ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia- St. Paul soccer (7-3-3, 5-3-1 NSIC) is set to take on the Beavers of Minot State (6-2-4, 4-2-3 NSIC) on Friday and the Marauders of UMary (7-2-3, 5-1-3 NSIC) on Sunday at home from Sea Foam Stadium.
Action will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m at Sea Foam Stadium in St. Paul, Minn.
RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears finish the week 1-0 after taking the win over Southwest Minnesota State on Friday night by a score of 1-0.
CSP soccer is currently ranked eighth in the United Soccer Coaches Central Region Poll after moving up one spot this week.
Game One: CSP 1, SMSU 0
Sophia Haase highlighted the game for the Golden Bears, scoring her third goal of the season and tallying a team-high five shots.
In the first half, the Mustangs came out fast, having four shots in the first 19 minutes. The Golden Bear defense ignited and the tables then flipped.
CSP outshot SMSU 8-6 in the first half while corner kicks were even at one.
Haase scored the eventual game-winner at the 32nd minute mark when the Mustangs goalie flustered at the previous shot by Ashley Bennett. She was assisted on the goal by Sammy Ponsonby.
From here on out it was a battle all the way through the second half, with Concordia making plays and Southwest saving plays. CSP held a 11-1 shot advantage in the second half forcing the Mustangs to make six saves.
The Golden Bears held a slight corner kick advantage 2-1 in the second half.
The final shot total was in favor of Concordia 19-7.
Haase's five shots led the team followed by Bennett having three with a season-high two coming on goal.
Sydney Potter made her eighth start of the season in the net, recording a season and career-high six saves.
Neely Kunz, Belle Abruzzo and Clare Snapko held down the defensive side of the pitch playing a full 90-minute outing.
This game marked Abruzzo's team leading, 11th full game of the season.
SEASON LEADERS
Amaya O'Hearn leads the team and NSIC in total number of assists (8) and assists per game (0.62). Her total number of assists rank her fourth in DII.
O'Hearn is also the team leader in points with 14 which ranks her third in the NSIC.
Sammy Ponsonby leads the team in goals with four. She is currently the NSIC leader in game-winning goals with three.
Sophia Haase is the team leader in shots (26) and shots on goal (16). She has also scored three goals in the last two weeks.
Clare Snapko continues to lead the team in minutes with 1,117 leading the Golden Bears defensive side of the pitch. She has tallied two goals and two assists on the season.
Goalkeeper Sydney Potter has accumulated six shutouts which ranks second in the NSIC, 26 saves, a 0.47 goals against average and a 0.867 save percentage.
As a team the Golden Bears rank first in the NSIC in points per game (5.08), total assists (22) and total points (66).
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND MINOT
The two programs have met a total of 12 times with the Beavers holding the 3-7-2 all-time advantage. CSP got their first win over the Beavers on Oct 4, 2019 with a 5-0 shutout.
Last season, Concordia got the 1-0 win over Minot in a regular season game led by a Katie Anderson goal assisted by Belle Abruzzo.
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Minot State posted a 6-8-4 (3-7-4 NSIC ) record in the 2023 season and were picked to finish ninth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 84 points.
The Beavers Currently sit at 6-2-4 (4-2-3 NSIC) after going 2-0 last week with two shutouts, 1-0 at Bemidji the defending NSIC Conference Champions and 2-0 at Minnesota Crookston.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND UMARY
The two programs have met a total of 21 times with the Marauders holding the 3-16-2 all-time advantage. CSP got their first win over the Marauders on Oct 10, 2015 with a score 3-1.
Last season, Concordia faced UMary twice both in the regular season and the postseason with the Marauders winning both meetings. In the regular season Concordia fell 2-1 at UMary and in the NSIC Semifinals the Marauders won 1-0 to advance to the NSIC Conference Championships.
The player to watch for the Beavers is freshman forward Anna Miotto. Miotto is the team leader in goals with four and has tallied 34 shots.
ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
University of Mary posted a 10-8-3 (7-5-2 NSIC) record in the 2023 season reaching the NSIC Conference Championships and were picked to finish fourth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 151 points.
The Marauders currently sit at 7-2-3 (5-1-3 NSIC) after going 1-0-1 last week, winning at Minnesota Crookston 1-0 and tying the defending NSIC Conference Champions Bemidji 1-1 on the road.
The players to watch for UMary are forward Olivia Gardner and goalkeeper Molly Fischer. Gardner was named the NSIC Preseason Player to Watch for the Marauders and has accumulated a team leading three goals and four assists on the season.
Goalkeeper Molly Fischer was named the NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week Sept. 23 after back to back shutouts. She has tallied 34 saves and six shutouts this season.
