MARSHALL, Minn.- The Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team opens the 2012 regular season at home Friday, Aug. 31, vs. Nebraska-Kearney beginning at 3 p.m. at the Regional Event Center. The Mustangs will go on the road for a non-conference match-up against the Huskies of St. Cloud State on Monday, Sept. 3, starting at 1 p.m.

We'll do it live: Live statistics will be available for both the Nebraska-Kearney and St. Cloud State games. Fans can also watch SMSU take on Nebraska-Kearney online via web streaming.

Nebraska-Kearney vs. SMSU       |        SMSU vs. St. Cloud State
LIVE STATS | VIDEO                    |                    LIVE STATS

All SMSU home soccer matches will be available via web streaming HERE

Opponents at a glance: Nebraska-Kearney finished the 2011 season 5-12-1 overall including 3-10-1 in the RMAC. The Lopers bring back 17 letter winners, including seven starters but will be without leading goal scorer Raleigh Mercer. Senior keeper Marissa Niday returns after playing every minute of every game last season.
Opponents at a glance: St. Cloud State finished the 2011 season 11-8-2 overall including 7-5-1 in the NSIC. The Huskies' record was good enough for a 4th place finish within the conference. The Huskies went on to advance to the NSIC Conference Title Game but fell to Minnesota State. St. Cloud St. returns 14 letter winners from last season including junior goalkeeper Kenzi Hanzlik, who recorded nine shutouts in 2011

Series History vs. UNK:
Nebraska-Kearney and SMSU will square-off in the first ever game featuring the two programs … series tied 0-0

Series history vs. SCSU:
SMSU will play St. Cloud State for the 18th time in school history. The Mustangs are coming off a victory over the Huskies as they defeated SCSU 1-0 at Husky Stadium last season. The win snapped SMSU's 14-game NSIC winless streak. In the game, the Mustangs only managed three shots on goal, but made good on one off the foot of Kelly Fitzgerald in the 26th minute. Before the 2011 victory, it had been since Sept. 26, 2004 that SMSU had defeated St. Cloud; the two teams tied in 2006 ... SCSU leads series 13-3-1

What returns in 2012: Vanessa Corona returns for her senior season, she is the lone senior on the young Mustang squad. Last season, Corona scored three goals while adding an assist for seven points. Junior Whitney Borstad brings veteran presence to the squad as she has played 33 games in just two seasons. Kailey Fernandez, Autumn Hayes, Shayna Smith, Sonya Smith and Kayla Williams return for their sophomore seasons.

SMSU's Autumn Hayes and Sonya Smith were both named 'Players to Watch' in the NSIC for the 2012 season.

Golden pipeline: The 2012 squad will feature eight incoming players hailing from the state of California. Of the 26 players on the roster, 10 players are from The Golden State.

Breakdown by state:                              
Arizona             1
California         10
Colorado          1
Iowa                 1
Minnesota        9
South Dakota   2
Texas               1
Wisconsin        1

Breakdown by class:
Senior             1
Junior              2
Sophomore     7
Freshman       16

Fresh faces: A total of 16 freshmen faces enter the Mustang soccer program along with three transfer student-athletes in 2012. 

According to the coaches: The Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team was picked to finish 11th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' poll. SMSU received 74 points, while Minnesota State earned 221 points and 11 first-place votes in being named the preseason favorite.

1. Minnesota State (11)      221
2. Winona State (5)            212
3. Minnesota Duluth           191
4. St. Cloud State               166
5. Augustana                      165
6. Bemidji State                  151
7. U-Mary                            148
8. Upper Iowa                      129
9. Concordia-St. Paul           118
10. Minot State                      99
11. SMSU                              74
12. MSU Moorhead               71
13. Wayne State                    53
14. Sioux Falls                       52
15. Northern State                 51
16. Minnesota, Crookston     19

What happened in 2011: SMSU finished the 2011 season 5-11-1 overall, including 4-8-1 in NSIC play. Kelly Fitzgerald led the team in scoring with six goals while adding two assists for 14 points. Goalkeeper Sonya Smith was named All-NSIC second-team after starting 16 of 17 games as a true freshman. Smith recorded 178 saves in 2011 and also set an SMSU record for highest save percentage in a single-season. Smith ranked first in the NSIC and second in the nation with a 10.47 saves per game average. Smith also recorded four shutouts en route to a 5-10-1 record.  After just one season, Smith currently ranks third all-time in SMSU history with four shutouts. The Mustangs finished 11th in the NSIC standings and did not qualify for the conference tournament.

History lesson: 2012 marks the 17th season of Mustang women's soccer at Southwest Minnesota State. SMSU owns an all-time record of 87-187-20, including 54-83-13 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