MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State soccer team will return to Marshall for SMSU's homecoming week as it hosts two more NSIC matches. The Mustangs will first play No. 15 Minot State (5-1, 4-0 NSIC) on Saturday at 12 p.m., followed by a match against the University of Mary (1-4-1, 1-3 NSIC) on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. SMSU will attempt to snap a two match losing streak following a tough weekend in which the Mustangs fell at home to Concordia-St. Paul and lost on the road at Minnesota State.

OPPONENTS AT A GLANCE:
Minot State—The 15th ranked Beavers will travel to Marshall for just their second road test of the season after beginning the year 5-1 with a perfect 4-0 record thus far in conference play. Minot State has now won four consecutive matches including three consecutive one-goal decisions. Goalkeeper, Erin Rafferty, has played all but five minutes in the previous two matches and has a 3-1 on the season in net. Minot State has outscored its opponents 13-4 so far this season and has outscored opponents 7-2 in the second half of matches.

University of Mary—The Marauders snapped a five match winless streak to start the season last week with a 2-0 win over Minnesota Crookston at home. The Marauders enter this week having outshot their opponents 82-67 but have been outscored 16-6. U-Mary also holds a 41-37 advantage in shots on goal over its opponents. U-Mary has used three different goalkeepers with Hannah Smith playing the majority of the first six matches in net. Karleen Pappert made a brief appearance in goal for the Marauders in their last match against Minnesota Crookston which ended in a shutout for the U-Mary defense.

SERIES HISTORY:
U-Mary — The University of Mary currently holds a 3-11 lead in the all-time series with SMSU but the Mustangs have won two of the previous three meetings. SMSU is 2-4 all time at home and 3-7 all-time in conference matches versus U-Mary.

Minot State—SMSU is 2-4 all-time versus Minot State in a series that only dates back to the 2010 season. The Mustangs are 1-3 in conference matches against the Beavers after Minot State joined the NSIC back in 2012. SMSU currently holds a 2-1 advantage in home matches including a win in the first ever meeting.

HEAD COACH: Erin Kasmarik-Mallett is now in her second season as the head women's soccer coach at Southwest Minnesota State in 2016. She was named to the position on July 23, 215. 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. She is now in her second season with an overall coaching record of 11-14-2.

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. Despite conceding game tying goals during regulation of those two matches, the Mustangs have shown resiliency with two game winners in overtime periods so far. 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.

MISKOWIEC MAGIC: Freshman forward, Alexandra Miskowiec, has been contributing to the Mustangs' offense more and more each week scoring in two of the last three matches. Despite taking just 10 total shots, Miskowiec has made the most of her opportunities with six shots on goal and three goals on the season which is tied for the team lead. After coming off of the bench in the season opener, Miskowiec has started every match since, playing at least 80 minutes in five matches this season.

STRIKING QUICK: The Mustangs have been able to get on the scoresheet early in two matches so far this season. SMSU took an early lead over Concordia-St. Paul in just the 13th minute last Friday and also took a 1-0 lead over Sioux Falls in just the 12th minute. The fastest goal in SMSU history was scored by Miranda Cadena in 2014 just 23 seconds into a match versus Augustana.

HARTMANN HEATING UP: Junior foreward Amanda Hartmann has helped get the Mustangs' attack going all year including a beautiful ball to Alexandra Miskowiec against Concordia-St. Paul that resulted in a goal and Hartmann's first assist of the year. Hartmann has also scored three goals in the last five matches including two versus Northern State. She is tied for the team lead in goals (3), first in shots on goal (8) and is second in total shots (19). Hartmann was also responsible for delivering a corner that resulted in a goal for SMSU in its first home win of the year against Washburn.

HISTORY LESSON: Southwest Minnesota State now holds a 131-222-26 all-time record since it began competing in women's soccer in 1996. The Mustangs have a mark of 89-108-18 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition and have produced three winning seasons and one NCAA tournament appearance.

UP NEXT: Southwest Minnesota State will continue its conference schedule with two matches next week starting with Upper Iowa on the road next Friday at 3 p.m., followed by a home match against Winona State next Sunday at 1 p.m.