THIS WEEK

-The Southwest Minnesota State University soccer team (2-5-1 overall, 1-4-1 NSIC) opens up homecoming on Friday, Oct. 8, facing Wayne State (2-6-1, 2-4), before hosting Augustana (4-3-2, 3-1-2) on Sunday, Oct. 10.

-Kickoff for Friday is set for 3 p.m., while kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.

    LAST WEEK

-The Mustangs collected their first points of the conference season, scoring a 0-0 draw against St. Cloud State on Friday before defeating Minnesota Duluth 2-1 on Sunday

-On Friday, SMSU would be out-shot 23-2, while going without a shot on goal en route to a 0-0 tie. Meghan Harkin stopped all five shots faced in her second clean sheet of the season.

-The Mustangs would score a season-high two goals on Sunday, with Abbey Hoisington scoring in the first minute and Kirsten Wetterstrom netting the second goal in the 11th minute. 

-Alex Lotts served as the offensive catalyst, assisting on both Mustang goals

-UMD would cut the lead in half in the 65th minute, before a penalty kick save by Harkin in the 76th minute would help lead the Mustangs to victory.

    SERIES HISTORY

-SMSU is 16-10-3 all-time against Wayne State, with the first meeting coming in 1997.

-Their last meeting came in 2019, when the Mustangs scored three second half goals to give them a 3-0 victory.

-SMSU is 4-18-1 all-time against Augustana, with their first match coming in 2000

-Their last meeting came on Nov. 13, 2019, when the Mustangs dropped a 3-1 decision in the first round of the NSIC tournament. 

    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 32-61-4 overall, including 28-50-3 in conference play.

    BETWEEN THE POSTS

-SMSU redshirt freshman Meghan Harkin has started every game in net for the young Mustangs club, recording nine saves and a clean sheet over the weekend. 

-Harkin has given up 0.96 goals per game, while averaging 4.25 saves a match.

    YOUTH MOVEMENT

-This past weekend saw 11 freshmen get action for the Mustangs, including six in the starting XI's.

-Redshirt Meghan Harkin recorded 4.5 saves a match in two games.

-True freshman Kirsten Wetterstrom tallied her first career goal on Sunday, which would turn out to be the game winner,  while starting a passing clinic to help set up the first goal in a 2-1 victory against Minnesota Duluth. 

-True freshman Laney Brill Picked up her first career start on Sunday, playing 38 minutes and passing into the assist of the first goal. Brill also played a season-high 70 minutes in Friday's 0-0 tie against St. Cloud State.

-The 2021 season has seen 13 freshmen get action for the Mustangs, with ten tallying starts.

    ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE   

-The Mustangs are 1-4-1 to start conference play

-Alex Lotts leads the team offensively, scoring two goals and dishing two assists for the Mustangs on the season.

-Abbey Hoisington has also helped shoulder the offensive load, tying the team lead with two goals and having a team-high 10 shots on net.

-Katie Oatman has held down the defense this season, playing nearly every minute and taking four shots, including a pair of shots on goal.

-Meghan Harkin has started every game in net for the SMSU, giving up less than one goal against per game. 

    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. 

    ON THE HORIZON

-SMSU prepare for homecoming, facing Wayne State at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8, and Augustana at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10 at the Schwan Regional Event Center. 

    SCOUTING WAYNE STATE

-Emily Hester is in her first season as head women's soccer coach at Wayne State College, named the 10th coach in program history on February 23rd.

-WSC has started the season 2-6-1 and is 2-4 in the NSIC after a weekend split on the road, defeating Minnesota Crookston 2-0 before falling to Bemidji State 4-1 on Sunday.

-WSC was picked to finish eighth in the NSIC preseason coaches poll

-WSC is lead by Payton Haliburton, who has scored two goals and two assists, while only taking nine shots. 

-Sophomore Katherine Hageman has started seven of nine games in net for WSC, giving up seven goals while making 26 saves.

    SCOUTING Augustana

-Brandon Barkus has been the Head Soccer Coach at Augustana since 2006, compiling a record of 155-99-28, six NCAA tournament appearances and one NSIC tournament championship.

-AUGIE has started the season 4-3-2 and 3-1-2 in the conference after dropping a 2-0 match against Bemidji State on Friday before defeating Minnesota Crookston 9-0 on Sunday.

-AUGIE was picked to finish second in the NSIC preseason coaches poll

-AUGIE is lead by Alexis Legg, who has tallied four goals and two assists on eight shots on goal for the Vikings.

-Sophomore Jillian Barkus has started every game between the pipes for AUGIE, making 37 saves in nine games while giving up 1.06 goals per game.

    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 106-149-19 in 272 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 445 games compiling an all-time record of 151-272-27. 

-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