ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's soccer team (0-0-1) will wrap up its nonconference schedule on the road, facing the Rangers of Parkside on Friday before taking on the Lakers of Roosevelt on Sunday. 

The Navy and Gold will play two games this weekend, first traveling to Kenosha, Wis., to take on Parkside at 1 p.m. on Sept. 4, followed by a trip to Arlington Heights, Ill., to take on Roosevelt at noon on Sept. 6. 

RECAP OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears opened their 2026 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Ferris State on Saturday. 

Saturday's match marked Concordia's first draw in a season opener since tying Rockhurst (Mo.) 1-1 on Aug. 25, 2022.  

Game One: CSP 1, Ferris State 1
The matchup marked the first meeting in program history between the Golden Bears and the Bulldogs.

Stella Nielsen highlighted the Golden Bears' performance, scoring the lone goal for CSP's first goal of the season, knotting the game late in the second half. Nielsen's three shots on goal accounted for all of CSP's shots on goal in the match. 

In the first half, Ferris State controlled the play and prevented the CSP offense from gaining possession. The Bulldogs capitalized on the momentum when Haley Buckman converted a penalty kick in the 42nd minute to take a 1-0 lead.  

Ferris State held a 6-5 shot advantage at halftime, while CSP committed seven fouls to the Bulldogs' three. Ferris State also held a 2-0 advantage in corner kicks. 

The Navy and Gold came out of halftime looking to find the back of the net for the first time this season. It was a back-and-forth battle until Stella Nielsen scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute, finishing a scramble in front of the net to tie the match at 1-1. Brooke Nelson delivered the free kick, which was redirected by Maddison Balashaitis before Nielsen finished the play. 

Ferris State continued to pressure the Golden Bears' defense, keeping them on their toes. Both teams' defenses turned on the bright lights and stopped everything coming their way to end the game in a 1-1 draw.  

CSP held a slight shot advantage 12-11 and took three shots on goal on the day while holding the Bulldogs to just two shots on goal.  

Leading the CSP defense were Maddison Balashaitis and Brooke Nelson, who each played 90-minute outings and earned assists on CSP's lone goal. 

Senior goalkeeper Sydney Potter made her 32nd career start in net, recording one save to bring her career total to 108 saves. 

Freshman Madeleine Thompson appeared in her first career match and made her first start for the Golden Bears on defense. Thompson played 86 minutes for CSP as a crucial anchor of the defense.  

SEASON LEADERS
Nielsen leads the Golden Bears with the lone goal on the season. Both Balashaitis and Nelson each have one assist.

Pettit leads the team in total shots with four while Nielsen leads in shots on goal with three. 

Balashaitis, Nelson, Haase, Weilert and Potter each played all 90 minutes against Ferris State. 

Potter leads the goalkeepers with one 90-minute start and one save on the season. 

HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND PARKSIDE
The two programs have met a total of nine times with the Rangers holding a 6-2-1 all-time advantage. 

Last season, Concordia-St. Paul defeated the Rangers 4-0 at Sea Foam Stadium. Returners Ashley Bennett, Sophia Haase and Stella Nielsen each scored a goal in the victory.  

ABOUT THE RANGERS
Parkside posted a 10-8-2 (9-4-1 GLIAC) record in 2025, finishing third in the GLIAC and advancing to the GLIAC Tournament semifinals. 

The Rangers were picked fourth in the GLIAC preseason poll, receiving 57 points. The fourth-place selection comes one year after Parkside was picked eighth among nine teams before putting together its best season in nearly a decade. 

Parkside enters the matchup with a 2-0 (0-0 GLIAC) record after defeating Winona State 4-1 and Lewis 4-2 in their first two matches of the season. 

Kate Brown and Mary Leininger lead the Rangers' offensive attack so far this season. Brown has two goals and two assists, while Leininger has a team-high three goals. 

The player to watch for the Rangers is Ava Rizzitano, who has two goals and one assist so far this season. She leads the returning group after tying for the team lead with six goals and totaling 15 points as a sophomore. Rizzitano recorded 50 shots, the third-most in the GLIAC, and finished among the conference's top 10 in points. 

HISTORY BETWEEN CSP AND ROOSEVELT
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. 

ABOUT THE LAKERS
Roosevelt posted a 5-12-1 (3-10-1 GLIAC) record in 2025, finishing eighth in the GLIAC.

The Lakers were picked ninth in the GLIAC preseason poll, receiving 17 points. The Lakers are replacing their four-year starter at goalie as well as their leading scorer.

Roosevelt enters the matchup with a 0-0-2 (0-0 GLIAC) record after drawing with Upper Iowa 2-2 and Jamestown 1-1. 

Dyami Arias, Bella Perry and Regina Rosales have each scored a goal this season, leading the Lakers' scoring charge.

Daisy Garcia will be the player to watch for the Lakers after scoring five goals and recording four assists a year ago. Mackenzie Alvarez also anchors a backline that features three seniors. Alvarez was a two-time all-conference selection at the NAIA level and will be joined on defense by seniors Peyton Connelly and Alex Creel, both of whom have played at least 40 career games for the Lakers.