ST. PAUL, Minn. - CSP Soccer (4-2-2) will hit the road for a pair of NSIC games this week against the Huskies of St. Cloud State (6-2) and the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth (1-5-1).
Action will take place on Friday against St. Cloud State at 6 p.m. at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud, Minn. The weekend will conclude against Minn. Duluth on Sunday at 1 p.m. from James S. Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minn.
RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears finish the week 1-0-1 after dropping their home-opener on Friday 2-1 against Northern State and then battling back for a 1-0 win over MSU Moorhead on Sunday.
CSP soccer is currently ranked seventh in the United Soccer Coaches Central Region Poll after the second week of NSIC play.
Game One: NSU 2, CSP 1
In a physical first half, the Wolves got on the board first at the 35th minute with a shot by Eva Larson.
The Golden Bears and Wolves went back and forth, each having three shots in the first half with Concordia not able to capitalize on any scoring.
In the second half, NSU got off to a fast start scoring their second goal at the 52nd minute mark with a shot by Megan Fastenau.
At the 85th minute, Sophia King scored her second goal of the season off an assist by Sammy Ponsonby to get the Golden Bears on the board.
The Golden Bears held the shot advantage 7-6, including four shots in the second half.
Junior Kayla Matuzak got her fifth start of the season in the net for the Golden Bears. She recorded two saves on the day to bring her season total to 13. At the 38th minute, Matuzak suffered an apparent injury and left the game.
Sophomore Sydney Potter came in relief for Matuzak and finished out the game.
Belle Abruzzo led the team with three shots and held down the defensive side of the pitch.
Game Two: CSP 1, MSUM 0
Concordia claimed their fourth shutout win of the season in a game where the Golden Bears held a 24-1 shot advantage.
Senior Sammy Ponsonby continued to add to her best season, scoring her fourth goal, doubling her goal count from last season.
Senior Amaya O"Hearn had her fifth assist of the season today and continues adding to her career-high number of assists on the season.
Sydney Potter made her third start of the season for the Navy and Gold in the net recording one save, marking the Dragons lone shot of the day.
In the first half, the CSP offense recorded 10 shots, including five on goal with the MSUM goalie saving all five. The Golden Bears had six corner kicks and were doing everything to get a shot in the net.
CSP came out fast in the second half, making three shots in the first minutes to try and get something going.
At the 67th minute after a series of shots by Sophia Haase and Amaya O'Hearn knocked down the Dragon's goalie, Sammy Ponsonby scored on a low shot to the right of the net to get the Golden Bears on the board with an assist by O'Hearn.
For the remainder of the second half, CSP controlled the pitch and held a second-half shot advantage 14-1.
Morgan Bilczewski held down the defensive side of the pitch playing a season-high 83 minutes with Clare Snapko playing her sixth 90-minute game of the season at midfield.
The Golden Bears had a season-high 24 shots including another season-high 15 shots on goal.
SEASON LEADERS
Sammy Ponsonby leads the team with four goals on the season which is tied for second in the NSIC and leads the team in shots with 17 and shots on goal with nine.
Ponsonby also leads the NSIC in game-winning goals with three which ranks her third in the nation.
Amaya O'Hearn leads the team and the NSIC in assists with 5 which puts her at seventh in the nation.
Goalkeepers Kayla Matuzak and Sydney Potter have split time in the net for the Golden Bears with each holding a 2-1-1 record. Matuzak has saved a team high 13 shots with Potter saving 7.
Clare Snapko leads the team in minutes played with 674 minutes including a career-high seven complete games.
As a team the Navy and Gold lead the NSIC in total goals with 13 and total points with 39.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND SCSU
The two programs have met a total of 23 times with the Huskies holding a 6-11-6 all-time advantage. CSP got their first win over SCSU on September 25, 2004 where Concordia won 1-0.
Last season, St. Cloud got the 2-1 win over the Golden Bears in a regular season contest where Sammy Ponsonby got her first goal of the season with an assist by Sophia Haase.
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
St. Cloud State posted a 14-5-2 (10-2-2 NSIC) record in the 2023 season and were picked to finish second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll marking their highest ranking since 2008.
The Huskies currently sit at 6-2 (3-1 NSIC) after going 1-1 last week, taking their first conference loss of the season at Augustana 1-0 followed by a bounce back win at Wayne 2-0.
The player to watch for SCSU is Ellie Primerano who leads the team in goals with four while also accumulating 16 shots. Primerano was named the NSIC Offesnsive Player of the Week on Sept. 23 for the fifth time in her career.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND UMD
The two programs have met a total of 26 times with the Bulldogs holding a 4-18-1 all-time advantage. The Golden Bears got their first win over UMD on October 25, 2015 where CSP got the 1-0 win.
Last season, Concordia got a dominant 4-1 win over the Bulldogs led by goals from both Brittany Bordson and Sophia Haase.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Minnesota Duluth posted a 6-7-6 (5-4-5 NSIC) record in the 2023 season and were picked to finish eighth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Bulldogs currently sit at 1-5-1 (1-2-1 NSIC) after going 0-1-1 last week, playing to a 1-1 tie at Wayne and then falling 2-0 at Augustana.
The player to watch for UMD is team captain Anna Tobias who leads the team in shots with 16 and has totaled three points on the season. Tobias was also picked as the NSIC Preseason Player to Watch for the Bulldogs.
