THIS WEEK
-The Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team (3-8-1 overall, 2-7-1 NSIC) hits the road facing No. 11 Bemidji State at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22, and Minnesota Crookston at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 24.
LAST WEEK
-The Mustangs split a pair of weekend home matches, defeating MSU Moorhead 2-0 on Friday before dropping a 2-0 decision against Northern State on Sunday
-On Friday, Abbey Hoisington led the charge for the Mustangs, netting both goals en route to victory. Julianne Arballo collected her first win of the season, playing 71 minutes in place of an injured Meghan Harkin.
-On Sunday, Northern State would score a pair of goals within two minutes to secure the victory. SMSU would outshoot NSU 12-9, while putting seven shots on goal compared to the five of Northern State.
SERIES HISTORY
-SMSU is 11-10-4 all-time against Bemidji State, with the first meeting coming in 1996.
-Their last meeting came in 2019, when a 1-1 halftime score would drift in favor of the Beavers, who would net a pair of goals in the second half to win 3-1.
-SMSU is 20-3-1 all-time against Minnesota Crookston, with their first match coming in 1997
-Their last meeting came on Oct. 4, 2019, when the Mustangs scored two goals in each half to come out with a 4-0 victory.
ERIN KASMARIK-MALLETT FILES
-Erin Kasmarik-Mallett, the fifth head coach in Mustang history, enters her seventh season leading the Mustangs, and her sixth season of competition.
-Kasmarik-Mallett has compiled a career record of 33-64-4 overall, including 29-53-3 in conference play.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
-This past weekend saw 12 freshmen get action for the Mustangs, including seven in the starting XI's.
-True freshman Julianne Arballo recorded her first action of the season, playing 71 minutes and recording the win on Friday.
-True freshman Kirsten Wetterstrom led the team with 6 shots on the weekend, including four on goal.
-Destinee Lopez started on Sunday, recording two shots and a shot on goal for the Mustangs offense.
-The 2021 season has seen 15 freshmen get action for the Mustangs, with ten tallying starts.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
-The Mustangs are 2-7-1 to start conference play
-Alex Lotts leads the team offensively, scoring three goals and dishing three assists for the Mustangs on the season.
-Abbey Hoisington has also helped shoulder the offensive load, leading the team with four goals while having a team-high 16 shots on net.
-Katie Oatman has held down the defense this season, leading the team in minutes and has taken five shots, including a pair of shots on goal.
-Meghan Harkin has started every game in net for the SMSU, giving 1.30 goals against per game.
ON THE HORIZON
-SMSU hosts Concordia-St. Paul at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29, before traveling to Mankato to face Minnesota State at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31.
SCOUTING BEMIDJI STATE
-Jim Stone is in his 20th season as head women's soccer coach at Bemidji State.
-BSU has started the season 11-0-2 and is 8-0-2 in the NSIC after tying Winona State on the road on Friday, and winning 4-2 at Upper Iowa on Sunday.
-BSU was picked to finish fourth in the NSIC preseason coaches poll
-BSU is lead by Sara Wendt, whose 14 goals ranks fourth in the country and leads the NSIC.
-Junior Alyssa Stumbaugh is 9-0-1 in goal for BSU, giving up seven goals while recording four shutouts.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
-Kyle Halfpop is in his third season at the helm of the Minnesota Crookston soccer program.
-UMC has started the season 1-11 and 1-8 in the conference after dropping a 3-0 match against Upper Iowa on Friday before falling 6-0 to Winona State on Sunday.
-UMC was picked to finish 16th in the NSIC preseason coaches poll
-UMC is led by Abby Fettinger, who has tallied a goal on 17 shots, including shots on goal for the Golden Eagles.
-Sophomore Abby Olsen has started every game between the pipes for UMC, making 113 saves in 12 games while recording a shutout.
2021 Outlook
-SMSU returns two of their top three scorers from 2019 in Abbey Hoisington and Alex Lotts, with Katie Oatman and Jessica Jugovich also scoring goals in 2019.
-SMSU was voted ninth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll
-Abbey Hoisington and Katie Oatman were named NSIC Players to Watch.
SMSU PICKED 9TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
-SMSU was voted ninth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll
-Abbey Hoisington and Katie Oatman were named NSIC Players to Watch
-Minnesota State was picked to top the conference, with Augustana, Concordia-St. Paul, Bemidji State, and St Cloud State rounding out the top five.
REWINDING TO 2019
-SMSU is coming off one of its best seasons in recent years in 2019, finishing with an 11-7 overall record, including 9-6 NSIC.
-It was the program's first winning season since 2014 and also qualified for the NSIC Tournament for the first time since 2015.
-Abbey Hoisington returns after collecting All-NSIC second team.
SMSU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
-SMSU's lone NCAA Tournament appearance was made in 2013.
-SMSU is 2-1 in the NCAA tournament all time, outscoring teams by a score of 5-4.
SEASON OPENERS
-SMSU is 5-19 all-time in season openers following this season's 1-0 victory on the road against Black Hills State.
SMSU ALL-TIME IN THE NSIC
-The 2021 campaign marks the 24th season SMSU has competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
-SMSU has an all-time record of 108-152-19 in 279 conference games, finishing with a winning conference record in nine seasons.
MUSTANG HISTORY
-Southwest Minnesota State is in its 26th season of soccer in 2021 and 25th season of competition.
-SMSU has played 456 games compiling an all-time record of 153-275-28.
-SMSU?has made 14 NSIC tournaments, and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in 2013.
-SMSU has recorded four winning seasons in program history
