ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team is set to kick off the 2026 campaign at home against the Ferris State Bulldogs followed by a pair of nonconference games against Parkside and Roosevelt.

First kick will take place against the Bulldogs on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 1 p.m at Sea Foam Stadium in St. Paul, Minn. The nonconference schedule will wrap-up on the road with Parkside on Friday, Sept. 4 at 1 p.m and Roosevelt on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 1 pm. 
 
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
New this season, Midco Sports Plus will power the NSIC Network and serve as the centralized home for all Golden Bears and NSIC digital content, delivering exclusive live and on-demand streaming coverage of all 16 member schools. 

Fans can subscribe to Midco Sports Plus and gain access to a comprehensive lineup of NSIC contests. All home regular season conference and non-conference contests will be available exclusively through a monthly or annual subscription. NSIC championships will also be streamed on Midco Sports Plus, giving fans even more ways to follow their favorite teams throughout the season. The Midco Sports Plus app is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.

DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics. 

PRESEASON UPDATE
With a strong camp in the books, the Golden Bears look to hit the ground running and pick up where they left off.

When asked about the team's preseason status, Head Coach Steve Bellis stated, "It's been good so far." Belis added, "We have a good team culture and good team chemistry already. Our leaders on the team have done a good job with that kind of stuff."


During fall camp, the Golden Bears participated in three scrimmages against a competitive CSP Alumni team, Macalester and Saint Benedict.

When asked about the team's preseason scrimmage against the CSP alumni, Coach Bellis stated, "The alumni team was kind of stacked. It had a lot of recent grads and players who were part of our NCAA runs." Bellis added, "The matchup was a good test for us, and I thought we did really well with the group that we had. I don't remember the score, but we scored quite a few goals and they didn't score any. That's usually a good sign." 

The team has also had lots of chances to participate in team bonding activities to build a stronger cohesive team bond heading into the season with activities like camping, pickleball, demolition derbies, county fairs and movies.

"The team bonding stuff has been great. I think it's important to not just focus on soccer and make sure that we're giving them different activities off campus, particularly so they can get to know each other and start to come together as a team." 
 
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The Golden Bears will begin the season with three nonconference games, starting with their season opener against Ferris State at Sea Foam Stadium on Aug. 29. 

Concordia will meet the Bulldogs for the first time in program history in the matchup. 

On the season-opener against the Bulldogs, Coach Bellis stated, ""I think we'll play a good brand of soccer, so it should be a really good test to see where we're at offensively and defensively. Our scout will be minimal based on the timing; however, we love to see what we can do rather than worry about what they're going to do."

The Golden Bears will then face Parkside for the 10th time in program history in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Last season, Concordia-St. Paul defeated the Rangers 4-0 at Sea Foam Stadium. Returners Ashley Bennett, Sophia Haase and Stella Nielson each scored a goal in the victory. 

CSP will wrap up the nonconference schedule with a road matchup against the Roosevelt Lakers. The Navy and Gold will face the Lakers for the first time in program history. 

When asked about the away matchups, Bellis said, "If we can come away with two wins on the road in the first weekend away, I think that would be massive. We've played Parkside several times over the last few years, and it's usually a good matchup. Parkside is a physical team, and they had a really good season last year, so we're looking forward to that one." Bellis added, "Similar to Ferris State, we have never played each other. We'll do some fun stuff in Chicago as well, but the focus will be on getting road results."
 
NSIC PREVIEW
The Golden Bears are coming off a 12-3-5 season (9-3-3 NSIC) in which they finished second in the NSIC and advanced to the NSIC Tournament semifinals. 
The NSIC coaches voted the Navy and Gold to finish second in the conference poll with 204 points right behind Minnesota State with 223 points. 

Bellis on the Preseason Coaches' Poll: "I don't really read into it too much. It's all about what we do on game day and what actually happens, as opposed to people's opinions." 
CSP will open conference play at home against Northern State on Sept. 11. The Golden Bears defeated the Wolves 2-1 in their most recent matchup last season in Aberdeen.

Talking about the quality of the competition within the conference, Bellis stated, "The NSIC gets stronger every year, there's been a few new coaches this year who will bring another level. Every single team in our conference will be a challenge in different ways, whether it's tactically or physically or or just technically better teams." Bellis added, "I personally think the conference is one of the strongest in the country. We've shown that when we've played Division I teams, and a lot of other NSIC teams have done the same. We know the conference will be strong, so to be successful this year, we need to be at our very best in every NSIC game. 
CSP soccer will conclude conference play on the road against Winona State on Oct. 29. The Golden Bears defeated the Warriors 3-1 on Concordia's Senior Day last season. 
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Forward Sophia Haase returns to the pitch after a dominant junior season where she led the Golden Bears with 10 goals and 22 points while leading the NSIC with 84 shots, 47 shots on goal, and six game-winning goals, helping Concordia-St. Paul advance to the NSIC Tournament semifinals. Haase also became the first student-athlete in program history to earn CSC Academic All-American honors in consecutive seasons, receiving second-team recognition in 2025 after earning third-team honors in 2024.  
 
Bellis on Haase: "Sophia Haase is a captain, goal scorer, creator and absolute competitor. There aren't many who want to compete as much as Haase."
 
Defender Maddison Balashaitis enters her sophomore year after a strong defensive season for the Navy and Gold as a freshman. Balashaitis was named Concordia-St. Paul's Defensive Player to Watch after starting 17 of 20 matches as a freshman last season. She anchored the Golden Bears' defense and earned NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 3 after scoring her first collegiate goal and helping hold Southwest Minnesota State to five shots in a 6-0 shutout.  
 
Bellis on Balashaitis: "Maddison Balashaitis is strong, and she's a sophomore now, so she knows the league a little bit. She'll be a good leader for us at the back. She has a strong voice, can play with both feet and has a good soccer IQ. 
 
Goalkeeper Sydney Potter returns for her senior year as one of the most experienced keepers in the conference. Last season, Potter earned United Soccer Coaches All-Central Region Second Team honors, All-NSIC First Team honors, CSC Academic All-District and NSIC Academic Team of Excellence honors. In 2024, she was named to the D2CCA All-America Second Team, D2CCA All-Central Region First Team, NSIC All-Tournament Team and All-NSIC First Team while earning NSIC Goalkeeper of the Year honors. 
 
Forward Brooke Nelson looks to continue her early success after being named to the All-NSIC First Team. She started all 20 games in her freshman campaign for the Golden Bears and was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 6 after tallying three goals over the weekend. 
 
Bellis on Nelson: "Brooke Nelson has been excellent in preseason and she's a player that's going to set the league on fire this year."
 
NEWCOMERS
The Golden Bears will add in 10 incoming freshmen and three transfers to the roster for the 2026 season. 

When asked about the team's newcomers, Coach Bellis said, "The freshmen have been brilliant. They've all come in really good shape and have shown great attitudes and game understanding. Two freshmen finished first and second in our fitness test, so they've really embraced our summer workouts and expectations. I think they'll fit into the group really well and challenge for starting spots quickly." 

Bellis on recruiting: "We recruited well, and a lot of it comes down to assistant coach Stuart Trench and what we do in recruiting. Stuart and I recruit really hard, and I think it's shown in this crop of incoming players."

FINAL WORDS FROM COACH BELLIS
"After the World Cup was here this summer, there's been a renewed buzz for soccer, particularly women's soccer. I'd urge all our students, faculty and staff to come out and watch us play and enjoy the game. Soccer is fun to watch. It's end to end, high-tempo and high-energy. Let's fill out the foam and make it a good experience for everybody."