OPENING KICK
The No. 21 Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team extended its winning streak to 10 games with road victories over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston this past weekend and will look to keep things rolling at home this Saturday and Sunday versus Upper Iowa and Winona State. It will be the final home weekend for the Mustangs of the 2013 campaign as the Mustangs will begin a four-game road trip on Oct. 19. The Mustangs' final home game will be a spooky 3 p.m. mid-week slate with Wayne State on Oct. 31.
OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE
UPPER IOWA -- The Peacocks have been solid this year and currently sit in third place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate standings with their 6-1 conference record and 8-2 overall record. UIU will enter the matchup on a five-game winning streak dating back to Sept. 22. The Peacocks outscored the opponent 14-4 during the streak and shutout three straight opponents. Upper Iowa has the fifth ranked scoring offense (2.14) and fourth best defense (0.86) in the conference. The Peacocks are led by the NSIC's fourth ranked point scorer Aimee Wronski as she has collected 14 points in seven games (6 goals, 2 assists). Brian Diaz is in his first season as head coach for the Peacock soccer program.
WINONA STATE -- The Warriors began the season without a win it their first three games but came out with two ties. WSU is 6-2-2 overall and 5-2 in the NSIC. WSU's two losses within the conference came on the road versus Minot State and Upper Iowa. The Warriors are rolling as of late putting a four game winning streak together since Sept. 27. Ali Omar is in his 18th season at the helm -- a tenure that has seen 11 NSIC championships and six NSIC tournament championships. He guides a potent offense that has shot the ball 173 times but only has 16 goals to show for. The Warriors are also strong on the defensive side of the ball as the defensive uni and goalkeeper Alexandra Vial have allowed just six goals all season.
A WIN OVER UPPER IOWA WOULD...
-Be SMSU's first win over UIU since 2007
-Be SMSU's home win ov er UIU in program history
-Put the all-time series at 2-5-2 in favor of the Peacocks
-Give SMSU's
TJ Buchholz his 23rd win as head coach of the Mustangs
A WIN OVER WINONA STATE...
-Give SMSU its first ever win over Winona State (0-25-2)
RECAP: LAST WEEK
Southwest Minnesota State took two games from Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponents this season including a 4-3 comeback victory over Bemidji State on Saturday.
Miranda Cadena netted her first career hat trick in Southwest Minnesota State's 4-3 comeback victory over Bemidji State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Saturday. The Mustangs trailed 3-0 in the second half. It was the first hat trick by a Mustang since Joelle Dean's versus Sioux Falls on Sept. 14, 2004. The win was SMSU's first win over Bemidji State since 2008 and first road-win over the Beavers since 2004. With the win, SMSU extends its winning streak to nine straight and now owns a 9-0, 6-0 NSIC record. SMSU's nine wins are tied for second most in program history – the record is 11which was set by the 1999 squad.
SMSU took its lumps in the first half but the Mustangs turned it on late when SMSU would get on the board in the 57th minute as
Vanesa Corona found the back of the net on a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. The goal sparked a ferocious Mustang comeback as
Miranda Cadena would score two goals in less than two minutes to pull SMSU from 3-1 down to an even 3-3 score. The goals were Cadena's sixth and seventh goals of the season and her third two-goal game of the season.With a minutes remaining, Cadena would complete her first career hat trick and complete SMSU's 3-goal comeback when she scored early in the 89th minute.
SMSU recorded its tenth win of the season when the Mustangs defeated Minnesota Crookston 3-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Sunday. It is only the second time in program history that SMSU has recorded a 10-win season. The win also clinches SMSU' first winning-season record since 1999 and only the second in program history.
Autumn Hayes scored twice and
Miranda Cadena collected two assists in the 3-0 win over the Golden Eagles. Goalkeeper
Brienna Dehkes and the Mustang defense held the Golden Eagles in check as Dehkes made three saves on seven shots faced. The win gave Dehkes her tenth of the season and ties her for the most wins by a goalkeeper in a single season in program history. The shutout was her sixth of the season which breaks
Sonya Smith's previous mark of five shutouts for the most shutouts in a single season in program history.
