MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State soccer team (3-0) travels to North Dakota for a pair of NSIC games this weekend. On Saturday, Sept. 15, at 1 p.m., SMSU will play University of Mary (1-2) in Bismarck, N.D., followed by a 1 p.m. game vs. Minot State (2-1-1) on Sunday, Sept. 16 in Minot, N.D. FREE VIDEO STREAM
All home SMSU soccer games this season will be streamed live on New MediaTV.

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OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE
University of Mary (1-2, 1-0) is coming off a 1-0 NSIC win over Minot State on Sunday, Sept. 2. The two non-conference losses were at the hands of Southwest Baptist and No. 7 Central Missouri. The Marauders finished tied for fourth in the NSIC last season and have never finished lower than fifth place. Former head coach Levi Evans left the program this offseason to take a position at NCAA Division I University of Wyoming. U-Mary's assistant coach for the past three season and former Marauders All-American Sarah McNulty takes over as head coach. Michelle Jones and Ashley Akers, who were named 2012 NSIC Preseason Offensive and Defensive “Players to Watch” are back for their senior seasons. U-Mary returns six starters, 11 letter winners and three other All-NSIC performers. The Marauders have come out of the gates slow as they have only scored one goal all season, the goal coming in overtime in the 1-0 victory over Minot State. Alex Bachman-Williams leads the Marauders with eight shots but has failed to put the ball in the net so far this year.

Minot State (2-1-1, 0-1) is coming off a 1-0 NSIC loss to the University of Mary. The Beavers played No. 7 Central Missouri tough in the season opener as they forced a 0-0 tie. Minot State is entering its first season as a member of the NSIC, the Beavers finished the 2011 season with a 10-8 record. Minot State has scored eight goals so far this season with seven coming in one game against MSU Moorhead. Zoe Fisher leads the Beaver offensive attack as she leads the NSIC in goals with five so far this season. Fisher, a sophomore from Cambridgeshire, England leads the NSIC in shots, shots per game, points, points per game, goals, goals per game, and game-winning goals.

SERIES HISTORY
VS. U-MARY – SMSU trails series 1-9. SMSU is coming off its first win over the University of Mary in school history with a 2-1 victory last season at the Regional Event Center.  Before the 2011 loss, the Marauders won nine straight dating back to 1997. In the nine victories, U-Mary has out-scored SMSU 24-2.

VS. MINOT STATE – series is tied 1-1. SMSU played Minot State twice in the 2010 season with each team winning at home. The 2-1 OT win against MISU was the only win SMSU recorded that season. The Mustangs played in six overtime games that season with two coming against Minot State.

HIGH-FLYING OFFENSE
SMSU's nine goals and 3.0 goal average per game ranks them atop the NSIC statistics. SMSU has racked up 23 (9g, 5a) points in just three games, putting them only behind Minnesota State (24) for the top spot.

BLANKED
SMSU's 3-0 victory over the University of Sioux Falls marked goalkeeper Sonya Smith's second shutout of the season, sixth career. The shutout moved Smith into second place on SMSU's all-time shutout list; only Lora Moldenhauer has had more shutouts with 13. The win also moved Smith into a tie for fourth on SMSU's all-time wins list with eight.

LUCKY NUMBER THREE
SMSU is 3-0 on the season and has scored three goals in each win. 

FRESH FACES
A total of 16 freshmen faces entered the Mustang soccer program along with three transfer student-athletes in 2012. 12 of 16 freshmen have logged playing time already this season.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Freshmen, Miranda Cadena, Kendahl Fisher, Lauren Douglas, Megan Kilroy, and Danica Requejo have started all three games for SMSU. Four other freshmen have started for SMSU, with eight others in total logging minutes. In the game vs. University of Sioux Falls, head coach TJ Buchholz started seven freshman, and four sophomores.

GOLDEN PIPELINE
The 2012 squad features eight players hailing from the state of California. Of the 26 players on the roster, 10 players are from The Golden State.

LAST WEEK'S RECAP
SMSU opened Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with a 3-0 victory over the University of Sioux Falls on Friday, Sept. 7 at the Regional Event Center in Marshall.
Sonya Smith recorded her sixth career shutout, while recording two saves in the game. Kendahl Fisher, Lauren Douglas and Autumn Hayes all scored goals to provide the offense for the Mustangs.

SMSU struck first early in the game, with Kendahl Fisher scoring in the 12th minute of the first half. SMSU took the 1-0 lead into half and came out fast in the second half with a Lauren Douglas goal in the 51st minute. Megan Kilroy placed the corner kick perfectly for Douglas to head it in for her first career goal.

It was a physical contest between the Cougars and the Mustangs, as four yellow cards in total were handed out. SMSU took advantage of a penalty kick in the 88th minute as Autumn Hayes converted on the try for her first goal of the season. With the victory, SMSU improved to 3-0 overall, 1-0 in the NSIC while USF dropped to 0-3 overall, 0-1 in the NSIC.

HISTORY LESSON
SMSU is seeking its first 2-0 start in NSIC play in school-history. In 2011, SMSU won its first conference game of the season for the first time ever.

2012 marks the 17th season of Mustang women's soccer at Southwest Minnesota State. SMSU owns an all-time record of 90-187-20, including 55-83-13 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.