIC matchups are also their first home games of the year, as CSP will face Upper Iowa on Friday, September 14^th at 7 p.m. for their home opener and then take on Winona State on Sunday, September 16^th at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at Sea Foam Stadium.
 
The 3-0 record that the Bears take into conference play is the first time that the Bears have started the year with a 3-0 mark since the 2001 season, when that team went on to win their first seven contests. The 2001 team did not face any Division II opponents in their first seven wins, however, their seventh win was a 3-0 victory over Viterbo, which was the same score that the 2018 team beat Viterbo this past Sunday to help them go undefeated in their non-conference schedule. The 3-0 record also marks the best start that head coach Steve Bellis has had in his eight seasons at Concordia.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
If you are unable to make it out to Sea Foam Stadium for the team's home-opening weekend, the games can be watched online, free of charge at www.cspbears.com/watch. Live statistics will also be available at www.cspbears.com/livesoc.
 
DOWNLOAD THE CSP BEARS GAMEDAY FAN APP
Follow the Golden Bear soccer team along with the rest of your favorite CSP Bears squads by downloading the new gameday fan app, hosted by From Now On. The app provides users with a unique and customizable experience, allowing each user to select the sports they want to follow and how they are connected to CSP (fans, students, faculty/staff, alumni, etc). The app will also be a new way to stay updated on the action as well as to be the first to find out about promotions and special events!
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Bears last played on Sunday, September 9^th, facing off against NAIA opponent, Viterbo. The team used a strong second half to propel them to a 3-0 win, making it their third straight win, all of which have come on the road.
 
The first half went back-and-forth, ending with CSP holding a 7-6 edge in shots. The Golden Bears regrouped at the break and came out in the second half stronger, holding a 13-4 margin in shots and scoring three different times, including right away in the second minute of the half.
 
It was freshman Jena Berkland who opened the scoring, taking a pass from teammate Brooke Salo and beating the goalie to put CSP up 1-0. This was Berkland's second goal of the season and the Illinois native now leads the Bears in points, with five. Salo, who recorded her first points of the season on the assist, scored a goal of her own less than twenty minutes later, and senior Jordan Rowan-Stafford scored minutes after Salo to put the game out of reach. These were Salo's and Rowan-Stafford's first goals of the year.
 
UPPER IOWA SERIES HISTORY
Heading into this weekend's matchup, the Golden Bears hold a 7-8 record against Upper Iowa, including a 2-2 record in their past four meetings. Ten of the 15 games between these two teams have been especially close, being decided by one goal, and four of the contests needed at least one overtime to decide a winner. The Bears started playing Upper Iowa in 2004 and began the series with three straight wins, all of which were in St. Paul.
 
LAST MEETING VS UIU
Upper Iowa was victorious in the team's last meeting with the Golden Bears, winning 2-1 at Sea Foam Stadium on October 29^th, 2017. It was the Peacocks who got on the board first, heading in a goal off a set piece in the 21^st minute. The Bears answered quickly, scoring 45 seconds later when Rowan-Stafford got a pass from Jade Weller, dribbled around some defenders in the box, and found the back of the net. The game remained tied until an Upper Iowa player took a deflection and scored in the 86^th minute to give Upper Iowa a 2-1 lead. Concordia got off two more shots, but UIU held on for the win. CSP held a 17-7 margin in shots, but only three of the Bears' shots were on net.
 
ABOUT THE PEACOCKS
Upper Iowa is currently 1-3 on the year and has already played a conference game, falling 2-0 against Winona State. The Peacock's lone win came from a 1-0 victory in their season opener against Fort Hays State. Most recently, the Peacocks are coming off a 2-1 double overtime loss to Truman State University.
 
This year's roster features 11 returning players, six transfers, and seven freshman. They have scored two goals so far, coming from freshman Haley Ramberg and junior Hannah Dotter. The Peacocks have started freshman Natalie Rudrud in goal for all four of their games, and she has made 32 saves for an .865 save percentage.
 
In their first four games, the Peacocks have been outshot 74-27, but have posted a .519 shot on goal percentage, compared to their opponents' .500 percentage. Both of the team's goals have been scored in the first half, but they have taken twice as many shots in the second half than the first half.  
 
WINONA STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Warriors have had a pretty strong hold on the series with CSP, winning 24 of the 28 games. Despite only defeating Winona State three times in the past 22 years that they have played them, the Bears have won twice in the past four matchups, including a 1-0 win in the 2017 season. The series opened with a tie between the two teams in 1995, but from there Winona won the next 11 straight. In the overall series, CSP has won against the Warriors twice on the road and once at home.
 
LAST MEETING VS WSU
The Bears traveled to Winona for their last matchup with the Warriors, defeating them 1-0. Rowan-Stafford scored early for CSP, breaking free around midfield and scoring in the 12^th minute to give the Bears the only goal that they would need. Concordia held a 14-8 advantage in shots and held the Warriors to only three shots on goal, all of which were saved by Emily Nelson, for her fifth shutout of the year.
 
ABOUT THE WARRIORS
Winona State is 1-1 on the year, defeating Upper Iowa 2-0 before falling to Michigan Tech 2-1. The team finished the 2017 season with a 9-9-1 record, falling to #14 Bemidji State 3-2 in the NSIC Tournament. The Warriors will take on #13 Minnesota State on Friday, September 14^th in Mankato, before traveling to St. Paul to take on the Golden Bears on Sunday.
 
The Warriors return 21 players from their 2017 roster, and add nine new faces. Two games into their season, Winona has had three different players score, in sophomores Georgette Topalis and Melissa Greco and junior Courtney Wiencek. Senior goalkeeper Jourdan Valkner has played all 180 minutes in net, recording eight saves for a .800 save percentage.
 
So far, the Warriors have outshout their opponents 40-20, holding other teams to ten shots on goal through the first two contests. The team as a whole has a .625 shot on goal percentage, while opponents average a .500 shot on goal percentage against them.