ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul soccer (8-6-4, 6-4-2 NSIC) is set to face No. 19 Minnesota State (11-2-5, 9-1-4 NSIC) in Mankato for the quarterfinals of the NSIC Conference Tournament. Action from Maverick All-Sport Dome is slated for 3 p.m. on Monday.

"We are excited to make the tournament yet again. With so many close games and tight standings, it feels really good to get going with post-season play," stated head coach Steve Bellis. "Once you get to this stage, all the games will be challenging. The league is very competitive this year and this game will be no different."
 
Bellis added, "We've had some great battles with Mankato over the years and I expect this to be very similar. They are well organized, have a style of play that we know about and always provide some offensive threats. He concluded with, "We feel confident going into the game with our own tactical gameplan and hunger to avenge the close late loss early in the year. It should be a fun one!"
 
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.
 
NSIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Following Thursday's regular season finale across the league, the semifinal matchups were determined with the final standing being finalized, and the Golden Bears received the #7 seed following a tie with the Sioux Falls Cougars.
 
St. Cloud State claimed their first-ever NSIC Regular Season Championship with a dominant win over the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles to claim the top seed with 32 points and will host Minnesota Duluth. Just behind them are the defending NSIC regular season champions No. 19 Minnesota State. Rounding out the top four is Northern State, who will host UMary, and Bemidji State, who will host Augustana.
 
The semifinals of the NSIC Conference Tournament will be held on Friday, November 17 followed by the championship match on Sunday, November 12.
 
HISTORY AT THE NSIC TOURNAMENT
CSP holds a 5-13 record in the NSIC Conference Tournament since becoming an NCAA Division II program in 1999. The Golden Bears claimed their first tournament victory against the MSU Moorhead Dragons, 3-1, at Concordia Field on October 24, 2006. They added their second win in the consolation finals later that week with a 1-0 double-overtime win over Wayne State.
 
In 2019, the No. 20 Golden Bears were the NSIC Regular Season Champions and added their best finish and longest push into in the tournament. CSP notched a 2-0 win over Wayne State in the quarterfinals before added a 2-1 win over St. Cloud State in the semifinal match. However, they dropped the championship game, 3-0, to Minnesota State at Sea Foam Stadium.
 
Last Season, the Golden Bears entered the tournament as the #8 seed and met No. 13 Minnesota State, who were fresh off claiming the 2022 NSIC Regular Season Championship. That Halloween afternoon would go in favor of the Mavericks as they took the match with a final score of 4-1. Jessica Timpane (2019-22) scored the CSP goal with an assisted pass from Nicole Moore in the 88th minute. Katie Anderson added a match-best four shots and goalkeeper Ashlyn Waldon (2020-22) collected six saves.
 
RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears concluded the regular season on Thursday with a 0-0 draw against the Sioux Falls Cougars on the road.
 
CSP controlled the offensive side of the pitch with 22 shots (11 shots on goal), while the Cougars were only able to manage five shots (one shot on goal) in the match. In addition, the Golden Bears forced three corner kicks in the second half, with the latter coming in the final minute.
 
Anderson led all players with a game-high five shots (two shots on goal) during her 78-minute stint on the pitch. Corynn Grabau also performed well with four shots and a game-best three shots on goal.
 
Jessi Jordan (5-6-3) made her 15th start in goal for the Golden Bears. The Rogers, Minnesota native had an easier outing in goal tonight as she finished with one save in her fifth shutout of the season. On the opposite side of the pitch, Caroline Titze held off the CSP offensive attack with 11 saves on the night.
 
In the first half, the Golden Bears and the Cougars held each other in check as neither team could find the goal in the first 45 minutes of action. Concordia held an offensive advantage, outshooting Sioux Falls 10-4 with four of their attempts on goal. Anderson led all players with four shots and a pair of shots on goal in the opening half. Sydney Manthana also shined with two shots and a shot.
 
On the defense side of the pitch, CSP held USF to only one shot on goal as Jordan collected her first save of the match in the 44th minute. However, on the opposite side of the pitch, Titze was much busier with four saves in the opening half, with the latter coming in the final minute as Caroline Lauinger narrowly missed with a shot in the lower right corner.
 
The defensive gridlock carried over into the second half as neither team was able to find the net in the final 45 minutes of the regular season. Bella Abruzzo and Tori Miller each tabbed a complete 90 minutes in the match, while Brittany Bordson added an 87-minute performance.
 
Grabau was the offensive leader in the second half with four shots and three shots on goal for the Golden Bears. In the final minute of the match, Grabau fired off a shot that was denied by Titze but forced a corner kick as a result. As time was running out in the final seconds, Manthana attempted the final chance that was corralled by USF as the two clubs concluded the match with a 0-0 draw.
 
SEASON-LEADERS
Anderson added a pair of goals in the home finale against UMC to extend her season total to a conference-leading 11 goals, which also ranks tied for 20th nationally. In addition, the San Diego native leads the NSIC in total points with 26 as she has also contributed to the Golden Bears scoring with four assists this season. She continues to add to her conference-best shots with 86 and shots on goal with 41. The senior captain has had a historic career for the CSP soccer program as she is the all-time leader in goals scored with 31 and is tied for second with Rachel Vitense (2003-06) in career points with 71 (31g, 9a).
 
Miller had a stellar regular season on the defensive side of the pitch with 1591 minutes. The Bloomington native exited the pitch for the first time this season on Senior Day against Minnesota Crookston in her final game at Sea Foam Stadium. She also contributed to the scoring with six points after scoring two goals and adding a pair of assists. Miller was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week (9/25) following an impressive showing against MSU Moorhead and Northern State.
 
Grabau is currently second on the team and tied for 15th in the NSIC in points this season with 12. The junior (graduating) forward has netted five goals, which ranks tied for 10th in the entire NSIC. She has collected 30 points (12g, 6a) and four game-winning goals in her three years in the Navy and Gold.
 
Jordan (5-6-3) has started 15 games in goal for the Golden Bears and has a 0.92 goals-against average. The junior (graduating) has collected 49 saves (.803 SV%) and has faced 117 shots. She has now gathered five shutouts and was credited with a combined shutout against Minot State and Minnesota Crookston last time out.
 
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND MSU
The two programs have met a total of 23 times dating back to September 10, 2002, and the Mavericks hold a 1-21-1 all-time advantage. 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 lone victory in the series against the Mavericks in the 2019 season, claiming a 1-0 win on the road. Last season, MSU claimed both matches with a 1-0 win in the regular season finale and added a 4-1 win in the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals. Earlier this year at Sea Foam Stadium, CSP dropped a heartbreaker to MSU as the Mavericks notched the game-winner in the 89th minute. Jordan finished the match with a career-high 10 saves in goal.
 
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
No. 19 Minnesota State posted a 14-2-6 (11-0-4 NSIC) record in the 2022 campaign and was picked to repeat as the NSIC Conference Champions with 187 points and eight first-place votes in the 2023 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
After winning in the first round of the NSIC Tournament, MSU was upset in the semifinals by the Minot Beaver in a shootout after the regulation ended in a 0-0 tie. However, they would appear in the NCAA Division II Central Regional, defeating Northwest Missouri State in a 3-1 shootout before falling to host Bemidji State, 2-4.
 
The Mavericks concluded the regular season with a convincing 4-0 win over the Bemidji State Beavers yesterday to finish with an 11-2-5 (9-1-4 NSIC) record, the second-best in the entire conference.
 
MSU finished the non-conference play 2-1-1 after claiming wins over Oklahoma Baptist and No. 20 Central Missouri. They battled to a 0-0 draw with No. 16 Emporia State and their lone blemish was against Grand Valley State.
 
Minnesota State kicked off NSIC play with three consecutive wins against Augustana, Concordia-St. Paul and UMary before tying with Minot State and St. Cloud State. Their lone loss in conference play came in upset fashion to MSU Moorhead on the road after the Dragons scored a pair of second half goals to take the match, 2-1. However, the Mavericks bounced back with back-to-back wins against UMC and BSU in the final games of the regular season.
 
The player to watch for Minnesota State is #5 Allie Williams. The sophomore has made a significant impact for the Mavericks with 15 points this season after scoring six goals and adding three assists this season. In addition, she recorded 62 shots with 22 of them on goal.