With three weekends left in the regular season, Winona State looks to use the momentum built as of late to propel the Warriors into the NSIC Playoffs. Winona State enters the last leg of its four-game homestand riding a season-best three-game winning streak with recent wins over MSU Moorhead, Augustana and Wayne State. The Warriors' current winning streak is its longest since a four-game stretch in October 2015. WSU's last five-game streak came during the 2014 campaign which also featured an eight-game streak.
NOTES
HOMECOMING RECAP: The Warrior soccer team provided great bookends to what proved to be an exciting Homecoming Weekend on campus. Friday afternoon, WSU battled back from an early first half deficit against Augustana to defeat the Vikings in overtime, 2-1.
Melissa Greco tied the match for the Warriors on a free kick shortly after halftime and
Addie Royer provided the fireworks as she gave Winona State the victory with an overtime goal. Sunday was all about the Warrior youth. Freshman goalkeeper,
Yanel Ortiz, saw her first action in net against Wayne State and walked away with her first victory and shutout in a Warrior uniform. Freshman
Riley Harmon collected her first career goal on Sunday which proved to be the game-winner as WSU went on to defeat the Wildcats, 2-0.
FIRING SQUAD: It's no surprise the Warriors are starting to see the fruits of their labor in the scoring column in recent weeks. Winona State ranks second in the NSIC in shots on goal per game (10.3). The Warriors are also third in total shots on goal (103). A big factor in WSU finding themselves near the top of the list is due to the production of
Abby Bohanski(16),
Georgette Topalis(10) and
Courtney Wiencek(20). The trio has combined for 46 of the team's 103 shots on goal. Also contributing to the Warrior's offensive pressure is
Melissa Greco(9) and
Addie Royer(8). On the flip side, the WSU defense has only allowed 57 shots on goal this season.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Senior
Jourdan Valkner has been tested in her return to the net for the Warriors this season. The keeper earned her second shutout victory of the season two weeks ago while making seven saves against MSU-Moorhead. The senior has compiled a .764 save percentage so far this season limiting opponents to 1.41 goals per game.
PLAYOFF PUSH:Winona State currently holds a 4-4-1 conference record and has 13 points. The Warriors are tied for sixth with a host of NSIC teams that includes Friday's opponent UMD. WSU is currently ahead of the pace as the Warriors were picked to finish eighth in the NSIC at the beginning of the year. After a hiatus in 2016, WSU made the playoffs last season but fell to Bemidji State in the first round. As the Warriors look to close out the 2018 season, their sights are set on another playoff appearance.
SCOUTING UMD:The Bulldogs arrive in Winona Friday night with a 5-6-1 (4-4-1 NSIC) record. UMD, like Winona State, swept their opponents last weekend and recorded two 2-0 shutouts. Minnesota Duluth has had a knack for shutouts this season. All five of the Bulldogs' victories have come via the shutout. Four of those have come with goalkeeper Sisley Ng in net. The goalkeeper boasts a .843 save percentage. UMD shares the wealth on the offensive side of the ball, as Nan Glinsek (3), Julia Osborne (2) and Natalie St. Martin (2) are each multi-goal performers this season. Glinsek is on a bit of a hot streak, scoring back-to-back game winners last weekend.
SCOUTING SCSU:The Huskies enter the weekend with two reigning NSIC Player of the Week recipients. Forward Hannah Marion scored all three SCSU goals in the team's win's over MSU-Moorhead and Northern State this past weekend. Goalkeeper Zoe Welsh added two shutouts to her season total (3) with the victories as well. Marion currently sits in fourth position in the conference with seven goals on the season. SCSU (5-4-3, 5-2-2 NSIC) sits alone in fourth place in the NSIC with 17 points.
