ST. PAUL, Minn. - CSP soccer (2-0-2) will open up NSIC conference play this week with the No. 22 Minnesota State Mavericks (1-1-2) and the Winona State Warriors (1-0-1).
Action will take place on Friday against Minnesota State at 3 p.m. at the Maverick Soccer Complex- The Pitch in Mankato, Minnesota. The weekend will then conclude on Sunday against Winona State at 1 p.m. at the Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium at Maxwell Field in Winona, Minnesota.
RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears finish the week 1-0-1 after battling to a 0-0 draw against Nebraska Kearney on Friday and then getting a dominant 4-0 win over New Mexico Highlands on Sunday.
CSP soccer is currently ranked fourth in the United Soccer Coaches Central Region Poll after this past week of play.
Game One: CSP 0, UNK 0
This game was an even-strength match-up from start to finish with both teams keeping in check with the other.
Senior Sammy Ponsonby led the team with four shots including two on goal. Following close behind her was sophomore Sophia Haase with two shots on goal.
In the first half, the Golden Bears edged out the Lopers shots 6-2, but the Lopers came right back in the second and led shots 5-3. UNK was able to save four shots on goal by CSP to keep scoring off the table in both halves.
Sophomore Sydney Potter got her first career start in the net for Concordia and recorded three saves in the game for a career game-high.
Six Golden Bears found themselves playing a complete game including, Potter, Haase, Clare Snapko, Haley Rudebusch, Belle Abruzzo, McKayla Stockness.
Game Two: CSP 4, NMH 0
This game was all Golden Bears from start to finish with CSP holding the shot advantage 18-4 and four different players finding the net.
In the first half, Concordia got on the board first at the 14-minute mark with a low shot to the left of the goal by senior Sammy Ponsonby. She was assisted on the goal by Brittany Bordson.
Just three minutes later, Sydney Manthana got one in the net. She scores on another low shot to the left of the net assisted by Clare Snapko.
With five minutes left to play in the first half, Sophia King scores her first goal of the season. She hits the net with yet another low shot to the left of the net assisted by Amaya O'Hearn. The Golden Bears held a 10-2 shot advantage after the first half.
CSP was not going away in the second half, holding a 8-2 shot advantage and a lock-down defense that left the Cowgirls with nowhere to go.
Ashley Bennett scores her first goal in the Navy and Gold at the 55th minute with a low shot to the center of the net assisted by Sophia Haase.
Junior Kayla Matuzak got her third start of the season in the net for the Golden Bears. She recorded two saves in the game to bring her season total to nine.
Freshman Peyton Baker came in for relief at the 56-minute mark where she got her first career action as a goalie for the Golden Bears.
Ponsonby led the Navy and Gold with four shots and her second goal of the season. Bennett followed close behind with three shots and a goal of her own.
SEASON LEADERS
Manthana and Ponsonby lead the team each with two goals. Sophia Haase leads the team in assists with two.
Ponsonby also leads the team in shots and shots on goal with nine (four on goal).
Junior Belle Abruzzo has anchored the Golden Bear defense and has seen the most amount of time on the pitch with 331 minutes.
Goalkeeper Kayla Matuzak has made three starts in the net so far this season. She has recorded nine saves and has two shutouts this season against Texas A&M International and New Mexico Highlands.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND MSU
The two programs have met a total of 24 times dating back to September 10th, 2002 with the Mavericks holding a 2-21-1 all-time advantage. MSU controlled the series early taking a 17-game winning streak up until 2019 when CSP beat at the time the No. 13 ranked Mavericks 1-0. The Golden Bears went on to win the NSIC conference title that season.
Last season Minnesota State took the regular season game 1-0 before the two had a rematch in the NSIC Conference Tournament Quarterfinals. CSP took a 2-1 win to advance to the NSIC Semifinals.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota State posted a 11-4-5 (9-1-4 NSIC) record in the 2023 season and were picked to finish first in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll with 10 first place votes and 186 points.
The Mavericks are currently 1-1-2 following the conclusion of non-conference games and are currently ranked 22nd in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. MSU is also ranked fourth in the United Soccer Coaches Central Region Poll following this past week of play.
In their season opener, MSU shutout No. 17 Emporia State 3-0 at home in Mankato. MSU scoring was led by Ashlyn Watt, Avery Korsching, and Jade Jackson who all scored their first goals of the season.
In their last game, the Mavericks traveled to Maryville, Missouri to take on the Bearcats from Northwest Missouri State where they tied 0-0. Both teams were held to minimal shots and neither was able to score. Watt led the team with three shots in the game.
Since their season-opener, the Mavericks have hit a three-game scoring drought, failing to score in the past 291 minutes.
The player to watch for Minnesota State will be #13 senior Ashlyn Watt. She scored a goal in their season-opener and has had six shots on the season.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND WSU
The two programs have met a total of 33 times dating back to September 16, 1995 with the Warriors holding a 6-25-2 all-time advantage. The Golden Bears got their first win against the Warriors on September 5, 2007 where CSP took a 1-0 win.
Last season, the Warriors and Golden Bears tied 1-1 in their NSIC conference opener, led by Abigail Williams for WSU and Katie Anderson (2019-23) for CSP.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS
Winona State posted a 3-7-7 (2-6-6 NSIC) record in the 2023 campaign and were picked to finish 12th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll with 63 points.
The Warriors are currently 1-0-1 on the season following two non-conference games.
In their season opener in Fayette, Iowa, WSU tied with the Upper Iowa Peacocks 2-2. In a back and forth scoring match WSU got on the board first with a shot from Madelynn Drasher with Upper Iowa responding back. Abigail Willaims got the second goal for the Warriors but once again the Peacocks came back ending the game in a draw.
The Warriors came back stronger for their home-opener where they played UW-Parkside. WSU took away a 1-0 win marking the first win for first-year head coach Delaney Marier. Williams scored her second goal of the season on a penalty kick to secure the win for Winona.
WSU will open their NSIC conference play this Friday playing the Vikings of Augustana in Winona before playing the Golden Bears on Sunday.
The player to watch for Winona is #4 senior Abigail Williams. She has scored a goal in each of the first two games, and leads the team's offense with 156 minutes on the pitch. Williams also has four shots on the season, tied for first on the team and was the lone scorer for the Warriors in last season's game versus the Golden Bears.
