Winona, Minn. – Winona State University controls its own destiny entering the final game of the regular season on Sunday afternoon at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium. Kickoff against the Sioux Falls Cougars is set for 1 p.m.
A win over Sioux Falls in the finale secures the Warriors a spot in the NSIC Tournament, however WSU would need some help from around the league with a loss.
Winona State will look to build off its 5-1 all-time series advantage over the Cougars. The Warriors won the first five games in the series before dropping a 3-1 decision at Sioux Falls last year.
NOTES
SENIOR DAY: Winona State soccer will recognize its eight seniors prior to kickoff against Sioux Falls. Abby Bohanski, Shannon Brohan, MacKenzie Challoner, Chase Rehm, Addie Royer, Maggie Ruelle, Jourdan Valkner and Kirsten Windbiel have all made significant impacts on the Winona State soccer program over the last four years. The seniors have compiled a 37-31-6 record over the past four seasons, reaching the NSIC Tournament twice (2015 and 2017) and the NCAA Tournament once (2015). In 2015, the Warriors advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament after appearing in the NSIC Championship match against Augustana.
LEAVING HER MARK: Senior forward Abby Bohanski enters Sunday's finale among the all-time greats in Warrior soccer history. Bohanski ranks ninth in program history in career goals (31), is tied for third in game-winning goals (13) with former teammate Meg Riebau, and ranks 11th in total points (79). Her first half goal on Friday at SMSU stood as the game-winner as WSU kept its perfect record intact against the Mustangs (31-0-3).
PLAYOFF PUSH: With Friday's win, the Warriors put themselves in favorable position to punch their postseason ticket with another win on Sunday. WSU enters the finale tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with Northern State, who the Warriors own a tiebreaker over. When the dust settles Sunday, the Warriors could finish as high as fifth in the standings or be left out of the playoff picture all together.
TALE OF TWO HALVES: WSU opened the 2018 campaign on a high note under new head coach Matt Kellogg with a 1-0 victory at Upper Iowa in early September. Winona State then hit a bit of a skid, dropping five of their next six matches as the Warriors entered the heart of conference play. The team responded by defeating MSU-Moorhead on the final day of September which sparked a five-game winning streak spanning the next two weeks. A brief two-game skid snapped WSU's longest winning streak since 2015, but the Warriors return home for Sunday's finale riding high off a 3-0 shutout at Southwest Minnesota State.
MAKING SOME NOISE: A big component as to why Winona State has been in the conference tournament conversation is the Warriors' ability to get shots on net and make the most of those opportunities. The Warriors rank third in the NSIC in shots on goal/game (8.67) and average 1.4 goals/game. Abby Bohanski (24) and junior Courtney Wiencek (22) are the team leaders in shots on goal. Bohanski shares the team lead in goals with sophomore Melissa Greco (4) – each who score on Friday. Sixteen of Winona State's 21 goals this season have come in the second half or later, proving that the Warriors are a force to be reckoned with when the second half whistle blows.
CONSISTENCY IN THE BACKFIELD: As opposing players look to mount an attack on the Warriors, they see a familiar face staring them down. Junior Bridget Doran has gone the distance, playing every minute in 13 of the 15 matches so far this season. Her defensive pressure has helped hold opposing teams to just 91 shots on goal this season and an average of 11.7 total shots per game.
DYNAMIC DUO: Goalkeeper's Jourdan Valkner and Yanel Ortiz have been a solid pair of backstops for the Warriors this season. A true freshman, Ortiz (3-2) stepped in when the senior Valkner (4-5-1) was sidelined with an injury and made her presence known. Ortiz started her career with three straight shutout victories with her most impressive performance coming against UMD, making 11 saves en route to being named the NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week. Together, the duo has made 73 saves and tallied six shutouts.
SCOUTING SIOUX FALLS: The Cougars (5-10-2, 4-8-2 NSIC) enter the finale outside the playoff picture in the 11th position and will look to play spoiler. Sioux Falls snapped its three-game losing streak Friday with a 3-1 win at Upper Iowa. Prior to that, the Cougars had been shutout in three straight. USF has struggled to find the back of the net this season, posting a scoring average that is less than a goal/game (.88). Sophomore Lindsey Power is the Cougars top performer, leading the team in goals (4), assists (3) and points (11). Junior goalkeeper Brayden Paul has started all 17 games in net for Sioux Falls and has posted three shutouts. Her 100 saves rank fifth in the NSIC and she owns an .820 save percentage while allowing 1.34 goals/game.
