ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team is set to kick off the 2023 season with a pair of games on the road in Fayette, Iowa, against the Upper Iowa Peacocks and the McKendree Bearcats (Ill.).
 
Action will take place against Upper Iowa on Friday at noon and conclude on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. against McKendree at Pattison Field.
 
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.
 
PRESEASON
With a veteran group taking the reins, the Golden Bears look to capitalize on their leadership established during fall camp. CSP will roster a team of 32 with 21 returners from last season and 11 incoming freshmen, who will look to make an immediate impact in the navy and gold.
 
When asked about the team's current status following fall camp, Head Coach Steve Bellis replied, "Overall, it's been a good two and a bit weeks since our players showed up on campus for fall camp." Bellis added, "I'm happy to report there have been no injuries, just a few little sore legs and strains, but I think you'd expect that with all the two-a-days".
 
In addition to the team's physical health during the preseason, Bellis voiced the importance of mental health. "I think the game's social and mental health aspect is extremely important in the preseason." He mentioned, "We have done a few team bonding activities like dinner at parents' houses, we went out to the lake, did some scavenger hunts, and had some freshmen who went to the Mall of America for the first time, but I think that it is important that we don't just do things that are soccer specific."
 
CSP soccer is also devoted to giving back to the community. "We've got a couple of community events coming up where we'll get our players out into the community and begin giving back," Bellis commented.
 
Since arriving on campus, the Golden Bears have competed in four scrimmages against the CSP soccer alumni, St. Olaf, Macalester and UW Stout. "They were all very competitive games, and I think we did really well." Bellis concluded, "Those games are always good opportunities to go out and score some goals, get some minutes, give opportunities for players to play in different positions and for them to get used to the speed of play at the college level."
 
NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
The Golden Bears begin the season with four non-conference games to begin the season. They will open the season on the road with a pair of non-conference games against Upper Iowa and McKendree this Friday and Sunday.
 
On Friday, the Golden Bears will meet the Peacocks for the 20th time in school history, the first time since UIU decided to leave the NSIC and join the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). CSP toppled UIU 5-1 last season in Fayette despite trailing the Peacocks by a goal at the halftime break. Key performers such as Katie Anderson, Corynn Grabau and Belle Abruzzo each netted a goal against the Peacocks in the dominant victory, and they will look to do the same in the season opener.
 
On Saturday, CSP soccer will remain in Fayette to take on the McKendree Bearcats for the second time in school history. Last season, the Bearcats used a penalty kick goal in the 32 minute to capture the 1-0 win in the inaugural meeting between the two schools. The Golden Bears struggled offensively with only seven shots (two on goal), with midfielder Sophie Pawlyshyn leading CSP with a pair of shots.
 
"Tough oppositions in Upper Iowa, who I know have done a really good job recruiting, and McKendree, who is a pretty good team that is pretty well ranked and is highly rated in their conference," Bellis said about the opening two non-conference games of the season.
 
Non-conference action will conclude the following Friday and Sunday, with the Golden Bears playing host to conference opponent Minnesota Crookston in non-conference action and Parkside (Wis.) from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
 
Winners of the last five matchups, CSP will face the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles for the 27th time and hold a 16-6-2 series advantage. They will look to duplicate the same results from last season after they defeated the Golden Eagles 2-0 behind goals from Anderson and Sammy Ponsonby.
 
The final non-conference matchup of the season will occur against the Parkside Rangers on Sunday, September 10, at Sea Foam Stadium. The two squads will meet for the eighth time, and CSP will look to avenge their 2-0 loss from last season against the Bearcats. Anderson led the Golden Bears with five shots (two on goal) last year against Parkside, while Haley Rudebusch added a pair of shots (one on goal) of her own.
 
On the importance of non-conference games, Bellis stated, "It's definitely a value to make sure that we go into these games prepared and driven to get results." He added, "This is a really experienced group and also a good blend of youth, so it should be exciting and we should be organized before we start conference play."
 
NSIC PREVIEW
The Golden Bears are coming off a 7-7-5 (7-4-4 NSIC) season from a year ago that saw them advance to the conference tournament for the fifth consecutive season. CSP will look to find the same success as in 2019 when they claimed the 2019 NSIC Regular Season Championship and made their first-ever NCAA Division II Central Region appearance.
 
The Golden Bears were picked to finish fourth in the conference preseason poll for the second straight season with 147 points and one first-place vote, trailing only Minnesota State, Augustana and Bemidji State. MSU garnered eight first-place votes, while Augie had four and Bemidji State had two.
 
When speaking on the NSIC, Bellis said, "Playing in the NSIC is difficult and every game is challenging." He added, "Every single game you have to compete, fight, and sometimes even get a little bit lucky, but you really have to work hard to be competitive in our league." 
 
CSP will kick off NSIC action at home against the Winona State Warriors on September 17 at 7:00 p.m. Last season, the Warriors bested the Golden Bears 2-1 at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winona. Pawlyshyn added an assist to the Golden Bears lone goal of the outing, while Anderson contributed four shots on goal in seven attempts.
 
Following the home conference opener, the Golden Bears will face off against #21 Minnesota State to conclude the weekend. CSP had a tough draw in the opening round of the conference tournament after being paired with the number one seed, MSU, in the quarterfinals. Nicole Moore added her first career point with an assist in the game and Mackenzie Leibiger led the defense with a full 90-minute performance.
 
A key matchup for the Golden Bears comes on October 8 when they host the Augustana Vikings at Sea Foam Stadium. Last season, the Vikings defeated the Golden Bears 1-0, with the lone goal of the match coming in the 21st minute of play. Anderson and Grabau each notched a pair of shots on goal in the loss.
 
Conference play for CSP soccer will conclude with a much-anticipated matchup with the Bemidji State Beavers in the second annual Battle for "Priam the Pig" at Sea Foam Stadium on October 28. Anderson chipped in the game-winning goal for CSP in the 71st minute of the contest last year, while the CSP defense held the eventual conference champions to two shots on goal on eight attempts.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH  
Senior captain Anderson returns for her final season in the navy and gold at the forward position. She was the leading scorer for the Golden Bears last season and also led the conference in shots with 68 and shots on goal with 32. She was awarded All-NSIC First Team and earned NSIC Player of the Week (11/11) after netting two goals in a 2-0 win against Minnesota Crookston and scoring the game-winning goal against Bemidji State.
 
Senior captain Tori Miller returns to the defensive side of the pitch for the Golden Bears this season. Miller anchored the Golden Bear defense last season with a team-leading 1654 minutes and 19 starts, 15 of which were complete 45-minute outings. She was named All-NSIC Second Team after leading the conference in minutes and helping the Golden Bears to four clean sheets.
 
Junior captain Rudebusch returns to the pitch as well for the Golden Bears. The Apple Valley native started in 18 of her 19 appearances last season. In total, she accumulated 1456 minutes with six complete 45-minute outings. While an anchor on the defensive side of the pitch, Rudebusch also contributed with 11 shots (five on goal), with a season-best three shots coming against Minot State.
 
Bellis was high on the senior class and team captains by stating, "We've got a good returning group with a lot of seniors and super seniors, so I think they have done a really good job setting standards." Bellis added, "We have three amazing captains in Tori Miller, Katie Anderson and Haley Rudebusch, who have set some good standards and expectations."
  
Two players making an immediate impact in the preseason have been juniors Sydney Manthana and Brittany Bordson. Manthana appeared in 17 and started in five matches while tallying 591 minutes with a career-high 71 minutes on the pitch against Southwest Minnesota State. Bordson started in all 19 games in the navy and gold with 1509 minutes (five full games). She also collected a pair of points after notching a pair of assists against Upper Iowa.
 
"Syd (Sydney Manthana) at the midfield has been really impressive, and Brittany Bordson also looks really good," Bellis replied when asked about players who have excelled during camp.
 
FINAL WORDS FROM COACH STEVE BELLIS
"I would encourage people to get out and watch us play. Soccer is a world game, and any student who wants to come and watch us play should do so."