ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (5-1-1, 2-1-1 NSIC) will look to a new week ahead where they will travel to face the Wildcats of Wayne State and the Vikings of Augustana.
Action will begin with the Wildcats on Friday afternoon in Wayne, Neb. at the WSC Soccer Field with a 3 p.m. kick-off. The Golden Bears will be off Saturday before heading to face the Vikings on Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D. at Morstad Field. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.
With a win this weekend, head coach Steve Bellis will earn his 120th career win at the helm of the Navy and Gold.
RECAP OF THE WEEK
Game One: Minot 1, CSP 0
After starting the game with six straight shots, a CSP miscue in the 28th-minute let Minot get on the board early.
The Golden Bears and Beavers went back and forth exchanging fouls late in the first half to send the game to halftime.
In the second half, the Navy and Gold were hungry to find the net, once again outshooting Minot 9-4 and holding a 2-0 corner kick advantage.
With one minute remaining, the fate of the Golden Bears rested on a corner kick that landed straight in front of the goal but was kicked clear out of the scoring area by a Minot defender to hand CSP their first loss of the season.
Concordia held the final shot advantage 19-7, marking their highest shot total of the season. The Navy and Gold also held a 4-2 corner kick advantage and forced the Minot defense to make seven saves.
Game Two: CSP 1, UMary 1
Nicole Moore highlighted the Golden Bears play, scoring the lone goal to mark her team-leading third goal of the season.
In the first half, UMary was firing on all cylinders and not letting the CSP offense take control of the ball. After six shots by the Marauders, the Navy and Gold were able to take the reins and rifle off nine shots of their own.
The Golden Bears held a 10-7 shot advantage after the first half but were unable to capitalize on a scoring chance and looked to regroup in the break.
Coming out from halftime, CSP was looking for their first score of the day, stopping every attempt for the Marauders to steal possession and forcing their way down the field.
In the 53rd-minute, Moore got the pass from Lexi Pettit and sent her shot riffling across the net to put the Golden Bears on the board 1-0.
It was a back-and-forth effort from both teams going forward with both teams looking to add a goal to the scoreboard.
The Marauders scored the equalizer at the 75th-minute to put the pressure on the Navy and Gold.
Both teams' defenses turned on the bright lights and stopped anything coming their way to end the game in a 1-1 draw.
The draw marked the first of the season for Concordia and the first draw since the NSIC semifinals last season.
SEASON LEADERS
Nicole Moore and Sophia Haase both lead the team in goals (3) with Moore leading the team in total points with seven. The duo's three goals ranks third in the NSIC.
Ashley Bennett and Lexi Pettit each have tallied two assists to share the top spot.
Haase has a commanding lead on the team with 21 shots with nine coming on goal. Her total shots rank fifth in the NSIC.
Sydney Potter has seen six starts in the net where she has recorded a team-leading 14 saves and has a 4-1-1 record.
As a team, the Golden Bears rank second in the NSIC in shots with 111.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND WSC
The two programs have met a total of 29 times dating back to October 2, 1999. The Navy and Gold currently hold a 18-9-2 all-time record over the Wildcats.
Since 2016, Concordia has held a 7-1-1 record including last season's 3-2 home victory over the Wildcats. Haase led the win with a pair of goals.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Wayne State posted a (7-7-5, 6-4-4 NSIC) record in the 2024 season where they fell in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals to #7 Minnesota State by a score of 2-0. It was their second trip to the NSIC Tournament since the 2006 season and first since 2019.
WSC was picked to finish ninth in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 116 points right behind Minot State.
The Wildcats currently sit at (4-0-3, 3-0-1 NSIC) after playing to a 1-1 draw with Minnesota Duluth on Friday and earning a 1-0 win over Bemidji on Sunday.
The player to watch for Wayne State is senior forward Paige Pemberton who has scored a team-leading three goals while rifling off 17 shots. Last season, Pemberton was named to the All-NSIC Second Team for the second-straight season after recording five goals and four assists.
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND AUGGIE
The two programs have met a total of 19 times dating back to August 27, 2005. The Vikings currently hold a commanding 14-3-2 all-time record over the Golden Bears.
Last season, Concordia lost 2-1 in Sioux Falls, S.D. The two teams were tied with one second left when the Vikings were able to score a buzzer-beater game-winner to mark a heart-breaker for the Golden Bears.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Augustana posted a (10-5-4, 9-2-3) record in the 2024 season where they fell in the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals 1-0 to Minot State after finishing right behind Concordia in the regular-season final standings.
The Auggies were picked to finish fifth in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 186 points right behind St. Cloud State.
The Vikings currently sit at (5-0-2, 3-0-1) after playing to a scoreless draw on Friday against Bemidji and then topping Minnesota Duluth 3-0 on Sunday.
The player to watch for Augustana is junior forward Madelyn White who has scored an NSIC leading seven goals and 15 points. White posted a hat-trick this weekend in the win over UMD and has been an offensive weapon for the Vikings. Last season, she was named All-NSIC First-Team after leading the Vikings with four goals and seven assists.
