Setting the Scene: The Southwest Minnesota State (2-3-0, 1-1-0 NSIC ) soccer team hosts a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches this weekend at the Regional Event Center. On Saturday, Sept. 24, SMSU will face the University of Mary( 4-2-0, 2-0-0 NSIC) before taking on Northern State University (4-3-0, 1-1-0 NSIC ) on Sunday, Sept. 25. Saturday's game will begin at 12 p.m., while Sunday's game will kick at 1 p.m.

The Match Ups:
SMSU will be taking on University of Mary for the 10th time this Saturday. In the nine-game series against the Marauders, the Mustangs have only managed to score two goals allowing University of Mary to hold a 0-9 all-time record over SMSU. The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 26th, 2010 in Bismarck, ND resulting in a 0-1 loss for the Mustangs.

On Sunday, SMSU will match up with NSU for the 18th time. SMSU is 9-8-2 all-time against the Wolves. The Mustangs controlled the field against the Wolves from 1998-2004 winning seven out of nine games and one game resulting in a 3-3 double overtime standstill. Then, it was the Wolves turn as they dominated the field from 2005-09 winning six games in a row over the Mustangs. Last season, the game between the Wolves and the Mustangs ended with a 1-1 double overtime draw.

Last Time Out: SMSU competed on the road last weekend first to St. Cloud to take on the St. Cloud State University Huskies, then on Sunday the team traveled to Concordia University, St. Paul to battle the Golden Bears. Kelly Fitzgerald scored her second goal of the season to break the scoreless game against SCSU and give the Mustangs their first NSIC win since 2009. Then, on Sunday CU scored three first half goals to eventually beat the Mustangs 4-1. Brittany Oehlerking scored off of a penalty kick for SMSU to prevent the shutout.

Awards: Senior forward Kelly Fitzgerald is now ranked 10th all-time at SMSU for goals. Fitzgerald has scored two goals this season. The first was against Colorado Christian on Sept. 4th and the second against St. Cloud State University this past Saturday, Sept. 17. Both goals led to a tie breaking 1-0 victory for the Mustangs.

Watch us on NewMedia TV: All SMSU home soccer matches will be available via web streaming at http://nmtvsports.com

We'll Do it Live: Live statistics will be available for SMSU's conference games this weekend against University of Mary on Saturday. Click HERE for live stats for SMSU's game against the Marauders. Click HERE for live stats against the Wolves on Sunday.

Returning Veterans: SMSU returns 10 players from the 2010 roster with playing experience at SMSU. The Mustangs return a core of five seniors, including last season's leading goal scorer Kelly Fitzgerald and All-NSIC selection goalkeeper Kendra Olchefske. Brittany Oehlerking, Alyssa Lavorata, and Amber Williamson each have contributed to the Mustang soccer program during their careers. SMSU also returns three sophomores and three juniors from 2010.

California Connection: Transfer student-athlete Vanesa Corona and freshman Kailey Fernandez both call the state of California home. Corona is a transfer from Cypress College in Cypress, Calif. who scored 21 goals in two seasons at Cypress College. Fernandez comes to Marshall via Villa Park High School in Orange, Calif. She led her team in goals and was named the team's defensive MVP as a senior.

Seeing Double: Twin sister's Shayna and Sonya Smith from Anoka, Minn. join the Mustangs for their freshman season in 2011. They join a team that is no stranger to sibling connections. Current Mustang sophomore Whitney Borstad played one season with her older sister Tatum Borstad, SMSU's all-time leader in minutes played, who played with her older sister Kayla Borstad during her senior season in 2007.

What Happened in 2010: SMSU finished the 2010 season 1-11-4 overall, including 0-9-4 in NSIC play. Kelly Fitzgerald led the team scoring four goals while adding one assist for nine points on the season. Goalkeeper Kendra Olchefske was named All-NSIC third team in 2010. Olchefske finished the 2010 season ranked second in the NSIC with 8.69 saves per game.

The Coach: TJ Buchholz is in his first season as head coach at SMSU with a record of 2-3, 1-1 in NSIC play. Now in his fourth season as a women's head soccer coach, his teams are 40-18-6. Buchholz was named the fourth head coach in program history on April 19, 2011. Buchholz has nine seasons of head coaching experience at the collegiate level. He came to SMSU after spending the 2010 season as assistant women's soccer coach at NCAA Division I California-Riverside. Prior to UC-Riverside, Buchholz spent two seasons (2008-09) as the head women's and men's soccer coach at Wartburg College (Iowa) and seven seasons (2001-07) as head coach of the men's program at Northwestern College (Iowa). He also served one season as the Northwestern head women's soccer coach (2007). His career head coaching record in men's soccer is 99-69-7 in nine seasons.

According to the Coaches: Southwest Minnesota State was picked to finish 14th in the NSIC preseason poll in 2011. Winona State was picked as the preseason favorite for the second consecutive season.

1. Winona State (12) 168
2. Minnesota Duluth (1) 146
3. Minnesota State (1) 141
4. Augustana 122
5. University of Mary 115
6. Bemidji State 111
7. St. Cloud State 102
8. Upper Iowa 92
9. Wayne State 80
10. Northern State 62
11.Concordia-St. Paul 53
12. Minnesota, Crookston 31
13. MSU Moorhead 29
14. SMSU 22

History Lesson: 2011 marks the 16th season of women's college soccer at Southwest Minnesota State. SMSU owns an all-time record of 84-179-19, including 51-76-12 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.

Stay Connected: Stay connected with SMSU soccer all season long at www.smsumustangs.com The Mustangs are also on Facebook and Twitter.

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