ST. PAUL, Minn.- The fifth seeded Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (10-6-3, 8-4-3 NSIC) has advanced to the semifinal round of the 2021 NSIC Soccer Tournament after defeating Minot State (11-6-2, 10-3-2 NSIC) 1-0 last night and will face the first seeded #6 Bemidji State Beavers (17-0-2, 13-0-2 NSIC) on Friday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. The Golden Bears have only advanced to the second round of the NSIC tournament two other times in program history.
Head Coach Steve Bellis shared his thoughts on the upcoming match, stating, "Bemidji and the semifinal will provide a big challenge and a wonderful opportunity for us. We are on a great run, as are they."
WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear soccer games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, supported by BlueFrame Technology. Visit nsicnetwork.com/cspbears on a laptop or desktop computer, download the NSIC Network app on your mobile device or watch on your supported OTT provider such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Search "NSIC Network" and download the app for the league's full sport and team lineups.
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
The Beavers previously defeated Northern State in the quarterfinal round 2-0 on Wednesday, adding to their seven game win streak. At home, the Bemidji State squad is undefeated, has tied twice on the road, and has yet to be dealt a loss in 2021. Their last draw came against Winona State in a 1-1 2OT match back in mid-October.
When the Beavers and the Bears last met on Sept. 26 in St. Paul, the guests returned home with a 2-1 win. The late goal by Abby Kloiber in the 81st minute was not enough to overcome the goals by Erin Becker and Sara Wendt.
Part of the Beaver success has come from senior forward Sara Wendt of Arden Hills, Minn. The striker has recorded 17 goals, two assists, and 36 points in 2021, placing her atop the NSIC leaderboard in goals and points. She is also tied for first with Minnesota State forward and NSIC Offensive Player of the Year Jenny Vetter each with seven game-winning goals.
Following Wendt is redshirt senior forward Allyson Smith with five goals and an NSIC third-place earning eight assists. Smith also trails CSP's own Katie Anderson with 92 shots and chases Minot State's Sofia Lewis with 49 shots on goal.
Bemidji State's Megan Dahl of Rosemount, Minn. was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Year. She has been an integral part of a defense that has allowed only 11 goals in 18 games and has earned 10 shutouts, a second place tie among the NSIC.
The BSU defense has also held their opponents to 70 shots in 18 matches, averaging just over three shots on goal per match. The 11 goals against on the Beavers translates to 0.61 goals per match.
In net, the Beavers have seen great success from Alyssa Stumbaugh, a junior keeper from Gillette, Wyo., who boasts a season record of 15-0-1. She has allowed seven goals against with a second place NSIC position of .471 GAA through 16 games played. Additionally, her eight shutouts in 2021 are a third place conference best with a 50% shutout rate.
When the Beavers last visited St. Paul earlier in the season, they were defended in net by Georgiana Harber. The Golden Bear squad has yet to face Stumbaugh as it looks to end her five game shutout streak.
For CSP, goalkeeper Ashlyn Waldon continues to impress in net as she has increased her shutout streak to three, her shutout count to four, and improved her goalkeeping record to 4-0-2. Her 0.29 GAA through eight games played rivals that of the Bemidji State netminder
Coach Bellis looks ahead to the semifinals and adds, "We are super excited to get another game vs them ... should be a good game!"
