MARSHALL, Minn.– The Southwest Minnesota State soccer team (5-8-1, 4-6-1 NSIC) continues NSIC play this Saturday and Sunday with a pair of road matches. The Mustangs will first play Bemidji State (10-4, 8-3 NSIC) on Saturday at 1 p.m., before taking on Minnesota Crookston (2-11-1, 1-9-1 NSIC) on Sunday afternoon starting at 1 p.m. SMSU snapped a two match losing streak when they drew with St. Cloud State last Saturday and follwed up with a 4-1 win over Minnesota Duluth on Sunday.

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE:
Bemidji State— The Beavers have won three of thier previous four matches and are coming off of a 3-0 defeat of Wayne State this past Sunday. BSU is outscoring its opponents 35-12 this season and hold a 208-164 advantage in shot attempts. Bayley Ertl leads BSU in scoring with nine goals on the year and also leads the team with 20 shots on goal. Goalkeepers Catherine Arneson and Anna Fobbe have both split time in net for the Beavers this season. Fobbe has appeared in eight games and started seven with 20 saves, seven goals against, and three shutouts. Arneson has 37 saves while allowing just five goals against in six starts including a shutout in Bemidji State's victory over Wayne State last weekend.

Minnesota Crookston— UMC will host the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday afternoon before facing SMSU on Sunday as they attempt to break a nine match winless streak. The Golden Eagles have been outscored 25-6 by opponents this year and have surrendered 118 shots on goal.

SERIES HISTORY: 
Bemidji State— SMSU leads the all-time series 11-6-4 and is 6-5 in away games dating back to 1996 when the Mustangs' defeated BSU for its first ever win in program history in Bemidji. BSU won last year's meeting 6-2 at home.

Minnesota Crookston– SMSU leads the all-time series 17-2-1 and has won the previous four contests by a combined score of 11-1. The Mustangs are 9-1-1 all-time in games played in Crookston with their only road loss coming back in 2003.

HEAD COACH: Erin Kasmarik-Mallett is in her second season as head coach at Southwest Minnesota State and has an overall record of 13-17-3, including 12-12-2 in NSIC play. She was named to the position on July 23, 2015. Kasmarik-Mallet, the fifth women's soccer head coach at SMSU, posted the most wins (8) for a first-year head coach in the program's history in 2015.

HARTMANN LEADING THE WAY: Junior Amanda Hartmann leads the team with five goals and 14 shots on goal. She is also tied for the team lead in assists (3). Freshman Alexandra Miskowiec is tied for second on the squad with four goals and has tested goalkeepers with 11 shots on goal off of just 18 total shots, while junior Emily Huddleston also has four goals in addition to three assists.  

SECOND HALF BLUES: Southwest Minnesota State has struggled in the second half this season when it comes to scoring. SMSU has been outscored 14-7 in the second half, compared to being outscored 15-12 in the first half.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: The Mustangs netted their second most goals of the year in their 4-1 voctory over UMD on Oct. 16. In the win over UMD, SMSU hit the target with a season high 14 shots on goal. SMSU broke out of a scoreless streak in a big way in a 5-1 victory over U-Mary on Oct. 2. After suffering back-to-back shutouts versus Minnesota State and Minot State, SMSU scored a season-high five goals versus the Marauders. It was the first time SMSU scored five goals in a match since defeating St. Cloud State, 5-1 on Oct. 4, 2014.

MUSTANGS IN EXTRA TIME: Southwest Minnesota State is 2-0 in overtime matches this season following its 3-2 victory in extra time over Northern State on Sept. 18. Despite conceding game tying goals during regulation of those two matches, the Mustangs have shown resiliency with two game winners in overtime periods. This season now marks the first time the Mustangs have won multiple overtime matches since the 2006 season. SMSU has never posted three overtime wins in the program's 20-year history.

FOUR MUSTANGS RECORD NUMBER 1: A total of four different Mustangs scored their first goals of the season in a victory over U-Mary on Oct. 2. Emily Hofmann, Morgan Weyer-Coates, Morgan Darner and Sarah Keppler all reached the back of the net to lead SMSU to the 5-1 win.

STRIKING QUICK: The Mustangs have been able to get on the scoresheet early in four matches this season. SMSU took early 1-0 leads over Minnesota Duluth in the 13th minute on Oct. 16, Concordia-St. Paul in the 13th minute on Sept. 23, and also scored first versus Sioux Falls in the 12th minute on Sept. 9. SMSU scored in the eighth minute in the win over U-Mary on Oct. 2. The fastest goal in SMSU history was scored by Miranda Cadena in 2014 just 23 seconds versus Augustana.

HISTORY LESSON: Southwest Minnesota State holds a 133-225-27 all-time record since it began competing in women's soccer in 1996. The Mustangs have a mark of 91-111-19 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition and have produced three winning seasons and one NCAA tournament appearance.

UP NEXT: Southwest Minnesota State will conclude its 2016 NSIC schedule next weekend at Augustana on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., followed by Senior Day at home versus Wayne State on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 1 p.m.