ST. PAUL, Minn. - CSP soccer (2-2) will open conference play this week against the Winona State Warriors (1-1-1) and the #8 Minnesota State Mavericks (2-1-1) at Sea Foam Stadium.
Action will take place on Friday against Winona State at 7 p.m. and conclude on Sunday against Minnesota State at 1 p.m.
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.
RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears finish the week 1-1 after claiming a 6-0 win against Minnesota Crookston on Friday before falling to the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers on Sunday, 0-2.
Game One: CSP 6, UMC 0
Concordia dominated the pitch from the first whistle. The Golden Bears fired off 28 shots (12 on goal) and held the Golden Eagles to only four shots (two on goal).
Corynn Grabau led the Golden Bears offensive attack with a pair of goals in five attempts, extending her career total to three. Sammy Ponsonby chipped in her second career goal, while Abby Kloiber, Tori Miller and Sophia King added their first career goals in the contest.
The Golden Bears featured two goalkeepers in the contest, as Kayla Matuzak (1-0) made her first career start, and Sydney Potter saw her first minutes in the goal for CSP. They were able to keep the clean sheet intact, with a notable moment coming from Potter in the 89th, as the freshman made an impressive save to cause the ball to coast over the crossbar.
CSP controlled the first half with 70% of possession time. In addition, the Golden Bears outshot their opponents 12-1, led by senior captain Katie Anderson who led the first half with six shots (two on goal).
Concordia struck with their first goal of the contest from Grabau in the 30th minute. The Golden Bears did not let up with the offensive push toward goal, as Anderson and Sydney Manthana added shots of their own in the following two minutes. However, the Golden Eagles escaped to halftime only down one despite an excellent chance from King from a corner kick in the final minute.
The Golden Bears carried their momentum into the second half, as they netted five goals, possessed the ball for 68% of the second half, and outshot UMC 16-2.
In the 48th minute, the Golden Bears scored the second goal of the game after Ponsonby added her first goal of the season, and Sophia Haase collected her first career assist.
CSP doubled their lead in the span of two minutes with goals in the 72nd and 74th minutes. The first goal was Grabau's second of the game following a double assist award to Nicole Moore and Jada Cannady. The second goal during this run came after Kloiber found the goal after Amaya O'Hearn set it up with a well-placed pass to extend CSP's lead to 4-0.
In the 81st minute, Miller found the net for the first time in her historic career in the navy and gold with a header following a well-placed corner kick from Kloiber.
The final goal of the match came from King after she found herself one-on-one with the Golden Eagles goalie following a strong attempt from Anderson, who was awarded an assist, to secure the 6-0 victory.
Game Two: CSP 0, UWP 2
Concordia outshot Parkside 18-10 in the match but struggled with positioning, resulting in six offside fouls. Senior Anderson led the offensive attack for the Golden Bear with 10 shots (six on goal), followed by Manthana with three shots (two on goal).
On the defensive side of the pitch, senior Miller was the lone defender to compete in the entire 90 minutes. Sophomore Belle Abruzzo was second on the team in minutes with 78.
Jordan (1-2) made her third start of the season in goal for the Golden Bears. The junior collected one save in the contest. Kayla Matuzak added 45 minutes in goal after starting for the navy and gold in the second half.
The two teams were neck and neck in the first half in shots, with CSP holding an 8-7 advantage and five shots on goal. Concordia controlled the pitch for most of the half, but the Rangers were able to force four corner kicks.
Parkside grabbed early momentum after jumping out to an early lead, as Kate Brown was able to net her first goal of the season from an assisted corner kick from Emily Mikkelson in the fourth minute to put them up by one.
Later in the first, UWP's goalkeeper Izzy Guyer received a red card while trying to prevent a goal from O'Hearn just outside the box, leaving them a player down for the remainder of the game.
CSP controlled the possession time for the remainder of the half, with Manthana, Anderson and Haase testing the backup keeper Mia Guyton. However, the Rangers escaped the half without allowing any goals.
The second-half narrative was much like the first half, with CSP outshooting UWP 10-3, four of which were on goal. The Golden Bears added a pair of corner kicks, but would have a few chances canceled due to offside penalties.
Anderson led the Golden Bears with a pair of shots on goal in the second. In addition, Manthana added a shot on goal, while Kloiber, Grabau and McKayla Stockness added shots of their own.
The Rangers sealed the contest with a goal from Alexis Bolger that was assisted by Mia Dosen in the 54th minute to claim the 2-0 victory.
SEASON-LEADERS
Grabau heads into the week with a team-leading four points after netting a pair of goals, which ranks tied for fifth in the NSIC, against Minnesota Crookston. The junior forward has notched nine goals in the navy and gold and has tallied 22 points.
Anderson has tallied a trio of points after connecting for a goal against Upper Iowa and adding an assist against Minnesota Crookston. The San Diego native leads the entire NSIC in both shots with 28 (7.0 Avg/G) and shots on goal with 13 (Avg/G).
Kloiber added three points of her own after scoring her first career goal and assisting on a goal against Minnesota Crookston. The junior now has five career goals and four assists in 41 games.
Miller has anchored the Golden Bears' defense after competing in all 360 minutes on the pitch, bringing her career total to 2067. The senior defender added to her career totals with her first career goal against Minnesota Crookston.
Jordan (1-2) has started in three games in goal for the Golden Bears. The junior has collected nine saves and has faced 27 shots. Her goals-against average currently sits at 1.60, and she has amassed a shutout win against Upper Iowa.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND WSU
The two programs have met a total of 30 times dating back to September 9, 1999, and the Warriors hold a 6-24 all-time advantage. WSU controlled the series in the early going with 10 straight wins before the Golden Bears claimed a 1-0 victory at Concordia Field in 2007. The largest margin of victory for the Golden Bears is two goals after they bested the Warriors on the road in 2019. Last season, Winona State took the match 2-1, with the game-winning goal coming in the 68th minute. Leah Engh (2020-22) netted the lone goal in the game with an assist from Pawlyshyn, while [Katie] Anderson added seven shots (four on goal).
ABOUT THE WARRIORS
Winona State posted a 9-6-2 (7-4-4 NSIC) record in the 2022 campaign and was picked to finish 10th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 82 points. They dropped their NSIC Championship Quarterfinals match to Augustana, 0-3.
The Warriors are currently 1-1 this season following the non-conference schedule concluding.
In their season opener in Fayette, Iowa, WSU fell to McKendree (Ill.) 1-2 after the Bearcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals in the 29th and 34th minutes. Chole Turner answered with a goal in the 38th minute, but the MCK defense, who frustrated CSP earlier this season, stood tall.
The Warriors bounced back with a convincing 2-0 victory over Upper Iowa. Abigail Williams capitalized off a penalty kick situation in the 11th minute to put the Warriors up 1-0. Sarah Strating added the second goal of the game in the opening minute of the second half to put the game out of reach for the struggling Peacock team that was outshot 22-8.
Last time out, the Warriors played to a 0-0 tie with Truman State (Mo.) on the road. Winona State would outshoot the Bulldogs 13-5 and caused eight corner kicks in the contest.
The player to watch for the Warriors is #14 Sarah Strating. The sophomore forward has a pair of points after collecting a goal against Upper Iowa. She also leads the team with nine shots (two on goal).
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND MSU
The two programs have met a total of 22 times dating back to September 10, 2002, and the Mavericks hold a 1-20-1 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. Jessica Timpane (2019-22) scored the lone goal for the Golden Bears in the two matchups, with Moore adding her first career assist.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
#8 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 are currently 2-1-1 this season, with non-conference action concluding last Sunday.
Minnesota State picked up right where they left off last season with a commanding 7-0 win in the season opener against Oklahoma Baptist. Allie Williams and Avery Korsching led the Mavericks with a pair of goals each.
Their next match against regional opponent Emporia State ended in a draw. The Mavericks ultimately outshot the Hornets 12-8, but neither team could net a goal with solid performances from their respective defenses.
Last time out, MSU found themselves on the opposite side of an upset win, as they fell to Grand Valley State, 0-1. GVSU scored the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute after a foul in the box by MSU led to a penalty kick goal.
The player to watch for the Mavericks is #25 Avery Korsching. The sophomore has collected six points, tied for third-most in the conference with fellow teammate Allie Williams and Wayne State's Maria Vacks. She leads the team in shots with 15 and shots on goal with seven.
