Mark Privratsky

It feels like it's as good a time as any to be a MN womens soccer fan right now. We've got a thriving youth and semi pro culture, more and more Minnesotans going pro, and generally just so many storylines to follow. The stepping stone for taking our players from their potential and promise at the youth level to bigger and better things in the pros has historically been the college game, and this year showed that in spades. As a result of both individual player improvement, and the improvement of the programs we see Minnesotans contributing to, we saw more Minnesotans making a difference in the NCAA Tournament than at any time in recent memory. Clare Gagne and Maddie Dahlien played big parts in UNC winning another NCAA Title and quickly earned NWSL contracts with the KC Current and Seattle Reign. Khyah Harper paced a Gopher attack that ran all the way to the Sweet 16, and she too earned an NWSL deal with Gotham as result. Meanwhile Izzy Engle scored 19 goals as a Freshman to be named 2nd Team All American along with another goal scorer Kaitlyn MacBean, who earned 4th team honors after continuing her meteoric production at Penn State. We'll dig into some of the 2024 stat leaders from our year long player tracking, some of the other award winners from this past year and some of the shows that highlighted the standout Minnesotans this past year. 

It was a pleasant surprise to Equal Time followers all around last week when we saw 3 Minnesotans sign guaranteed deals in the NWSL following the 2024 college season. Minnesota is not short on pros in the women's game overall but this was something special. While we regularly check in with pros from abroad, and we've been following the recent USL Super League signings like Jenny Vetter and Katie Duong, the NWSL has been an elusive level for MN players to land.

This winter, after a hugely exciting NCAA Tournament, it was clear that our local players did not go unnoticed. Clare Gagne transferred to the historic UNC program as a grad player from Brown, where she has stood out as the top class keeper in the Ivy. She took her one year chance at UNC and turned it into a Defensive Player of the Year award, and a contract with KC Current to play the worlds first womens soccer purpose built stadium. Her teammate Maddie Dahlien had to miss chunks of the season to play for the US U-20 World Cup squad, and no matter where she played she efficiently created goals. Obviously the Seattle Reign took note and gave her an offer she could not refuse. Khyah Harper of Minnesota was scoring goals like crazy all year, and the Gophers clicked into place around her, allowing her to scoring 17 goals and earn some All American honors along the way to signing with Gotham FC off a serendipitous senior year. And a shout out to the do-it-all Gopher midfielder Sophia Boman who has a camp invite to KC with a chance to expand the Minnesotan NWSL presence, as well. 

Thanks to your help, we have tracked 124 Minnesota players in D1 this year, with all of our data being public! Feel free to dig in to the Full 2024 D1 MN Player Tracker to find hidden performers of your own, or to spot a gap in our coverage. If you have suggestions for ways to improve the tracker next year, we are all ears! We've highlighted some of the core category leaders here, but theres plenty more to see in the full google sheet!

As we wrap a busy 2024 D1 college season and take a bit of a slow down into winter, we'd like to thank all of you who donate to our coverage. Thank you to all of the players and coaches who help us tell stories around the game that we all love. We could not do this without you! Whether it's sharing our videos, subscribing to YouTube and following us on Insta, all of your support helps us grow the game together. 

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The 64 team field is set for the 2024 D1 Womens Soccer Tournament, and we've got as many good Minnesota angles as ever, with 36 players across 12 different teams. For starters, the Gophers are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in years, and even tough they dropped a tough 1-0 loss to Penn State in the opener of the Big Ten Tourney, they are set to host a game vs local Summit League power South Dakota State, who have a handful of impactful Minnesotans, per usual. We've got nation leading goal scorers like Khyah Harper (Minnesota), Izzy Engle (Notre Dame), and Kaitlyn MacBean (Penn State), along with other scary forwards like Perit Parten and Maya Hansen at Iowa. Local duo Maddie Dahlien and Clare Gagne are playing super sub and reliable keeper for the contending Tarheels, Megan Plaschko is taking one last ride with an impressive TCU squad, and the Westund sisters are coming off a run with Cal Baptist to take the WAC tournament automatic bid. We also have the tournament tested Wisconsin squad featuring Maddie Ishaug, Dara Andringa, Maddie Poor, Kenzie Jacobson and Kiya Gilliand, along with players across another handful of teams. As the Tournament kicks off Friday, November 15, we are here to provide your watch schedule and local players to track for all of the early matchups. If you want to look back on this years player performance,  dig into our FULL PLAYER TRACKER to catch up on all your MN D1 player stats up until this point. 

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits watched as their rivals NDSU springboarded them to the regular season Summit League title this year. No worries, this team has seen postseason pressure before, and this year was no easier. After needing OT to beat South Dakota 2-1 in the Summit opening round, they dispatched yet another rival in Denver, before locking up another NCAA trip with a 3-1 win over Oral Roberts in the final. Their reward? A matchup with local big dogs Minnesota who happen to be having one of their best seasons in nearly a decade. You know what? SDSU probably wouldn't have it any other way. The Gophers will look to hold off the upset minded Jackrabbits as they host an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2016. You can watch this highly anticipated game on ESPN+, Friday, Nov 15 at 6pm. Equal Time Founder Matt Privratsky will be calling the game as he has all year. Get to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium early, it is sure to sell out!

The opening weekend will feature 36 Minnesotans on 12 teams over two days, but at least they are all streamed at the same place, ESPN+. We will list the players on each team who come from Minnesota, to see all of their detailed stats, check out our full player stat tracker below. The teams that advance out of their first round matchups will play next weekend on Friday, November 22. 

While we've got an amazing 35 players in the NCAA Tournament from Minnesota, theres over 120 that have played this year, and plenty of good players who didn't make the big dance. Check out our UPDATED PLAYER TRACKER, and stay tuned for some stat based recognition once postseason play is done. 

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Author: Mark Privratsky

There are just a few games left for the Northern Sun soccer squads, and we are seeing their playoff futures  defined quickly. As the postseason draws near, we are here to breakdown where teams stand in terms of both making the NSIC playoffs, as well as NCAA chances. For MN State Mankato and St Cloud State, it's about maintaining their position and holding onto at large hopes. For Augustana, Concordia St Paul, Minot State, Bemidji State, and U Mary, they can still envision NCAA chances through a run for at large position if things go their way. Another rung of squads (Northern State, Wayne State & spoiler Winona State) is fighting to simply ensure an NSIC Tournament seed (top 8) so they can keep their dreams alive. Dig into the playoff possibilities for Northern Sun teams, find the games to watch in the last few rounds, and check out the most recent NCAA projections from Inkblot Sports in this edition of the NSIC on Equal Time!

You wouldn't expect a team who wins 9-0 (MSU Moorhead) and 4-0 (Sioux Falls) over two weekends to feel vulnerable, but MN State Mankato showed again that any game in the NSIC can be a tough one. Two days after putting up 9 on the dragons, Mankato had to settle for a 0-0 draw to Northern State at home to theoretically keep the regular season NSIC race in the air. Regardless, MN State Mankato is still undefeated in conference play, and holds a 5 point lead over St Cloud State. Consider the Mavericks a lock for the NCAAs even if they still want to win some NSIC silverware along the way. They'll play at Bemidji State this Friday at 5pm before playing in Crookston on Sunday at 1pm. St Cloud State meanwhile has taken advantage of their softer schedule in the 2nd half. After drawing Mary and Minot, they've beaten Moorhead, Northern, SW MN State, and Sioux Falls to also sit in at at large position for the NCAAs. In order to stay there they'll need to win the games you'd predict them to, versus Winona and Crookston the next two weeks, but obviously the Huskies want the playoff NSIC hardware to match last year's regular season trophy as well. 

As one of the best D2 conferences in the country, we've become accustomed to seeing 2 or 3 NSIC teams in the tourney the last few years. While MN State Mankato and St Cloud can feel a bit more safe in their at large chances (though they may not admit it), we've got a big cluster of teams who could play their way to the big dance even without winning the Northern Sun. According to our friends at Inkblot Sports, who we sourced the predicted D2 bracket from, the next 3 in the Tourney from the Central Region would be Augustana, CSP and Minot State. If they win the last few regular season games and take a couple in the NSIC tourney, they can hold real hope for an at large bid. If Bemidji State and U Mary go on their own similar runs, you could see them in the conversation for an at large bid as well. In other words, the race for the big postseason is still wide open for a ton of NSIC squads, but they need to find their rhythm fast. 

As it stands, the top 6 seeds are looking safe in their NSIC playoff chances (although Bemidji State almost drew their way into danger), but then it gets dicey. Even though Minot State is projected as an almost NCAA tourney team, they still aren't guaranteed a Northern Sun bid yet. With Minot State (7th, 18pts) and Northern State (8th, 18pts) holding the last spots with just a 2 point lead over Wayne State, your bet is as good as ours as to who will make the final 8. Wayne will have to get out of a Dakota twofer of Mary and Minot with some points, and hope Winona doesn't spoil their hopes on the last day (Nov 7). Minot faces Sioux Falls, Wayne and Moorhead, while Northern faces Auggie, SW MN State, and U Mary.