WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University Warriors kick off their NSIC campaign with a challenging weekend that includes games vs. No. 3 Minnesota State (3-0-0) on Friday night at 6 p.m. and Concordia St. Paul (3-0-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Fans are encouraged to wear white to Friday night's game.
WSU looks to rebound after a tough loss to a quality UW-Parkside team Tuesday night. The all-time series vs. Minnesota state is tied 14-14-1 with most of the success lately going to the Mavericks as they have held the Warriors without a win in the series since 2013. The Warriors have been dominant over the Cougars over the years, having a 24-4 advantage in the all-time series. Winona State looks to reclaim dominance in the USF series as the Cougars have beaten the Warriors in each of the the previous two seasons.
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SEASON 25: The 2019 campaign marks Winona State's 25th season of Warrior women's soccer. WSU entered this season with an all-time record of 325-126-31 and has reached the postseason in 21 of its 25 seasons. The Warriors have advanced to the NCAA Tournament seven times.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE: The Mavericks (3-0-0) come into Friday's matchup red hot after wins over previously No. 4-ranked Central Missouri and previously No. 1-ranked Grand Valley Sate. Mankato made the largest jump in the rankings this past week as they shot up from No. 25 to No. 3. The Mavericks return some key players from last year's squad that won the NSIC Tournament and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Redshirt Senior goalie Alexa Rabune is coming off of a season where she won 19 games and was named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team. The veteran back line of Senior Bri Ciaccio, sophomore Kelly Friedrick, and senior Taylor Kenealy have yet to give up a goal this season. The Mavericks are paced offensively by sophomore Brynn Dessens, who leads the conference with seven points on the year, tallying three goal and one assist.
SCOUTING CONCORDIA ST-PAUL: The Golden Bears (3-0-0) have gotten off to a strong start with wins over Missouri-St. Louis, UW-Parkside, and Davenport (Mich). CSP looks to improve on a 10-6-3 season last year that saw them qualify for the NSIC tournament before falling to Minnesota State in the first round. The Golden Bears are led by senior forward Leah Johnson who is tied for the NSIC lead in points (7) coming from three goals and one assist. Senior goalkeeper Jordyn Clark has been solid in the net early in the season, tallying 15 saves while yielding only two goals. CSP opens its conference slate on Friday at Upper Iowa.
YANEL IT TOWARD THE MOUNTAIN TOPS: Sophomore keeper Yanel Ortiz has been very solid in her first full season as a starter for the Warriors. She played in five games as a rookie last year and tallied three shutouts. This season, Ortiz has started and played every minute for the Warriors in goal and has made 12 saves in the process. She recorded several key saves in the final 10 minutes vs. Northern Michigan that allowed WSU to preserve a 3-2 victory.
SHOOTING STARS: The Warriors are fifth in the conference in total shots with 43 on the young season. Senior Courtney Wiencek is currently leading the way with nine on the season with freshman Jaida Wiege right behind her with six shots. Wiencek also leads the way in shots on goal (6) followed by Georgette Topalis (5).
FIREPOWER OFF THE BENCH: The Warriors are graced this season with great depth all around the field. Junior forward Georgette Topalis was a great sparkplug off the bench against Northern Michigan as her two goals helped lead to a 3-2 triumph. Freshman Ellie Wardell came off the bench against UW-Parkside to score her first collegiate goal late in the second half. Freshman forward Ashley Hewitt and sophomore defender Jamie Kwon have also logged in very high-quality minutes off the bench for the Warriors thus far.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP: Winona State has a number of seniors leading the way on their final campaign. Defender Taylor Richards, midfielder Mariah Northrop, defender Macy Miller, midfielder Kendyl Keay, defender Taylor Johnson, forward Alyssa Reynolds, forward Courtney Wiencek, and defender Bridget Doran have all been key contributors during their careers in helping keep the Warrior winning tradition going. This class has won 26 career game and looks to continue that winning trend this season with another trip to the NSIC Tournament.
