ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (9-3-3, 6-3-3 NSIC) is set to host their final home weekend of the regular-season, facing the Cougars of Sioux Falls and the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota at Sea Foam Stadium.
Action will begin on Friday at 7 p.m. against the Cougars and conclude with the Mustangs on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Golden Bears currently sit at sixth in the NSIC standings with three games left to play in the regular-season.
RECAP OF THE WEEK
Game One: BSU 1, CSP 1
In the first half, both teams found themselves taking corner kick opportunities early. The Beavers would rifle off three kicks before losing possession to the Golden Bears. Four quick opportunities for CSP would not be enough to create a scoring opportunity.
Bemidji would go on to hold three more corner kick opportunities and seven shots but all opportunities would be shot down by a decisive Concordia defense.
In the second half, both teams would create equal chances, each taking two corner kicks and tallying two shots. With 20-minutes of play left on the board, it would be the Beavers who would capitalize first. Dayna Stocke would score the eventual game-winner after a CSP corner kick turned the ball over and the BSU offense would march down the field.
The Golden Bears struggled to find their offensive rhythm, recording just one final shot to suffer their third loss of the season.
Game Two: CSP 1, UMD 0
In the first half, both teams exchanged a series of shots before the Navy and Gold found the net. In the 25th-minute of play, Snapko found herself taking a free kick that riffled right past the UMD goalkeeper to get CSP on the board first.
The goal would mark the eventual game-winner. The Bulldogs with their backs against the wall, lost some composure and tallied three yellow cards in a row to round out the first half.
CSP held the first half shot advantage 8-4 while each team took two corner kick attempts.
In the second half, it was the Golden Bears that worked to keep offensive pressure, notching 20 shots to the Bulldogs two.
Sophomore Sophia Haase was a force to be reckoned with on the pitch in the second half of play, finding herself with the ball at each given opportunity while recording six of her seven shots in the game.
SEASON LEADERS
Sophia Haase has continued her dominant season on the pitch, ranking third in the NSIC in total shots (54), third in shots on goal (30), T-4th in goals (7) and second in game-winning goals (4).
Her four game-winning goals rank 16th in NCAA Division II.
Freshman Brooke Nelson ranks second on the team in points with nine after tallying four goals and one assist thus far.
Lexi Pettit continues to lead the squad in assists with three which ranks T-3rd in the NSIC.
Goalkeeper Sydney Potter has now seen 12 starts where she has recorded 35 saves to produce a 7-3-3 record.
Leading the defense is Belle Abruzzo and Clare Snapko who each have over 12500-minutes on the pitch and have notched a combined nine points for the Navy and Gold.
As a team, the Golden Bears rank second in the NSIC in both shots (251) and shots on goal (126).
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
The first NCAA Women's soccer regional rankings have been released and the Golden Bears appeared under consideration in the Central Region. In the first release, the teams are listed by alphabetical order with the first numerical rankings to be released next week.
This is the Navy and Gold's third time in the regional rankings and second consecutive season in which they appear. They made their first appearance in 2019, where they won the NSIC Regular-Season Title and made their first NCAA appearance in program-history.
Last season, CSP earned their first time back on the list since 2019 and went on to make their second NCAA Tournament appearance.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND USF
The two programs have met a total of 14 times dating back to September 16, 2000. Concordia holds the all-time record 10-1-3 over Sioux Falls.
Last season, the Golden Bears took a 2-0 victory over the Cougars at Sea Foam Stadium led by Sydney Manthana and Brittany Bordson who were graduating seniors on last year's squad. Haase and Snapko both recorded assists in the win.
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls posted a (2-15-1, 2-11-1 NSIC) record in the 2024 season and were picked to finish 13th in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, tied with Jamestown with 59 points.
USF currently sits at (6-7-2, 4-6-2 NSIC) after losing a close game 3-2 against UMary on Friday and playing to a 1-1 draw with Minot on Sunday.
The player to watch for the Cougars is Addison Van Zee who leads the team with an impressive eight goals and 16 points. Van Zee has been a game changer for the USF offense this season and has asserted herself quickly as a player to watch in the NSIC.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND SMSU
The two programs have met a total of 27 times dating back to October 2, 1999. CSP currently holds a 15-11-1 all-time record. Since 2016, the Golden Bears have won eight straight games over the Mustangs.
Last season, the Navy and Gold won 1-0 over SMSU at Sea Foam Stadium led by a game-winner from Sophia Haase.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Southwest Minnesota State posted a (2-14-2, 2-10-2 NSIC) record in the 2024 season and were picked to finish 12th in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 64 points. They finished right ahead of Sioux Falls and Jamestown.
SMSU currently sits at (2-13-0, 1-11-0 NSIC) after losing their last eight games by a combined 25-1.
The player to watch for the Mustangs is Brooke Wetterstrom who leads the team with three goals. Wetterstrom was an All-NSIC Second-Team member in 2023 and has recorded 19 points in the Mustang uniform.
