ST. PAUL, Minn. - CSP soccer (3-1-2) will host the Northern State Wolves (2-2-2) and the Dragons of MSU Moorhead (0-5-1) for a pair of home-opening games on homecoming weekend.
Action will take place on Friday against Northern State at 7 p.m. followed by MSU Moorhead on Sunday at 1 p.m with both games taking place at Sea Foam Stadium.
BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE – AVOID THE LINE!
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance and bring your QR code to the gates to skip the line! Concordia is a cashless ticket experience for fans, so if you don't purchase ahead, make sure to bring your card to make your purchase at the gate.
Friends and families who utilize the pass list will also be utilizing the online ticketing service, while faculty & staff will access their free CSP tickets through the service. CSP students will have their all-sport season passes sent directly to their csp.edu email address.
Fans do not need to create a login, remember a username or password or download an app to purchase tickets. BUY ONLINE
WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC soccer games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, and 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.
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 falling to No. 22 Minnesota State 3-0 on Friday and then getting a dominant bounce back win at Winona State 5-0 on Sunday.
CSP soccer is currently ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches Central Region Poll after the NSIC conference play opening-weekend.
Game One: MSU 3, CSP 0
CSP struggled getting their offense going in game one of the weekend with the Mavericks defense holding them to just five shots the entirety of the game.
Amaya O'Hearn led the offense for the Golden Bears getting three out of the team's five shots.
In the first half, CSP allowed back-to-back goals that put them in a deficit going into the half.
At the 75th minute, MSU scored their third goal to put a comeback out of reach for Concordia.
The Mavericks were able to hold a 14-5 shot advantage and lock down the Golden Bears on both sides of the ball.
Junior Kayla Matuzak got her fourth start of year in the net where she faced a season-high 14 shots. She recorded two saves on the day bringing her season total to 11.
Game Two: CSP 5, WSU 0
In the first half, the Golden Bears out-shot the Warriors 5-3, where both sides of the ball were not able to capitalize on their chances.
A strong, dominating second half was able to propel the Navy and Gold to a five-goal half.
Junior Ashley Bennett got CSP on the board first with a low shot to the left of the net at the 47th minute with an assist by Amaya O'Hearn.
The Golden Bears scored just four minutes later with a goal from O'Hearn with another low shot to the left of the net. She was assisted on the goal by Bennett.
Senior Sammy Ponsonby scored her third goal of the season at the 72nd minute mark with a low shot to the right of the net, she was assisted on the goal by Lexi Pettit.
With two minutes left to play in the game, the Golden Bears were able to score two additional goals. Sophia King scored on a low shot to the left of the net with an assist by O'Hearn.
Freshman Emily Miner scored her first collegiate goal with seven seconds left in the game. Miner was assisted on the goal by King and O'Hearn's third assist of the game.
The Winona defense had no answers for a CSP offense that was capitalizing on every opportunity.
The Golden Bears held a 13-4 shot advantage over the Warriors with nine shots coming straight for the net.
Concordia was able to score a season-high five goals led by five different Golden Bears with Amaya O'Hearn leading the team with a career-high three assists, one goal and three shots.
McKayla Stockness and Belle Abruzzo led the defense, both having a 90-minute game with Clare Snapko holding down the midfield with a full game as well.
Sydney Potter got her second start of the season in the net for the Navy and Gold, making three saves in the game to bring her season total to six.
SEASON LEADERS
Sammy Ponsonby and Sydney Manthana lead the team each with three goals.
Ponsonby leads the team in shots with 12, seven of them coming on goal.
Amaya O'Hearn leads the conference in assists with four, coming off a WSU game where she scored a career-high three assists. She currently ranks sixth in the nation in assists.
Junior Belle Abruzzo has continued to lead the Golden Bear defense and has seen a team-high 511 minutes on the pitch.
Goalkeeper Kayla Matuzak has made four starts in the net where she has recorded 11 saves and holds a 2-1-1 record with two shutouts.
Sophomore Sydney Potter has made two starts in the net where she has recorded six saves and holds a career-high two shutouts so far.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND NSU
The two programs have met a total of 26 times dating back to October 23, 1999 with the Wolves holding a 6-17-3 all-time advantage. The Golden Bears got their first win over the Wolves on September 30, 2006 where CSP got the 1-0 shutout.
Last season, CSP and NSU played to a 0-0 draw during the regular season with Haley Rudebusch and Sophia Haase each getting two shots.
ABOUT THE WOLVES
Northern State posted a 9-4-5 (8-1-5 NSIC) record in the 2023 season and were picked to finish seventh in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll with 129 points.
The Wolves currently sit at 2-2-2 (1-0-1 NSIC) after going 1-0-1 last week after winning against MSU Moorhead 3-0 on Friday in South Dakota before playing to a 1-1 draw at Minot State.
In non-conference play, NSU went 1-2-1 after dropping the season opener 3-0 to Drury University and then playing to a 1-1 draw with Missouri Western. They wrapped up play with a 3-1 loss at Emporia state and then a 2-0 win over familiar NSIC opponent Minnesota Duluth.
The players to watch for the Wolves are Megan Fastenau and Lauren Youngquist who have both scored two goals and one assist on the season. Youngquist has also played 503 minutes on the pitch.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP and MSUM
The two programs have met a total of 27 times dating back to October 9, 1999 with the Golden Bears holding a 20-5-2 all-time advantage. CSP got their first win over the Dragons on October 20, 2002 where Concordia won 1-0. The Golden Bears currently have a 14-game winning streak over the dragons that dates back to October 4th, 2009.
Last season, CSP won 2-0 over MSUM in a regular season contest with Belle Abruzzo assisting on both goals and Haase recording two shots.
ABOUT THE DRAGONS
MSU Moorhead posted a 3-10-5 (2-7-5 NSIC) record in the 2023 campaign and were picked to finish 14th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll with 26 points.
The Dragons currently sit at 0-5-1 (0-2 NSIC) after going 0-2 last week after falling to Northern State 3-0 and then dropping the final game of the weekend 0-4 at home versus UMary.
In non-conference play, MSUM went 0-3-1 after dropping the season opener 1-0 to UW-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin and then playing to a draw at Purdue University Northwest 0-0. The Dragons wrapped up play with back-to-back losses versus New Mexico Highlands and Nebraska Kearney by a combined 7-1 score.
The player to watch for the Dragons is Madalynn Hopkins who has scored the lone goal for Moorhead and has six shots on the season.
