WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University football team will open the home portion of their 2023 schedule on Saturday, Sept. 9 against Concordia University, St. Paul. The Warriors and Golden Bears will kick off at 1 p.m. on Maxwell Field in Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium with both teams looking to go 1-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) action.
Last season,
Brian Bergstrom became one of just a handful of head coaches at all NCAA levels to lead his team to the postseason in his first year, as the 2022 Warrior squad earned the program's seventh NCAA post-season bid after going 8-3 in the regular season. WSU bowed out to Bemidji State in the NCAA playoff first round, but several Warriors earned several impressive individual accolades due to Bergstrom's efforts, including
Mitch Snitker (NSIC Britton Award), three Don Hansen All-Americans (
Payton Dachel,
Jaylen Schleicher,
Clay Schueffner), and
Carter Duxbury (NSIC Glen Galligan Award).
The NSIC opener at Winona State also marks the first Warrior Game Day Experience of the 2023 season. Learn more about Minnesota's best college tailgate experience
at this link.
On Saturday, Winona State will be looking to rebound from a season-opening loss to Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Michigan last week. SVSU defeated Winona State 34-24 in the first-ever matchup between the two schools in the NCAA Division II era. Both Winona State and Saginaw Valley State were in the 'Receiving Votes' section of the 2023 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Preseason Poll to start the season.
Against Concordia, St. Paul, the Winona State faithful will be looking for a Warrior program to maintain its recent form against the Golden Bears. WSU has defeated CSP 18 of the past 22 games between the schools.
A slow start stymied Winona State at Saginaw Valley State last week; the Warriors were down 27-0 before
Cole Stenstrom connected with
Kaleb Skelly for a 22-yard touchdown as the first half expired.
In contrast, WSU has a history of fast starts against Concordia, St. Paul, as well as impressive final point totals. In 2021, the last time the two faced off, Winona State saw running back Javian Roebuck score on a 69-yard run in the first quarter of the game to spark a rout of the Golden Bears, 47-6. WSU has scored 35 or more points against CSP seven times in the past 13 matchups.
Winona State – Concordia, St. Paul Notables
- Saturday's match between the Golden Bears and Warriors will be the NSIC opener for both teams.
- Concordia St. Paul enters Saturday's contest with a 1-0 record, having beaten Upper Iowa, 43-20 in Week 1. The win was CSP's first season-opening win since 2017.
- In a battle of two teams found in the AFCA DII Coaches Preseason Poll, WSU fell to Saginaw Valley State 34-24 the opening week.
- With Upper Iowa leaving the NSIC this fall, the 2023 season marks the first year since 2011 that Winona State has a non-NSIC opponent on its schedule.
- Winona State will compete in a single-division NSIC football season in 2023. The league scrapped the two-division alignment with the departure of Upper Iowa.
- Winona State has an 8-2 record over CSP in their last ten meetings. The Warriors have won 18 of the last 22 matchups.
- Saturday's contest marks the first time in 20 years CSP sits above Winona State in the NSIC standings at the time of their matchup.
- Winona State outscored SVSU in the second half last week, 17-7. CSP tallied 20 second-half points against Upper Iowa.
- CSP's Payton Eue, a Northern State transfer, missed two PAT's vs. Upper Iowa. WSU's Jacob Scott has not missed a kick this year.
That's a Stat!
Winona State's
Tristan Root is believed to be the only NCAA Division II player in the past ten years to recover a blocked punt for a touchdown and successfully punt in the same game when WSU beat MSU Moorhead 40-7 on Sept. 24, 2023.
That's a stat, too!
Winona State's
Clay Schueffner notched double-digit tackles at SVSU (14), marking the fourth time in five games has tallied ten or more, dating back to Oct. 29
th of last year.
Golden Bear bits
Head coach: Shannon Currier, 12th season at CSP.
Top offensive CSP performances last week: Jaylin Richardson, 108 yards rushing on 16 carries, 2 TD's; Daniel Hornacek, 100 yards on 10 carries, 1 TD; QB Connor Cordts, 21-of-30 for 191 yards, 2 TD's.
Top defensive CSP performances last week: Jawon Carr, 8 tackles; Cyrus McClure, 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble.
Last Season: The Golden Bears struggled out of the gate, losing ten in a row before winning the season finale, 19-11 vs. Minot State.
CSP defensive notables: This week, CSP is 4th in the NSIC in points allowed (20.0).
CSP offensive notables: After one week of play, CSP is 4th in the league in points scored (43.0).
Location, Location, Location: Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium, Winona, Minn.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words:
Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
