ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team is looking forward to competition for the first time since Nov. 24, 2019, as they prepare to head to St. Joseph, Mo. for the Stoney Creek Hotel Classic. They will play Missouri Western State on Friday, Sep. 3 and Emporia State (Kan.) on Sunday, Sep. 5.
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. NSIC NETWORK FAQ
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.
BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE
New this year to Golden Bears is online ticketing. Buy tickets in advance and bring your QR code to the gates to skip the line! Friends and families who utilize the pass list will also be utilizing the online ticketing service while all students, faculty & staff will access their free CSP tickets through the service. Fans do not need to create a login, remember a username or password or download an app to purchase tickets, and tickets can still be purchased with cash at the gates. Find out more in the partnership announcement between CSP Athletics and HomeTown Ticketing.
2021 SEASON OUTLOOK
Coming off a 17-3-3 record (12-1-2 NSIC) in 2019, the Golden Bears were picked to finish third in the NSIC for 2021, following Minnesota State in first and Augustana in second. This marks the highest the Bears have ever been selected, outranking their previous best tabs of fourth place in both 2019 and 2007.
All play in 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic but Head Coach Steve Bellis and his squad are ready to return to play.
"It's long overdue," said Bellis, "and very exciting for everyone involved. I believe we have what it takes to be competitive in our conference again, but only time will tell."
The Golden Bears will have their first home match at Sea Foam Stadium on Sunday, Sep. 12 against Rockhurst (Mo.) at 1 p.m. It will be the first faceoff between these two teams since 2014 when Rockhurst secured a 3-0 win.
League play will commence on Friday, Sep. 15 as CSP will take on Augustana in Sioux Falls. In the last faceoff between these teams two years ago, the Vikings took a 3-2 victory over the Golden Bears. It was one of only three losses for CSP in the 2019 season.
The first conference home match will take place on Friday, Sep. 24 at 7 p.m. against Minnesota Crookston. That same weekend Bemidji State will visit on Sunday, Sep. 26 at 1 p.m.
Coach Bellis has added 15 freshmen and two redshirt freshmen to the roster for 2021.
"The first year players will add depth to multiple positions. Defensively, we added two holding mids in Syd Manthana and Britt Bordson, which was key in our recruitment plan for the program," he mentioned.
Additionally, the return of senior defender Cayla Renwick and sophomore forward Nikki Anderson are two notable athletes to keep an eye on in the much anticipated season.
Renwick, the only senior on the roster, saw action in all 23 games in 2019 for the Golden Bears and brings with her experience earned through 61 games and 2,652 minutes played in her career at CSP.
On the return of the veteran Golden Bear, Bellis added, "Cayla is a returning senior and one of our captains at CSP. As such, her leadership qualities will be extremely valuable and her ability to influence others is huge for us. On the field, she reads the game better than ever and has some versatility to help us at several spots in the backline."
Nikki Anderson, a native of Cary, Ill., was the NSIC's second leading goal scorer in 2019 with ten goals while she also commanded notable shots per game (2.26) and shots on goal (1.30). After only one season, she is already tied for second among CSP's goals per season and tied for fifth in game-winning goals per season.
Bellis commented on the return of Anderson, mentioning, "Nikki is a key member to the squad and we can count on her for goals."
Golden Bear Katie Anderson, a junior forward from San Diego, Calif., will also be a player to watch this season as she is eager to see action again, per Bellis. Anderson was her team's second-leading goalscorer and the NSIC's eighth leader with eight goals. Her 2019 tally tied for seventh in CSP history for goals in a single season.
Bellis continued on Anderson by noting, "Katie will return hungrier to play, to score, than ever. I know she's missed the game and her team more than most and she certainly loves to compete. Her desire and work rate is infectious on the training ground and particularly on game day."
All the returners will play an important role for the squad, helping to show the freshmen the ropes. Bellis adds, "We will get a level of experience that understands how to deal with two games a weekend, an understanding of what the value of team spirit is and a group who knows how to win, which is important."
Bellis also brought attention to several other returners to keep an eye on. First was Jena Berkland who he mentioned would be very important to CSP. "She is very dangerous in the final third and [she is] someone who has improved every year."
In her two years with the Golden Bears, Berkland has seen an increase in games played and games started, going from 19 games played and eight games started to 23 games played and 22 games started.
Additionally, eyes will be on Tori Miller and Sophie Pawlyshyn, who will both be very influential on the pitch and in the locker room. Miller played 20 games in 2019 and started in five, totaling 722 career minutes. In her 22 games played, Pawlyshyn has recorded one goal and 382 career minutes.
Among the newcomers is University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee transfer Abby Kloiber (D/MF). While at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Kloiber redshirted and did not see action. In high school, the Appleton, Wis. native helped her team earn a conference title and a regional championship while being the leading goal scorer her final season (16 goals).
Another notable transfer is sophomore Bethany Weller from Concordia-Portland.
Weller, a Hamilton, New Zealand native, joins the Golden Bears squad after playing in 14 games and starting in three for the Cavaliers. She totaled 433 minutes for an average of 30.9 minutes per game, took seven shots and placed three on frame, and took four corner kicks during the season.
CSP will face each of their conference opponents once before the season concludes with a home match against Minnesota State, the top pick in the NSIC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll. The matchup will be the first time the two teams will face each other since the 2019 NSIC Championship match.
The Golden Bears will host the Mavericks on Friday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. in St. Paul. The 2021 NSIC Soccer Regular Season Champion will be determined by a 15-match league schedule, with a win earning a team three points and a tie earns one point.
Any team that lands in a top-eight spot will have the opportunity to advance to the NSIC Tournament which is scheduled for November 10-14. The top four seeds shall host for the first round, followed by the semifinal and championship rounds at the campus of the highest remaining seed.
Check back to cspbears.com for all of the latest soccer news this season, including game stories, links to live stats, and updated statistics throughout the year.
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