ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (5-3-5, 4-3-3) will play its final home games of the season this weekend, facing the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth on Friday before taking on the Beavers of Bemidji State on Sunday. 
 
The Navy and Gold will compete in their final homestand of the season at Sea Foam Stadium, first facing Minnesota Duluth (7-4-2, 6-3-1) at 6 p.m. on Oct. 16 before taking on Bemidji State (6-3-4, 5-2-3) at 1 p.m. on Oct. 18. 
 
PURCHASE TICKETS IN ADVANCE ONLINE 
Fans are highly encouraged to purchase tickets online at cspbears.com/tickets prior to game day. All ticketed events for the 26-27 academic year will utilize the Vivenue online ticket platform found at that link and fans must scan a mobile ticket to enter. Tickets will still be sold on site on game day but purchases are card-only and include additional fees. The best way for fans to make their game day entry as smooth as possible is to purchase tickets online in advance. CSP Students, Faculty and Staff will be able to download their free passes through Vivenue.  
 
WATCH ONLINE - MIDCO SPORTS PLUS
Starting with the 2026-27 season, Concordia and the NSIC will call Midco Sports Plus the streaming home for the NSIC Network. Midco Sports Plus, a regional cable provider primarily based in North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Minnesota, features an expanded variety of online sports coverage.
 
The NSIC Network will be part of a subscription service with annual access plans starting at under 7permonthforthefullyear(79/year) or a monthly service for $15, which includes NSIC coverage as well as Summit League coverage.
 
Concordia's home broadcasts will continue to feature multiple cameras with instant replay, along with commentary from St. Paul-native Dan Flanagan, a graduate of Fordham University (N.Y.), where he covered multiple NCAA Division I sports teams on campus for the Rams, including football and basketball in the Patriot League. Flanagan has been the broadcast voice of the Golden Bears for nearly 20 years and called multiple national, regional, and conference championships.
 
For more information, view the NSIC's press release announcing the Midco Sports Plus partnership: https://cspbears.com/news/2 
 
RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears dropped two matches over the weekend, falling 4-0 to No. 7 Minnesota State and 1-0 to St. Cloud State.

The weekend marked CSP's first 0-2 stretch in NSIC play this season and its first home loss of the year at Sea Foam Stadium, falling to St. Cloud State.

Game One: CSP 0, #7 MINNESOTA STATE 4
CSP fell to 2-24-2 all-time against Minnesota State, with the Golden Bears' last win over the Mavericks coming on Nov. 6, 2023. 
 
CSP opened the match looking to upset No. 7 Minnesota State, but the Mavericks struck early to take control. Amara Smith opened the scoring in the 15th minute off an assist from Mila Rustin. Just over a minute later, Rustin found the back of the net off an assist from Smith to double the lead. Maddix Archer scored the third goal in the 22nd minute off Smith's second assist of the half to give Minnesota State a 3-0 advantage. Despite the deficit, the Golden Bears continued to create a few solid scoring opportunities of their own.
 
In the second half, CSP looked to bounce back and cut into Minnesota State's three-goal lead. The Golden Bears pushed to get on the scoreboard multiple times throughout the half, but Anna Stromberg scored in the 82nd minute to extend the Mavericks' lead to 4-0.
 
The Golden Bears continued to push until the final whistle but ultimately fell 4-0.
 
The game was relatively even in statistics, with Minnesota State holding an 18-16 advantage. The Mavericks recorded a 9-6 edge in shots on goal, while CSP goalkeeper Sydney Potter made five saves.
 
Sophia Haase led the Golden Bears with five shots, including two shots on goal in the loss.
 
Leading the CSP defense were Maddison Balashaitis and Morgan Bilczewski, who each played the full 90 minutes. The match marked Bilczewski's seventh consecutive full 90-minute outing.
 
Game Two: CSP 0, ST. CLOUD STATE 1
The loss moves the Golden Bears to 6-12-8 all-time against the Huskies, with their last win against SCSU coming on Oct. 17, 2021. 

In the first half, Concordia-St. Paul and St. Cloud State competed evenly for possession and scoring opportunities. The Huskies held a 12-9 advantage in shots and a 4-3 edge in corner kicks, putting pressure on the Golden Bears' defense. Sydney Potter recorded three saves to keep the Huskies off the scoreboard as CSP's defense held strong. Both teams entered halftime tied 0-0.
 
In the second half, both teams continued to push forward in search of the opening goal, creating scoring opportunities and putting pressure on the opposing defenses. Neither side was able to capitalize until Linsey Trapino broke free from the CSP defense and found herself one-on-one with goalkeeper Sydney Potter before chipping the ball over her to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the 80th minute.
 
Following the goal, CSP increased the pressure and forced SCSU into a yellow card in the 90th minute. However, the Golden Bears were unable to generate any quality scoring chances down the stretch, ultimately falling 1-0. 
 
Senior goalkeeper Sydney Potter made her 13th start of the season, recording four saves to bring her season total to 48, ranking fourth in the NSIC. 
 
Leading the CSP defense were Maddison Balashaitis and Morgan Bilczewski, who each played the full 90 minutes. Balashaitis has now recorded a team-high 10 full-match outings this season. 
 
Seven different Golden Bears recorded a shot on goal, including Maddison Balashaitis, Lexi Pettit, Sophia Haase, Jeanette Bermudez, Madeleine Thompson, Brooke Nelson and Ava Hopper.   
 
SEASON LEADERS
Haase ranks second in the NSIC with 10 goals this season, which also leads the Golden Bears and ranks tied for 13th in Division II. She is also tied for second in the conference with four game-winning goals.
 
Pettit leads the Golden Bears and is tied for first in the NSIC with five assists this season.
 
Pettit leads the team and is tied for fourth in the NSIC with 45 shots. She also leads the team and is tied for third in the conference with 22 shots on goal. 
 
Maddison Balashaitis, Brooke Nelson, and Haase have each played at least 1,000 minutes this season, with Balashaitis leading the team with 1,144 minutes played. 
 
Potter leads the Golden Bears with 13 90-minute starts and ranks second in the NSIC with a 0.77 goals-against average. She ranks third in save percentage (.828), seventh in saves (48) and second in shutouts (six). 
 
NSIC OUTLOOK
The Golden Bears currently sit eighth in the conference with a 4-3-3 record and 15 conference points.
 
CSP has two more key opportunities this weekend against Minnesota Duluth, which ranks fourth in the conference, and Bemidji State, which sits sixth. 
 
The Golden Bears rank second in the conference in both total assists (19) and shots (229). 
 
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND MINNESOTA DULUTH
The two programs have met 27 times, with Minnesota Duluth holding an 18-6-3 advantage in the all-time series. CSP has won five of the last six matchups.
 
Last season, Concordia-St. Paul defeated Minnesota Duluth 1-0, limiting the Bulldogs to six shots while goalkeeper Sydney Potter recorded three saves.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Minnesota Duluth enters the matchup with a 7-4-2 overall record and a 6-3-1 mark in NSIC play after falling 1-0 to MSU Moorhead and defeating Minnesota Crookston 5-1 last weekend. 

The Bulldogs rank fourth in the NSIC with 19 conference points. Minnesota Duluth handed conference-leading Minnesota State its first loss of the season, earning a 3-0 victory.

Minnesota Duluth has had 12 different goal scorers this season, led by Lauren McGough Smith with six goals and Nora Helvig with four. 
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Edy Halverson was named NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 5 after recording four saves in Minnesota Duluth's 3-0 win over No. 7 Minnesota State. The shutout was her fifth of the season, and she has contributed to all six of the Bulldogs' shutouts. 
 
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND BEMIDJI STATE
CSP holds a 12-15-3 all-time record against the Beavers, winning two of the last three meetings. 
 
Last season, Concordia-St. Paul fell 1-0 to Bemidji State on Oct. 24, 2025, with returner Dayna Stocke scoring the game-winning goal in the 71st minute. 
 
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Bemidji State enters the matchup with a 6-4-3 overall record and a 5-2-3 mark in NSIC play after earning a 1-1 tie against Minnesota Crookston and a 3-0 win over MSU Moorhead. 
 
The Beavers enter the matchup ranked sixth in the NSIC with 18 conference points.

Bemidji State has six players with multiple goals this season, led by Madisen Fritel with three goals.

The Beavers have used four goalies this season, with Payton Kropp making five starts, Rozlyn Buettner four, Emma Marzean three and Ana Steadman one. Steadman made her first start in the team's most recent match, recording a shutout with five saves against MSU Moorhead.