ST. PAUL, Minn. - CSP soccer will travel to Mankato next Thursday to take on the #13 Minnesota State Mavericks in the regular season finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Maverick Soccer Complex -The Pitch.
 
BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE
Fans are encouraged to 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.
 
WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC soccer 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.
 
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
With one game remaining in the regular season, there is still a lot to be sorted out in the conference standings. The top eight teams in the NSIC standings will qualify for the postseason, with the top four teams reserving the right to host the first round.
 
#13 Minnesota State (10-0-4 NSIC), Bemidji State (9-1-4), Minot State (8-1-5) and Augustana (9-4-1) have already clinched first-round hosting bids after the results from last weekend.
 
Seeds five, six, seven and eight in the tournament, however, are still up for grabs and will come down to the wire. Concordia-St. Paul (7-3-4, NSIC), UMary (7-4-3, NSIC), Minnesota Duluth (7-4-3, NSIC), Northern State (6-3-5, NSIC) and Winona State (6-4-4, NSIC) all have a chance to make the postseason, but one of the teams' season will come to an end this week.
 
For CSP, they can ensure their spot in the conference tournament with a win or tie with #14 Minnesota State on the road. The Golden Bears currently sit in fifth place in the conference standings with 25 points and hold only a three-point advantage over the next four teams.
 
RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears are currently fifth in the conference standings after UMary was defeated by Bemidji State 2-0.
 
Last Friday night, the Golden Bears picked up their first win in two weeks with a 2-1 decision over the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs on senior night.
 
The Golden Bears held a slight edge in shots in the first half by outshooting the Mustangs 10-to-7. They also controlled the possession time with a 56-to-44 advantage.
 
In the sixth minute of the match, Katie Anderson added the game's first shot which was blocked by an SMSU defender. Seconds later, senior Jessica Timpane added the first shot on goal in the match that was brought in by the Mustangs keeper.
 
The Mustangs were able to secure the first goal in the match in the 11th minute to give them an early lead.
 
CSP found an equalizer in the 33rd minute after Nikki Anderson was able to find a cross from K. Anderson in the goalie box that coasted into the net off a right-footed shot.
 
Sophie Pawlyshyn and K. Anderson nearly broke the gridlock in the 35th minute with back-to-back shots on goal. However, the Mustangs' keeper was able to collect the shots on the opposite side of the goal.
  
N. Anderson had the first of her two shots that deflected off the crossbar with a headed attempt in the 61st  minute. The second chance was in the 83^rd minute after a free kick shot attempt deflected off the crossbar and nearly rolled into the goal.
 
In the 79th minute, the Golden Bears found the game-winning goal after a right-footed shot from N. Anderson off an assist from Sammy Ponsonby found the bottom left corner of the goal.
 
The Golden Bears capped off the week with a draw 2-2 against the Sioux Falls Cougars.
 
CSP dominated the time of possession over USF in the first half. The Golden Bears outshot the Cougars 13-to-0 with nine shots on goal and forced five corner kicks in the half.
 
N. Anderson put the Golden Bears in front early after netting a goal off a free kick in the 12th minute. The senior forward now has six goals of the season and three in the last two games for the Golden Bears.
 
In the 39th minute, Ponsonby scored her second goal of the season off an assisted pass by N. Anderson.
 
After neither team could not find an offensive rhythm for the first 25 minutes of the second half, the Cougars scored a penalty kick goal after the Golden Bears committed a four in the box during a corner kick.
 
The first and only shot of the half for the Golden Bears came in the 76th minute from K. Anderson, but the Cougars' goalie collected the attempt in the lower right corner of the goal.
 
USF found the equalizer in the 88th minute of the match to tie the game up, and the match would end in a 2-2 draw.
 
SEASON LEADERS
K. Anderson leads the team and is tied for six in the conference with 16 points this season. The junior leads the conference in both shots with 82 and shots on goal with 37 shots on goal this season. She is currently tied for fourth in the conference with seven goals, tying her season-best from a year ago, and became the Golden Bears' fourth all-time leading scorer (22 goals) with her goal against Upper Iowa (10/3). The San Diego native is also sixth all-time in points with 49 (22 goals,5 assists).
 
N. Anderson is now second on the team in points with 14 after recording three goals and an assist last week. The senior is ninth in the conference with 43 shots and tied for 14th with 18 shots on goal. She moved into ninth in the conference with six goals, making her the sixth all-time leading scorer in CSP history with 18 total career goals. With her goal assist against Sioux Falls (10/23) she moved into eight all-time for the Golden Bears in points with 40 (18 goals, 4 assists).
 
Pawlyshyn is third on the team with 10 total points this season. The junior has recorded 32 shots (17 on goal) in 1156 minutes of play. She continues to lead the conference with six assists and also has also scored two goals for the Golden Bears. Her 12 career assists is tied for 11th all-time with Chelsie Lindsay in Concordia-St. Paul history.
 
Corynn Grabau has five total points off two goals and an assist. The sophomore forward has started in 13 games for the Golden Bears this season and has accumulated 697 minutes on the field. She leads all starters with a .706 on-goal percentage, as 12 of her 17 shots this season have been on goal.
 
Ponsonby has accumulated five points this season in 495 minutes of play. The sophomore forward has scored two goals and an assist this season in 15 appearances for the Golden Bears.
 
Captain Tori Miller has seen the field the most for the Golden Bears this season with 1482 total minutes. She has been an anchor on the defensive side of the ball, helping the Golden Bears to four shutouts this season. 
 
Waldon has appeared 13 times in the goal for the Golden Bears. The senior holds a 6-5-3 overall record this season and three shutouts. She holds a .96 goals-against average.
 
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND MSU
The two programs have met a total of 20 times dating back to September 10, 2002, and the Golden Bears hold a 1-18-1 all-time record against the Mavericks. MSU claimed a 9-0 victory over the Golden Bears in the inaugural match against CSP in Mankato. The Golden Bears were able to claim their first victory in the series against the Mavericks in the 2019 season, claiming a 1-0 win on the road. Last season, the two teams played to a 0-0 tie after two overtimes of action. Waldon collected five saves and a shutout for the Golden Bears.
 
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota State posted an 18-3-2 (12-1-2 NSIC) record in the 2021 campaign and was picked to finish first in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Mavericks claimed the NSIC Tournament Championship a year ago and advanced in the NCAA Tournament with a win 3-0 against Oklahoma Baptist, before falling to #11 Central Missouri.
 
The Mavericks are currently 12-1-4 (10-0-4 NSIC) this season and lead the NSIC with 34 points this season. They have yet to drop a match in conference play and their lone loss of the season was against the Central Oklahoma Bronchos.
 
MSU leads the conference in both goals scored with 47 and the least number of goals allowed with eight this season.
 
They come into the matchup with a three-match winning streak, outscoring their opponents 9-0 in those games. Their largest margin of victory was 7-0 against Minnesota Crookston.
 
 
The player to watch for MSU in the match is Jenny Vetter. The senior ranks first in the NSIC with 23 total points this season. Her 10 goals this season are also the best in the conference.