ST. PAUL, Minn. – After a weekend that featured two road ties, the Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (5-0-2, 2-0-2 NSIC) will be returning to Sea Foam Stadium to take on Minot State (4-2-2, 2-2-1 NSIC) and UMary (3-3-1, 2-2-1 NSIC) to continue their NSIC schedule. The Golden Bears first play Minot State under the lights on September 28^th at 7 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. game on the 30^th against UMary.
 
The Bears are one of two NSIC teams that has yet to accumulate a loss on the season, as #12 Bemidji State has won all eight of their games so far this year. They are also one of four NSIC teams that remain unbeaten in conference play, as they are joined by #12 Bemidji State, #16 Minnesota State, and Augustana.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
If you are unable to make it out to Sea Foam Stadium, 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. Or, follow along on the CSP Bears gameday fan app.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In their last games, the Bears traveled north to face St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth, and had both games end in a tie, earning them two conference points on the weekend.
 
In Friday's game against SCSU, the Huskies scored first, as Hannah Marion broke open in the box, taking a leading pass and firing a shot past Jordyn Clark in the 52^nd minute to give them a 1-0 lead. It was freshman Jena Berkland who tied it up for Concordia, scoring on a corner kick play in the 70^th minute. The Bears held a 5-2 advantage in shots throughout the overtimes and Haleigh Bares had a header shot that hit the crossbar, but CSP was unable to score in the extra frames and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
 
Sunday's game against UMD proved to be just as evenly matched, as the Bears and Bulldogs were both unable to score. Each team took three shots on goal in the first half and the beginning of the second half showcased solid defense, as only two total shots were taken in the first half hour of play. CSP took two shots late in the half, but could not convert. The team then survived five quick shots and three corner kicks from UMD in the final three minutes to force overtime. Neither team was able to capitalize in the overtime frames and the game ended in a 0-0 tie.
 
The Bears held a 14-8 advantage in shots on goal over the weekend and is currently tied for fourth place in the NSIC with St. Cloud State with eight points. The team has given up only three goals through their first seven games, which is the least given amount of goals given up in any given seven-game span in CSP Division II history. The three goals allowed through seven games is also good for the lowest goals allowed average in the NSIC currently, at 0.43.
 
MINOT STATE SERIES HISTORY
Since playing the Beavers starting in 2012, the Bears have a 0-6 all-time series record against MSU. Five of the six games have been decided by only one goal, with the last three matchups ending with a 1-0 score in favor of Minot State.
 
LAST MEETING VS MSU
Last year's matchup with Minot State was fairly evenly matched with both teams taking three shots on goal throughout the competition. The Beavers held a 5-2 shot advantage after the first half, but the Bears bounced back and outshot MSU 7-3 in the second half. The game looked like it was headed for overtime, but Minot's Sofia Lewis scored within the last four minutes of regulation, scoring off a set piece to win it for the Beavers.
 
Five different Golden Bears fired shots during the game, with Jordan Rowan-Stafford leading the way with three. Teammates Brooke Salo and Cayla Renwick also were offensive threats, each adding two shots of their own.
 
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Minot State is 4-2-2 so far on the year, with a 2-2-1 record in NSIC play. In their last weekend of competition, they tied Wayne State 0-0 and lost to Augustana 1-0 in overtime. CSP does not yet have any common opponents with the Beavers.
 
The Beavers return 25 players from last year's team and add seven new players to this year's roster. They return their top goal-scorer from 2017 in Sofia Lewis, who scored 12 goals last season. This year she is tied for third in goals in the NSIC with six and is also tied for first in points with 17. Eight other players have found the back of the net throughout the year, including Haley Berryman, who has logged four goals so far.
 
As a team, the Beavers rank second in the NSIC in goals (18) and points (53), trailing only #12 Bemidji State in both categories. MSU ranks fifth in goals allowed, averaging 0.88 goals given up per game. MSU averages 2.25 goals per game and averages 13.6 shots per contest. Junior Erin Rafferty is their main goalie, with 27 saves on the year for a 0.794 save percentage.
 
UMARY SERIES HISTORY
The Bears hold a 2-13-1 all-time record against the Marauders, but have won two of the last three matchups. Both of those wins came when playing in Sea Foam Stadium, as they do this weekend. UMary opened the series with seven straight wins before CSP forced a tie in 2009. The Marauders then compiled another win streak against the Bears, this time taking five straight before Concordia recorded a win in 2015.
 
LAST MEETING VS MARY
In their last meeting, UMary came away with a 3-0 win over the Bears in Bismarck, North Dakota. The Marauders scored twice in the first half to give them a nice lead heading into the break and then scored within the first 15 minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach. Two of their goals resulted from free kicks. Rowan-Stafford and Bares had the biggest offensive presence for the Bears, combining for five shots.
 
ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
UMary is 3-3-1 on the year and 2-2-1 in the NSIC. They are most recently coming off a 1-0 overtime loss against Augustana and a 2-0 win over Wayne State. Before taking on the Bears on Sunday, UMary will face off with #16 Minnesota State on Friday afternoon in Mankato.
 
The Marauders return 17 players from last year and add another seven for this season, including two transfer students. Senior Jade Smith was their leading scorer in 2017, but has scored only once so far this season. Teammate Caylin Cathey currently leads the team with six goals on the year, which is tied for third most in the NSIC. Besides Smith and Cathey, three other Marauders have scored.
 
The team averages 1.57 goals per game and takes an average of 13.7 shots. The Marauders allow an average of 1.29 goals per game, which ranks eighth best in the NSIC. Madisyn Waltman has seen six of seven starts in net, and is 2-3-1 on the year with 24 saves for a .800 save percentage.
 
KEY STATS
-The Bears have allowed only three goals in their first seven games, which is the fewest goals of any seven-game span in Concordia's Division II history
-Their 0.43 goals allowed per game is ranked first among all teams in the NSIC
-CSP has had five different players record goals on the year so far, with senior Brooke Salo and freshman Jena Berkland leading the way with three apiece
-Senior Katri Gifford's career-best three assists ranks first on the team and five other Golden Bears have tallied at least one assist on the season
-Their 5-0-2 start to the year is the team's best start in head coach Steve Bellis' eight years at Concordia
-The team has recorded four shutouts so far this season, which is tied for second most in the NSIC