ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul soccer (2-3-1, 0-1-1 NSIC) hits the road this weekend for the first time in conference play this season to take on the MSU Moorhead Dragons and the Northern State Wolves.
 
Action is set to take place on Friday against MSU Moorhead at 3 p.m. at the Nemzek Soccer Field in Moorhead. Sunday's contest against Northern State will take place at the Athletic and Recreational Fields in Aberdeen, S.D. with a scheduled time of 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 0-1-1 to start conference play after tying with Winona State on Friday night before dropping Sunday afternoon's match against No.7 Minnesota State at Sea Foam Stadium.
 
Game One: CSP 1, WSU 1
CSP and WSU battled to a 1-1 draw to kick off conference play at Sea Foam Stadium.
Winona State had the upper hand in the first half after outshooting the Golden Bears 8-2 with a trio of shots on goal. They were able to jump out to an early lead after Abigail Williams was able to find the net off a well-placed pass from Madyson Dye in the fifth minute.
 
However, the Golden Bears responded with the equalizer in the 54th minute after Sophie Pawlyshyn was able to find Katie Anderson in the box to head in the shot. Neither team could pull away in the second as they played to a hard fought 90-minute draw.
 
Anderson led the Golden Bears with her second goal of the season to extend her career goal total to 24, which ranks fourth in CSP history. The conference leader in both shots and shots on goal finished with a team-leading four shots in the match.
 
Pawlyshyn added her second assist of the season. The Chanhassen, Minnesota native moved into a tie for fifth all-time in assists with Amanda Olsen (2011-12) as both Golden Bears have 14.
 
Kayla Matuzak (1-0-1) made her second start in goal for the Golden Bears. The sophomore goalkeeper collected a career-best five saves in the match.
 
Tori Miller remains to be a leader on the defensive side of the pitch for CSP as she brings her minute total to a perfect 360 this season. Belle Abruzzo is the other CSP defender that went the full 90 minutes, the first time for her in her career.
 
Game Two: CSP 0, MSU 1
On Sunday, the Golden Bears dropped a heartbreaker to No. 7 Minnesota State after the Mavericks netted the game winning goal in the 89th minute of play.
 
Jessi Jordan (1-3) played well in her fourth start in goal for the Golden Bears. The junior goalkeeper tallied a career-best 10 saves, double the amount of saves from her season-best outing against McKendree (five saves).
 
Abruzzo shined on the defensive side of the pitch in a 90-minute outing, particularly in the first half after she spoiled several MSU chances on their attacking side of the pitch. The sophomore kept the Mavericks off the board in the 11th minute with an impressive shot block and tallied a pair of shots as well.
 
Miller also went the full 90 minutes on the pitch for the Golden Bears. The senior defender helped tame the Mavericks attack throughout the match and has still yet to exit the field this season. Captain Haley Rudebusch also helped the CSP defense with 62 minutes of her own.
 
Abruzzo, Clare Snapko, Sydney Manthana, Pawlyshyn and Sophia Haase each tested the Mavericks goalie Mackenzie Rath, who finished the match with five saves. Addison Clarey and Maddix Archer led the MSU attack with a pair of shots on goal.
 
The two clubs battled back-and-forth for the first 45 minutes of action as the score would remain 0-0 heading into the half. Concordia would finish with a slight 54-46 advantage in possession time. In addition, CSP outshot the MSU 6-5 with both teams adding three shots on goal.
 
In the second half, the game would swing in favor of the Mavericks as they outshot the Golden Bears 11-5 in a physical 45 minutes that resulted in a pair of yellow cards towards MSU. Jordan collected seven saves in the second period, but a goal in the 89th minute from Archer would seal the game for the seventh-ranked Mavericks.
 
SEASON-LEADERS
Anderson leads the team with five points this season after netting goals against Upper Iowa and Winona State, along with an assist against Minnesota Crookston. The senior captain continues to lead the entire NSIC in shots with 34 (5.67 Avg/G) and shots on goal with 14 (2.33 Avg/G).
 
Grabau is second on the team with five points after she scored a pair of goals against Minnesota Crookston. The junior forward has notched nine goals in the Navy and Gold and has tallied a total of 22 points.
 
Miller continues to anchor the Golden Bears defense and remains perfect in total minutes with 540 this season after six games. The senior defender is 17th all-time in program history with 4683 minutes tallied and counting.
 
Jordan (1-3) has started in four games in goal for the Golden Bears. The junior has collected 19 saves after collecting a career-high 10 saves against MSU last Sunday. Her goal against average currently sits at 1.43 and she has collected a shutout win against Upper Iowa.
 
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND MSUM
The two programs have played a total of 26 times dating back to October 9, 1999, and the Golden Bears lead the series with a convincing 19-5-2 record against the Dragons. The Dragons took the first game of the series with the largest margin of victory with a score of 7-1 in St. Paul. The Golden Bears claimed their first victory in the series with a one goal victory on the road in 2002. The Golden Bears have dominated the series in the past decade, winning the last 11 matchups and outsourcing the Dragon 37-to-7. Last season, the Golden Bears claimed the match with a 4-1 win at Sea Foam Stadium. [Katie] Anderson led the CSP attack with a pair of goals, while Snapko tabbed her first-career goal.
 
ABOUT THE DRAGONS
MSU Moorhead posted a 2-11-3 (2-10-3 NSIC) record in the 2022 campaign and was picked to finish 13th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 45 points.
 
The Dragons are currently 1-4-1 (0-1-1 NSIC) this season after conference play began last week. All four of their losses this season have come by one goal.
 
In their season opener, MSUM notched an impressive win with a pair of second half goals to top Western Colorado.
 
Last time out, the Dragons played to a 0-0 draw against the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.
 
The player to watch for the Dragons is forward Jensen Seidel. The sophomore has collected a pair of points after scoring a goal against St. Cloud State. She leads the team with 10 shots (seven on goal).
 
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND NSU
The two programs have met a total of 27 times dating back to October 23, 1999, and the Golden Bears hold a 6-19-2 record against the Wolves. The Wolves won the inaugural match-up between the two schools with a score of 3-0, claiming nine of the first 11 meetings. The Golden Bears would break into the win column with a 1-0 victory in Aberdeen, S.D. during the 2006 season. CSP holds the largest margin with a 6-0 victory during their 2019 NSIC Championship run. Last season, the two clubs battled to a 1-1 draw at Sea Foam Stadium. [Katie] Anderson scored the lone goal for CSP in the match with a penalty kick in the 20th minute.
 
ABOUT THE WOLVES
Northern State posted a 9-5-5 (7-3-5 NSIC) record in the 2022 campaign and were picked seventh in the 2023 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 119 points.
 
The Wolves are currently 3-2 (2-0 NSIC) after the opening weekend of NSIC play.
 
Their first win of the season came against regional opponent Missouri Western State (Mo.) after Megan Fastenau chipped in the game-winner in the 11th minute of the match.
 
NSU heading into the weekend on a two-game winning streak after opening conference play with a 1-0 win on the road against MSU Moorhead before defeating Minot State 1-0 in Aberdeen.
 
Before the Wolves faceoff with the Golden Bears, they will meet the Winona State Warriors at home at 6 p.m. on Friday.
 
The player to watch for NSU is Megan Fastenau. The junior forward leads the team with five points after netting a pair of goals and adding an assist. She also leads the team with seven shots (three on goal).