OPENING KICK

The Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team will battle Minnesota Duluth for the NCAA Central Region Championship on Friday, Nov. 22 at 2:30 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minn. The fifth seeded Mustangs will look to keep things rolling after upsetting fourth seeded Central Missouri and top seeded Minnesota State earlier in the tournament. The Mustangs defeated Minnesota Duluth earlier this season 3-0 at The Schwan Regional Event Center in Marshall -- the first victory over UMD in program history.

OPPONENT AT A GLANCE

(2) MINNESOTA DULUTH --  UMD is firing on all cylinders as of late as the Bulldogs advanced to the NSIC tournament finals by defeating Bemidji State and Winona  State but fell in a shootout to Minnesota State. UMD enters with an overall record of 16-4-1, including a loss to SMSU on Sept. 29. Maureen Stormont leads the offensive attack as she led the NSIC and is 10th in the NCAA this season in goals per game average with .842. She also ranks first in the NSIC and 11th in the NCAA in points per game with her 2.05 average. Her 16 total goals ranks her second in the NSIC and 10th in the NCAA. Greg Cane is in his 19th season as head coach of the women's soccer program.

PRE-GAME SOCIAL
The Southwest Minnesota State University Alumni Association and Athletics Department will be hosting a pre-game social at Grandma's Canal Park Restaurant in Duluth on Friday at 11:30 a.m. in preparation for SMSU's NCAA Central Region championship soccer match versus Minnesota Duluth. Grandma's Canal Park is located at 522 Lake Ave. South. All SMSU parents, alumni and fans are encouraged to attend and help cheer on the Mustangs in their first-ever appearance in the NCAA region championship match. Appetizers will be provided. For more information, call 507-537-6257.

A WIN OVER MINNESOTA DULUTH WOULD...

-Give SMSU its second defeat of UMD in program history and this season.

-Give SMSU its first ever NCAA Central Region Championship

-Advance SMSU to the NCAA Elite Eight round played on Sunday at 1 p.m.

-Give SMSU its third straight win.

-Give SMSU its 10th road victory of the season.

-(Shutout) Give SMSU its 11th shutout of the season, second of UMD this season. 

NCAA FIRST & SECOND ROUND RECAP:

Miranda Cadena recorded her fourth multiple-goal performance of the season by scoring two goals to lift No. 5 seed Southwest Minnesota State to a 3-1 victory over No. 4 seed Central Missouri in the NCAA tournament first round on Friday afternoon. The win snapped a four-game winless streak dating back to Oct. 26 versus Concordia-St. Paul.

SMSU picked the right game to defeat Minnesota State for the first time in program history – in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Morgan Weyer-Coates' goal in the 83rd minute gave the fifth seed SMSU a 2-1 victory over top-seed Minnesota State. The 2-1 win snapped MSU's 36-game home winning streak – a streak that tied for the 12th longest in NCAA Division II history. SMSU, which beat its first ranked opponent in program history on Friday with a 3-1 win over No. 14 Central Missouri, now has back-to-back victories over National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) top 25 teams.