ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (8-2-3, 5-2-3 NSIC) is set for a northern road trip to take on the Beavers of Bemidji State and Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth this weekend, the team will look to move up in the conference standings with the end of the regular season on the horizon.
Action will begin on Friday at 5 p.m. against the Beavers in Bemidji, Minn. at Chet Anderson Stadium. The team will then head to Duluth, Minn. to take on the Bulldogs at James S. Malosky Stadium on Sunday at 12 p.m.
The Golden Bears currently sit at fifth in the NSIC standings with five games left to play in the regular-season. This weekend's pair of road games will be the final travel games of regular-season with the final three games taking place at home.
RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears are coming off a 0-1-1 weekend that saw them fall to No. 3 Minnesota State in a tight 1-0 game and play to a competitive draw with St. Cloud State 1-1.
Game One: MSU 1, CSP 0
Concordia got off to a fast start, recording six quick shots to set the tone for what would be a physical battle.
The Mavericks responded to the quick CSP offense with five shots of their own, before the Navy and Gold would head to the corner for their first corner kick opportunity of the game. The kick was quickly headed out of offensive territory by Minnesota State.
Coming out from halftime, both squads picked up the pace right where they left off. The Golden Bears would serve two straight corner kicks, both being placed out of the offensive zone before Minnesota State would quickly run down the field and fire off two fast shots of their own.
Heading into the final 20 minutes of play, neither side looked ready to give in while both teams traded possession.
In the 78th-minute a CSP miscue in the penalty box gave the Mavericks a penalty kick opportunity. Anna Van Wyngarden scored a perfect shot to the upper left of the net to get MSU on the board.
The CSP offense forced MSU to make a season-high six saves, marking a full two saves more than any other opponent thus far while the defense held the Mavericks to their lowest goal total since Sept. 12.
Game Two: CSP 1, SCSU 1
Lexi Pettit highlighted the game for the Golden Bears, scoring her first goal of the season to ignite the Navy and Gold's offense. Pettit now has seven points to record a career-high.
In the first half, it was the Huskies who found their offensive effort first, scoring a goal in the 11th-minute to take an early lead.
Both teams traded possessions before the Golden Bears found their groove and knotted the score on Pettit's goal. She was assisted on the play by Sophia Haase and Clare Snapko.
From here on out, it was the race for possession. Both teams traded shots, but were unable to capitalize on a scoring opportunity to end the half.
In the second half, each team riffled off four shots to try and create chances for their squad but neither could find the net to end the game in a draw.
The three ties for Concordia at this point in the season are a program-low since 2021.
SEASON LEADERS
Sophia Haase currently ranks third in the NSIC in total shots (47), T-3rd in shots on goal (26), fourth in goals (7), second in game-winning goals (4) and fifth in points (15).
Her four game-winning goals rank 11th in NCAA Division II.
Lexi Pettit leads the team with three assists and her seven points put her T-3rd for the Golden Bears.
Sydney Potter has now seen 10 starts where she has tallied 27 saves and produced a 6-2-3 record.
On the defense, Belle Abruzzo leads the team in minutes on the pitch with 1075-minutes while also tallying three points.
As a team, the Golden Bears lead the NSIC in total shots (228) and shots on goal (114). In the NCAA Division II rankings, CSP is 17th in shots on goal per game with 8.77.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND BSU
The two programs have met a total of 29 times dating back to October 17, 1999. The Beavers currently hold a slight all-time advantage of 14-12-3 over the Golden Bears.
Last season, the two teams met once in the regular-season and once in the post-season.
In the regular-season, Concordia took a 2-1 win in Bemidji led by goals from Lexi Pettit and Sydney Manthana who was named All-NSIC First-Team in her senior season.
Both teams then faced each other just one week later in the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals where CSP got the 1-0 win to advance in the tournament. Sophia Haase scored the game-winning goal to advance her squad.
Since 2022, the Navy and Gold have produced a 3-0-1 record against the Beavers.
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Bemidji State posted a (9-7-3, 7-4-3 NSIC) record in the 2024 season where they fell to CSP in the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals.
The Beavers were picked to finish third in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 177 points, right behind Concordia.
BSU currently sits at (8-2-3, 6-1-3 NSIC) after a 2-0 win over UMC on Friday and a dominant 8-0 victory over MSUM on Sunday.
The player to watch for the Beavers is reigning NSIC Offensive Player of the Year Katrina Barthelt who leads the team with 10 goals. Barthelt has been the key component of Bemidji's success while tallying a NSIC leading 51 shots and 29 shots on goal.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND UMD
The two programs have met a total of 26 times dating back to October 19, 1999. UMD holds a commanding 18-5-3 all-time record.
Since 2015, the Golden Bears have held a 5-1-3 record when facing the Bulldogs.
Last season, Concordia won the match up 4-0, led by a pair of goals from Clare Snapko and a game-winning goal from Ashley Bennett.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Minnesota Duluth posted a (2-12-3, 2-9-3 NSIC) record in the 2024 season where they missed the NSIC Tournament.
The Bulldogs were picked to finish 11th in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 83 points, behind Winona State.
UMD currently sits at (5-5-3, 4-4-2 NSIC) after going 2-0 last weekend. Topping both MSUM and UMC by a combined 5-1.
The player to watch for the Bulldogs is senior Elaina Shromoff who leads the team with six goals. Shromoff has also accumulated 13 shots on goal and 19 total shots.
