ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (6-3-6, 5-3-4 NSIC) travels to face Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls in a pair of NSIC matchups this weekend. 
 
The Navy and Gold will begin a three-game road swing spanning the next two weekends, first facing Southwest Minnesota State (2-10-3, 2-8-2 NSIC) at 5 p.m. on Oct. 23 before taking on Sioux Falls (4-6-5, 2-5-5 NSIC) at 1 p.m. on Oct. 25. 
 
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 went 1-0-1 over the weekend, defeating Minnesota Duluth 2-0 before drawing 1-1 with Bemidji State. 

CSP celebrated Senior Day on Sunday, honoring eight seniors before the match in their final home outing of the season. 

Game One: CSP 2, MINNESOTA DULUTH 0
The win improved CSP's all-time record against Minnesota Duluth to 7-18-3, with the Golden Bears winning six of the last seven meetings. 
 
The win marked the Golden Bears' first home win since defeating Jamestown 4-1 on Sept. 13 and the fifth straight win against UMD.
 
Sophia Haase led the Navy and Gold with two goals, moving into a tie for second on CSP's single-season goals list with 12, matching Katie Anderson's total from 2023. Haase also moved into second on CSP's career goals list with 30, surpassing Rachel Vitense.
 
The Golden Bears came out firing in the first half, spending much of the opening 25 minutes in the offensive zone. Sophia Haase opened the scoring in the 10th minute, finishing a rebound after Ashley Bennett's shot hit the woodwork. Haase added her second goal later in the half, tapping in a cross from Bennett to give CSP a two-goal lead.
 
In an even first half, Minnesota Duluth held an 8-7 advantage in shots, while both teams recorded three shots on goal. UMD committed five fouls to CSP's two, and each team received a yellow card. 
 
In the second half, both teams continued to push forward as the physical play intensified. The teams played evenly, but four yellow cards were issued, along with a red card to Minnesota Duluth's Savannah Gieseke. The Golden Bears did a strong job defensively, limiting the Bulldogs' scoring opportunities.
 
CSP held strong through the physical play to secure a 2-0 victory over Minnesota Duluth.
 
Ashley Bennett recorded the assist on Haase's second goal, earning her second assist of the season and eighth of her career. The assist moved Bennett into the top 20 on CSP's career assists list. 
 
Senior goalkeeper Sydney Potter made six saves to record her seventh shutout of the season, ranking second in the NSIC in shutouts.
 
Leading the CSP defense were Maddison Balashaitis and Morgan Bilczewski, who each played at least 85 minutes. Bilczewski has now played the full 90 minutes in nine consecutive matches for the Golden Bears.
 
Four Golden Bears recorded a shot on goal, led by Haase with four. Bennett added two, while Pettit and Breanna Weilert each had one.   
 
Game Two: CSP 1, BEMIDJI STATE 1
With the draw, the Golden Bears moved to 12-15-4 all-time against the Beavers, marking their fourth draw in the all-time series .
 
Sophia Haase highlighted the day for the Golden Bears, scoring the game-tying goal on a penalty kick late in the match. With the goal, Haase tied CSP's single-season scoring record with 13 goals, matching Amanda Olsen's mark set in 2011. 
 
In the first half, both teams came out firing, as the Beavers earned three early corner kicks and had a goal called back for offsides. CSP responded minutes later by pushing the ball downfield and connecting on a nice cross to Sophia Haase, who headed the ball into the net before the goal was also ruled offsides. 
 
Both teams settled down after the early rush, heading into halftime tied 0-0. CSP held the advantage in shots, 5-3, while Bemidji State led 2-1 in shots on goal and 3-0 in corner kicks.
 
CSP opened the second half looking to find the game's first goal, with both teams battling evenly through the opening minutes. Bemidji State broke the deadlock when Sydney Sutherland worked her way through the defense and crossed the ball to Molly Burkstrand, who finished the play with a goal. 
 
The Golden Bears looked to find an answer following the goal, applying extra pressure in the offensive zone. Their aggression paid off when Mila Klostermann was tripped inside the box, earning CSP a penalty kick. 
 
Haase stepped up and buried the shot to even the score at 1-1. 
 
Both teams battled evenly in the final minutes, with neither side able to find a go-ahead goal. The two teams remained tied through the final whistle, finishing the match in a 1-1 draw. 
 
Concordia controlled the second half statistically, outshooting Bemidji State 11-3 and holding a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal and a 3-2 edge in corner kicks. 
 
The CSP offense tested the Bemidji State defense, forcing four saves and recording shots from 11 different players: Stella Nielsen, Ashley Bennett, Lexi Pettit, Sienna Latta, Sophia Haase, Jeanette Bermudez, Madeleine Thompson, Brooke Nelson, Morgan Bilczewski, Mila Klostermann and Breanna Weilert. 
 
Leading the Concordia defense was Maddison Balashaitis and Morgan Bilczewski who each recorded a 90-minute outing and allowed just three shots on goal. 
 
Starting for the Navy and Gold in the net was senior Sydney Potter, who made her 30th career start at Sea Foam Stadium. Potter made three saves in the draw to bring her season total to 57. 
 
SEASON LEADERS
Haase ranks second in the NSIC with 13 goals this season, leading the Golden Bears and tying for 10th in Division II. She also ranks second in the conference with five game-winning goals. 
 
Pettit leads the Golden Bears and is tied for third in the NSIC with five assists this season. 
 
Haase leads the team and ranks fourth in the NSIC with 51 shots. She also leads the Golden Bears and ranks third in the conference with 27 shots on goal. 
 
Maddison Balashaitis, Brooke Nelson, and Haase have each played at least 1,200 minutes this season, with Balashaitis leading the team with 1,321 minutes played. 
 
Potter leads the Golden Bears with 15 90-minute starts and ranks second in the NSIC with a 0.73 goals-against average. She ranks third in save percentage (.838), seventh in saves (57) and second in shutouts (seven). 
 
NSIC OUTLOOK
The Golden Bears currently sit eighth in the conference with a 5-3-4 record and 19 conference points.

With this weekend's results, CSP earned four conference points against two top-eight teams in the NSIC, bringing its conference total to 19 points. 

The eighth-ranked Golden Bears have three regular-season games remaining, all against teams below them in the NSIC standings: Sioux Falls (12th), Southwest Minnesota State (13th) and Winona State (15th). 
 
Minnesota State leads the NSIC with a 10-1-1 conference record and 31 points in conference play this season.    
 
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
The two programs have met 28 times, with CSP holding an 16-11-1 advantage in the all-time series. CSP has won nine straight matchups against the Mustangs.
 
Last season, Concordia-St. Paul defeated Southwest Minnesota State 6-0, with returner Ava Hopper scoring two goals, Stella Nielsen adding one and Maddison Balashaitis recording her first career goal.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Southwest Minnesota State enters the matchup with a 2-10-3 overall record and a 2-8-2 mark in NSIC play after falling 2-0 to UMary and 5-0 to Minot State. 
 
The Mustangs rank 13th in the NSIC with eight conference points. Their conference wins came against MSU Moorhead and Wayne State. 
 
Jada Backes and Karla Paredes-Nino lead the team with two goals each, while Backes and Sophia Wilson lead the team with two assists apiece. 
 
HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND SIOUX FALLS
CSP holds a 11-1-3 all-time record against the Cougars, winning back-to-back matchups.
 
Last season, Concordia-St. Paul defeated Sioux Falls on Oct. 31, 2025, with returner Sophia Haase scoring the game-winning goal in the 35th minute off an assist from Lexi Pettit. 
 
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls enters the matchup with a 4-6-5 overall record and a 2-5-5 mark in NSIC play after dropping a 1-0 decision to Minot State and a 2-1 contest against UMary last weekend. 
 
The Cougars enter the matchup ranked 12th in the NSIC with 11 conference points.

Sioux Falls has three players leading the team with five points each this season: Lily Dahler (one goal, three assists), Martine Krattley (two goals, one assist) and Chloe Wilson (two goals, one assist). 

The Cougars are led by first-year head coach Andy Janssen, who joined Sioux Falls in 2026 after serving as the associate head coach at South Dakota State.