Welcome back to NSIC in MN, where we cover the amazing division 2 talent at the Northern Sun Conference schools of Minnesota. Expect a biweekly roundup with featured players and teams making moves, along with interviews with players and coaches!  Thanks to the NSIC Conference and member Teams who provide great photos, stats and streaming so we can create our coverage!

Author: Mark Privratsky

Let's take you back to December of 2021. The D2 National Tournament has just wrapped and the NSIC had three tournament wins to hang their hats on. Bemidji State made their furthest run in history into the Round of 16, while perennial Tourney goers Mankato State had won a first round game before bowing out in the round of 32. The top end strength of the NSIC has historically come from those two Minnesota schools, but this is one of the most competitive conferences in D2, so anything can happen on a given day. 2022 will look similar as the two Minnesota powers return plenty of talent, and look to hold off Augustana, Minot, Concordia-St Paul and St Cloud and others.

The NSIC Coaches Preaseason poll gives Mankato the edge even with BSU's Tourney run. The National Rankings put BSU ahead at 9 and Mankato at 19. What we have is two teams who definitely believe they will win the NSIC. Concordia (4th) and St Cloud (7th) are the next tier of the MN teams, with strong seasons to build on from last year. The lower end of the NSIC has a lot of parity, so Winona (9th), UMD(11th) and Southwest MN State(13th) will look to scrap above that. MSU Moorhead (15th) and Crookston (16th) have a tough go competing with better funded programs at the top of the league but they're still capable of a sneak result. 

Think Bemidji feels confident about their chances this year? They're coming off the deepest Tournament run in history, they return two 5th year seniors (Sara Wendt and Allyson Smith) who combined for 25 goals and 11 assists last year, and they also feature All American Defender Megan Dahl who by the way had 5 assists last year. Dahl was NSIC Defender of the Year in '21 and picked again for the award in '22. If not for an injury, she also would have been on the historic MN Aurora FC squad with her former BSU teammate Mariah Nguyen (who has since transferred to St Thomas). Backstopping the Beavers is Alyssa Stumbaugh, who starred for MN Aurora rival Green Bay Glory in the USL W League this summer. 

Games to Watch
BSU at South Dakota State
August 28, 1pm
Last year BSU kicked of the year beating a different D1 team, UND 2-0 in Grand Forks. 
*Stream from SDSU website! 

BSU vs Mankato
BSU HOMECOMING
Sept 16, 3pm
WOODS vs PRAIRIE. Last year in Mankato this game ended as a 2OT tie at 2-2
*Stream from BSU website! 

The national coaches may have given Bemidji the edge with their national ranking, but here locally the NSIC coaches have plenty of memories (nightmares?) of Mankato taking wins off of them, so Mankato enters the season as the technical favorite, and why not? First we remind you that the core of this team plays all summer together with Mankato United in the WPSL. Second, the Mavericks bring back almost all of their offense: Allie Williams (5g 8a), Mallie Mathis (6g 5a), Brynn Desens (5g 4a), Nadia Lowery (6g 2a) and many more. Lastly, we didn't forget that the Mavericks have a 5th year from scorer Jenny Vetter, who had 19 goals last year and could claim the all time NSIC crown of 44 goals if she scores 15 goals this year (she has 29 career goals). Equal Time followers would note that Bemidji State Legend Rachel Norton sits at 40 goals, but is the all time points leader with 104 because she had 24(!) assists as well. 

Games to Watch
​#19 MSU Mankato at #1 Grand Valley State
Sept 4, Noon
The Mavericks get a shot at 21 National Champions Grand Valley State
*Stream via MSU Mankato website!

#19 MSU Mankato vs Augustana
Sept 11, 1pm
Perennial contenders from South Dakota visit Mankato in an early tone setter for the NSIC
*Stream via MSU Mankato website!

2019 feels like a long time ago thanks to the time bubble we have all experienced, but the Concordia St Paul Golden Bears would like to remind you that they were NSIC Champions just 3 years (just 2 seasons) ago. One of the most stable programs in the conference, CSP has had four consecutive winning seasons, an impressive feat in a deep conference. Their top scorer, Katie Anderson returns after 7 goals in her sophmore campaign. Sophie Pawlyshyn returns after 4 goals and 6 assists last year. Keepers Ashlyn Waldon and Jessi Jordan shared backstop duties last year and both come back, along with 11 newcomers! If the Golden Bears can get contributions from the reinforcements, they will again challenge for the top end of the NSIC

Games to Watch
CSP vs Augustana
Sept 9, 7pm
Concordia opens NSIC play with a tough home date with the Vikings. As the only Twin Cities based team, us city kids take the big teams visiting when we can!
*Stream via CSP website!

CSP at St Cloud State
Oct 9, 1pm
This one will have playoff implications. Both Concordia and St Cloud will go into the season shooting for the post season and this game could determine where those cards fall
*Stream via St Cloud State website!

St Cloud State is coming off of a NSIC tournament birth, in a season where you'd have to say they were a bit unlucky with 5 1 goal losses and a few tough ties. They chased the playoffs and won 4 games out of 5 to clinch that spot. Historically, they haven't seen the bottom half of the NSIC in years and are lead by a veteran coaches Gretta Arvesona and her assistant Jade Smith, an all female coaching team that is unfortunately all too rare in soccer! Among those returning for the Huskies is Karlie Valdez, who's coming off an All Conference season in midfield, and Jenna Dominguez who we interviewed last year (see below)

Games to Watch
St Cloud State vs MSU Mankato
Oct 7, 6pm
The Huskies have a brutal stretch in the middle of the year where they play Mankato, CSP and Augustana in a row, starting with the Mankato game. If they can make it through these games in good form their later slate is a lot easier
*Stream via St Cloud St Website!

​St Cloud State at Minot State
Sept 11, Noon
It's always tough to get a result when you drive up the North Dakota prairie to Minot
*Stream via St Cloud St Website!

Winona State was picked by the NSIC coaches to finish 9th in the preseason poll this year. While we pay a lot of attention to the handful of programs who regularly compete for the title, the true fight for a team is the middle of this conference. The teams that are generally in 7th-14th are liable to create totally unpredictable results and if you lose a bounce or a ref makes a bad call, you can start a spiral quickly. Last year Winona had 9 games come down to a 1 goal difference, and they'll hope this year fortune shines on them a bit more. Players to watch from the NSIC poll include Senior Riley Harmon and Bailey Deininger, both having 33 career matches under their belts. 

Games to Watch
Winona St at SW MN St
Sept 11, 1pm

Winona St at St Cloud St
Sept 16, 6pm

Winona at UMD
Sept 18, 1pm
This 3 game away stretch to start the season will say a lot about where Winona ends up this year. All the games are winnable and the schedule immediately turns sour after this, hosting Minot, Mary, CSP and Mankato in 4 tough home games. 

Like Winona, UMD faces the slog of fighting through the middle of the conference, picked to finish 11th in this years preseason poll. The Bulldogs finished with 1 goal losses to Mary, Upper Iowa, SW MN State, Bemidji and St Cloud last year, so theres room for optimism from the squad if they can find an edge this year. Even with tough results, this is a team that also beat multiple NSIC Tournament teams including Concordia, so in this league you never know. The preseason poll players to watch were Maddie Felton and Sarah Stange, who both tallied over 1000 minutes last year

Games to Watch
UMD at Southwest MN State
Sept 25, tbd
If UMD hopes to make the top 8 for the NSIC Tourney, winning games like this will get them there. 
*Stream via UMD website!

UMD vs St Cloud State
Oct 27, 6pm
The Bulldogs close the regular season against St Cloud in the Dog Derby. This could be a game that they need to clinch a playoff birth, or spoil St Cloud's
*Stream via UMD website!

The Mustangs of Marshall share some sentiment with UMD, having scrapped through a tough year with so many close losses. After winning their opener against Blackhills State, they suffered tough 1 goal losses to Missouri Western St, Upper Iowa, Winona, Minot, and Mary all in a row. Southwest rebounded with a few wins over some of the bottom teams, but ultimately they ended up in 13th. This young team will hope to get a boost from 11 newcomers, while an offensive core returns. Abbey Hoisington and Alex Lotts both had 4 goals last year, while Lotts threw in 4 assists as well. Defender Katie Oatman returns to lead a backline she played 1,419 minutes in last year. 

Games to Watch
Southwest MN State vs Upper Iowa
Sept 9, 3pm
The NSIC opener will be huge for the Mustangs, who have a winnable game against a team that beat them 1-0 last year. Maybe they can set the tone for a bounce-back year. 

Southwest MN State vs UMD
Sept 25, 1pm
Two squads who typically fight to make the edge of the NSIC playoffs will both need points if they want a postseason birth

The Dragons are a team that has to fight for everything they get in the NSIC. Lead by former Crookston Hall of Famer Christie Kopietz (see interview below!), Moorhead is one of the few programs with an all female staff as well. Michelle Martinez, Tiana Khamvongsa, Karli Kopietz and Sierra Renham round out the team. In this conference with a top heavy trend to it, 13th finishing Moorhead still had 1-0 losses to Mankato and Minot, as well as Sioux Falls and UMD. Look for Moorhead to win more than the 1 game they did last year. Returners to note include Midfielder Callyn Johnson who suffered a season ending injury early last year, and Defender Grace Heying.

Games to Watch
MSU Moorhead at Crookston
Sept 9, 4pm
Two squads that fight to avoid the bottom of the NSIC start their conference slate against each other. Is this the Corn Cup or would SW MN St and Winona need to be included?

MSU Moorhead at St Leo
Sept 2, 7pm
The Dragons kick off their season in Florida! After a couple preseason games with Concordia and St Scholastica, they head to St Leo, Florida and then on to Tampa

As a 6 credit alumni of UM-Crookston, I have a soft spot for the Golden Eagles. Not that long ago, when aforementioned Moorhead coach Christie Kopietz was scoring goals for Crookston, they made the NSIC Tournament. The road is a tougher one now in the NSIC, and nothing comes easy for the Golden Eagles. This is a young squad, with 7 newcomers joining a team that only graduated one senior. Among the newcomers are two college transfers that can hopefully add to last year's core. Standout defender Jada VanOverbeke leads the back line after having an All NSIC season last year (the first by a Crookston player since 2016). Keep an eye on incoming transfer Jenna Custer from D1 Grand Canyon University. Kopietz will hope she found a diamond in the rough to boost her attack. 

Games to Watch
Crookston at Northern Michigan 
Sept 4, 11 am
After they open against Waldorf, Crookston heads to the U.P. for a pair of games. Of note, of course, is Northern Michigans wooden sports dome, the biggest wooden dome in the world! As far as we know they do not play soccer in it

Crookston vs Winona State
Oct 9, 1pm
Alumni Weekend! Aside from Moorhead, Winona was the closest to Crookston in the 2021 standings and represents a good chance for points at home
*Stream via UM-Crookston website

Author: Mark Privratsky

The 22 season is upon us and that means our second year of covering Minnesotans playing D1 across the country. Equal Time has more coverage of the women's game than ever. After a history making summer of soccer with MN Aurora and the WPSL (shout out Salvo SC), we are back with a busy fall. You will find Gopher and St Thomas specific coverage by Matt and Isa, and NSIC updates from me as well. But what makes writing about Minnesotans playing D1 unique is the shear scale of talent and players we have to cover from this great state!

Last year we asked you to help us compile a roster of every Minnesotan playing at a D1 across the country. With your submissions and my hours spent on google, by the end of last year we had 145 confirmed D1's! Our goal is to have a database of sorts to highlight all of Minnesota's "exported" talent. Aside from simple stat updates, we try to provide snapshots of the many individual awards and team accomplishments like the squad of Minnesotans winning the Summit League with South Dakota State last year (seen above).

We will also continue to bring you player and coach interviews like the one I did this summer with Maya Hansen and Rachel Preston. For us to find new players to cover and new stories for you to hear, we could use your help! It can be especially tough to find all the new freshmen players, so if you know of a player or coach who didn't show up on our list, submit them into our google form and I'll confirm them for the next piece.  

PLAYER/COACH SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/ZcpJqKcdY2nJ74A4A 

​Meredith Haakenson
Michigan was picked to finish 3rd in the Big Ten this year after a run to the NCAA Final Four last year. A big piece of that success is midfield stalwart Meredith Haakenson. Haakenson enters her graduate Senior year with 4 years and dozens of games on her resume. The Maple Grove native has impressed since her sophmore year and has 16 goals and 11 assists on her stat sheet. She will play a big part in Michigan's follow up season to their impressive run in the tourney. See our interview with her from last fall below!

Ansley Atkinson
Flash back to last fall, 9 games into the season. Ansley Atkinson was leading the nation in assists with 9 in 9 games. She does a full ACL and is lost for the season in heartbreaking fashion. With a full winter and spring to recover, Creighton will hope to see the dynamo that was getting a dime a game last year. No doubt she will ease into full action but with a year timetable the post season should be prime for one last dance from Atkinson with the Blue Jays. See our interview with Ansley from last fall below (prior to injury)

Who's got the most Minnesotans?
We can't say these teams are the MOST Minnesotan, but there's some definite trends with the talent spread from Minnesota soccer. Yes, geography plays a role, but sometimes a program becomes a hub for a club or region, and we routinely see clusters of players from Wayzata or the south suburbs for example. Since we've got the rough data, who's got the most Minnesotans?

ST THOMAS - 21
NDSU - 13
U OF M - 11
WISCONSIN - 8
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE - 7
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA - 7
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA - 5

St Thomas is majority MN by far, NDSU continues their trend with a couple new recruits, Wisconsin continues to poach, and the Gophers up the MN a bit with Head Coach and Wayzata native Erin Chastain. The good news for these Minnesota heavy programs is that they are easily streamed! Check out ESPN+ expanded College Soccer listings for a least a couple Gopher games. The Summit League with the Dakota schools and St Thomas is very easy to stream for free. We will look to plan and to publicize stream parties when there's paywalls or easy gathering spots!
​

Stats are from 2021. As soon as games kick off we will update the stats in our updates every other week

Alabama State
Kassandra Schoen - 2 Assists, 1,058 minutes in 18 games

Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Brisha Musungu - 1093 minutes in 16 games

Army
Hannah Pohlidal - 5 minutes in 1 game

Austin Peay
Avryn List - 240 minutes in 11 games

Boston College
Andi Barth - 1 assist, 420 minutes in 17 games

Boston U
Marli Rajacich - 2 goals, 1 assist, 911 minutes in 19 games

Brown
Clare Gagne - 1 save (1.000 save %!), 42 minutes in 2 games
KK Haug - DNP
​
Creighton
Ansley Atkinson - 9 assists, 691 minutes in 9 games
Sydney Drees - Incoming Freshmen Mid from Benilde St Margaret's

Denver
Shweta Raje - 2 Saves, 1 goal against, 29 minutes in 3 games
Megan Prazich - 613 minutes in 18 games

DePaul
Megan Malecha - 1 assist, 1578 minutes in 18 games

Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State)
Madison Monson - 550 minutes in 19 games
​
Drake
Brooke Davies - 281 minutes in 11 games
Meghan Brown - 1 assist, 1125 minutes in 20 games
Delaney Goertzen - 2 assists, 1742 minutes in 20 games

Florida Atlantic
Hailey Landrus - 1 assist, 1646 minutes in 18 games
Mia Sennes - 3 goals, 2 assists, 781 in 17 games

University of Illinois-Chicago
Jelena Zbiljic - 1112 minutes in 17 games

Illinois State
Erica Moline - 283 minutes in 5 games
Katharine Ashley - 545 minutes in 10 games

James Madison
Maddie Majewski - 158 minutes in 6 games

Kent State
Luca Ralph - 1  assist, 788 minutes in 21 games

Lipscomb
Lydia Hindt - 66 minutes in 4 games

Long Beach State
Katarina Decaroli - DNP

Loyola Chicago
Amanda Cassidy - 3 goals, 1 assist, 1162 minutes in 18 games
Jordan Pascarella - Incoming Freshman from MN Thunder Academy/Blaine

Marquette
Chloe Olson - 9 saves, 45 minutes in 1 game
Abby Ruhland - Incoming Freshman from Salvo SC/Lakeville
Katie Koker - Transfer from U of M 

Memphis
Maddie Stoks - 1 assist, 103 minutes in 6 games

Michigan
Meredith Haakenson - 5 goals, 6 assists, 1690 minutes in 25 games

Minnesota
Alma Beaton - Incoming Freshman MID from MN Thunder Academy/St Louis Park
Sophia Boman - 4 goals, 4 assists in 16 games
Abi Frandsen - 1 assist in 16 games
Eva Bruer - 3 games played
McKenna Buisman - 4 goals, 1 assist in 16 games
Alanna Dressely - Missed 2021 with injury, Grad Senior
Sophia Barjesth - Incoming Freshman MID from Woodbury/MTA
Maddie Shannon - Incoming Freshman from Tonka Fusion Elite/Maple Grove
Megan Plaschko - 13 goals against in 16 games, .817 save %
Khyah Harper - 1 goal in 10 games
Sadie Harper - 1 goal in 15 games

Navy
Emma Frommelt - 1 goal, 222 minutes in 12 games

NDSU
Paige Goaley - DNP
Kaitlyn Hanson - 1381 minutes in 16 games
Kelsey Kallio - 1 assist, 802 minutes in 16 games
Josie Feldman - 142 minutes in 3 games
Olivia Watson - 2 goals, 675 minutes in 14 games
Izzy Smith - Incoming Freshman DEF from Rogers/US Youth Futsol
Madalyn Grate - Incoming Sophmore transfer from Memphis/Shattuck St Mary's
Mckenna Strand - 368 minutes in 12 games
Dani Stuber - 1 assist, 195 minutes in 6 games
Lavin Douglas - 1 goal, 704 minutes in 15 games
Jess Hanley -1 goal, 1 assist, 622 minutes in 16 games
Loretta Wacek - 1 assist, 250 minutes in 10 games
Olivia Lovick - 2 goals, 1 assist, 1163 minutes in 16 games

(NDSU went to England for games & sights this spring! Watch the show below)

Nebraska
Sydney Marchant - DNP
Lauren Buzzell - Incoming Freshman DEF from Manitou FC/St Francis

North Dakota
Payton Schultz - 91 minutes in 5 games
Lexi Miller - 1 assist, 1200 minutes in 17 games
Taylor Lange - 1290 minutes in 15 games
Katie Alto - DNP
Lauren Glas - 1 goal, 340 minutes in 9 games
Haylee Goodrich -187 minutes in 4 games
Jessica Machovec - Incoming Freshman FWD from MN Thunder Academy/East Ridge

Northeastern
Jessie Hunt - Incoming Transfer from Wisconsin (MTA/Edina), 19 games over 2 yrs
Lauren Ahles - Incoming Freshman FWD from Centennial

Northern Illinois University
Jordyn Saddler - 166 minutes in 8 games

Northern Iowa
Lizzie Mewis - 1382 minutes in 18 games
Lauren Heinsch - 6 goals, 2 assists, 1225 minutes in 17 games
Olivia Knoepfle - 44 minutes in 2 games 
Morgan Barnette - 278 minutes in 15 games
Jenna Nyblom - DNP

Northwestern
Madison Lo - DNP
Ramira Ambrose - Incoming Freshman DEF from Wayzata
Lily Gilbertson - 503 minutes in 16 games
Sydney Panek - DNP

Notre Dame
Paige Peltier - 91 minutes in 6 games

Omaha
Lindsey Birch - Incoming Freshman DEF from Rochester Lourdes

Oregon State
Anna Wagner - 287 minutes in 14 games

Penn State
Kaitlyn MacBean - DNP

Purdue-Fort Wayne (Mastadons!)
Tia Johnson - 1463 minutes in 19 games

Seton Hall
Ella Conger - DNP

South Dakota State
Rachel Preston - 2 goals, 2 assists, 1835 minutes in 22 games
Lauren Eckerle - Incoming Freshman MID from White Bear Lake
Kayla Anderson - 1 goal, 2 assists, 640 minutes in 22 games
Kennedy Sanders - Redshirted last year
Maya Hansen - 14 goals, 7 assists, 1267 minutes in 22 games
Katherine Jones - 1 goal, 3 assists, 844 minutes in 16 games
Jocelyn Tanner - 1639 minutes in 18 games

Seattle
Emily Bunnell - 1445 minutes in 18 games

South Dakota
Liv Muehlberg - DNP
Brooklyn Bordson - Incoming Freshman from Centennial/MTA
Izzy Quintavalle - DNP

SIU-Edwardsville
Mary Fetter - 130 minutes in 11 games

St Francis (Brooklyn Terriers!)
Kendra Rust - 2 goals, 765 minutes in 17 games

(Pictured above: Olivia Graupmann, St Thomas and MN Aurora FC Keeper)
​
​St Thomas
Olivia Graupmann - 5 shutouts, 85 saves, 1.42 goals against avg, 1582 minutes in 17 games
Abby Brantner - 3 goals, 2 assists, 1291 minutes in 17 games
Anna Koepke - Incoming Freshman DEF from Coon Rapids
CJ Fredkove - Incoming Freshman MID from Stillwater
Emma Fournier - 249 minutes in 7 games
Audrey Vidmar - 1288 minutes in 16 games
Ella Bryant - Incoming Freshman M/F from Shakopee
Sofia Caballero - 825 minutes in 17 games
Lissa Mizutani - 1256 minutes in 17 games
Ella Clow - Incoming Freshman from Minneapolis/Academy of Holy Angels
Mariah Nguyen - Incoming Transfer from Bemidji State/MN Aurora FC
Molly Knoblauch - Incoming Freshman M/F from Coon Rapids
Alex Balfour - 452 minutes in 11 games
Lexi Huber - 4 goals, 3 assists, 803 minutes in 17 games
Maddie Bomsta - 1 goal, 199 minutes in 15 games
Camryn Rintoul - 1 assist, 474 minutes in 13 games
Annika Eckroth - 164 minutes in 7 games
Cora Smith - 100 minutes in 6 games
Jasmine Gates - 1 goal, 1 assist, 1217 minutes in 17 games
Tatum Trettel - Incoming Freshman from Shoreview/Salvo/Centennial
McKenna Lehman - Incoming Freshman from Lakeville/Eclipse/Lakeville North

University of Tennessee-Martin
Hannah Zahn - 941 minutes in 16 games

Tennesee Tech
Taylor Hornback - 1 assist, 370 minutes in 13 games

University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley
Ana Recarte-Pacheco - 1 goal, 1 assist, 1039 minutes in 20 games

Wake Forest
Payton Cahill - DNP

Western Illinois (Fighting Leathernecks?)
Emmy Ellington - 1 goal, 1 assist, 905 minutes in 17 games

Wisconsin
Dara Adringa - 196 minutes in 12 games
Ali Fine - 7 minutes in 1 game
Maddie Poor - Incoming Freshman from Woodbury
Kenzie Jacobson - DNP
Claire Odmark - 4 goals, 1 assist, 1297 minutes in 12 games
Ali Fine - 7 minutes in 1 game
Jessie Hunt - 144 minutes in 9 games
Kenzie Jacobson - DNP

Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Clara Broecker - 2 assists, 1894 minutes in 21 games
Alyssa Marceau - Incoming Freshman from Minnetonka/Tonka Fusion Elite

Wofford
Abigail Mckenzie - 1 goal, 1247 minutes in 16 games
​Lexi Reichenbach - 527 minutes in 15 games
​

We want to cover all of the players and coaches that we can. You can help us with that. If you know of a Minnesotan player or coach who we have not highlighted, submit them to the form below and we can grow our coverage together! 
​
PLAYER/COACH SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/ZcpJqKcdY2nJ74A4A ​

Author: Matt Privratsky

Last year’s campaign has some of Gopher Soccer’s highest and lowest moments all wrapped into a single wild ride of a first season for Head Coach Erin Chastain. Now, with a year (vs just days) to prepare, Chastain will look to lead the Gophers back into Big Ten contention (or at least Conference Tournament participation) with a veteran-laden group ready to erase the bad taste of last fall’s finish. 

Lay of the land
In a year where they *housed* Ohio State and Penn State, putting in some of the most high flying performances of our time covering the team, the Gophers also ended with one of the more disappointing finishes: 10th in the Big Ten and out of the Conference Tournament field. But multiple big scoring outputs buoyed them to a scoring margin that ranked 5th in the Big Ten – demonstrating a bit of their ceiling while their finish in the standings firmly demonstrated their floor. 

This fall, there is reason for optimism. Head coach Erin Chastain has had months to prepare the team for this fall vs just days last year. Almost the entire team is back (Langdok, Baker, Ward as the only key contributors to no longer be available this year). And, not to put it too bluntly, but the collapse at the end of last fall’s campaign (losing 2-3 to Purdue after being up 2-0, going scoreless against Iowa and Nebraska in back to back losses) would be hard to match so there’s almost no way to go anywhere but up. 

Trends to Track
As the season gets rolling, the first thing to track is whether it feels like players are in the right spots on the field. Last year, with almost no time to prepare to install her system, Head Coach Erin Chastain stuck with a straight-forward, diamond 4-4-2 formation that makes nearly everyone’s role clear. In the transition from the Gophers’ 4-3-3 of old, that put a lot players “between” positions. 
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If you were an outside wing on the front line of a 4-3-3, are you now an outside mid in a 4-4-2 that defends a bit more and still works the corner in the final third but just not quite as much? If you were the box to box kind of player in a 4-3-3 (not the most defensive and not the most offensive central midfielder), do you now sorta get forced into a more purely offensive or purely defensive role? Or do you now shift out wide? And if you were the sole central forward, used to having the 18 yard box essentially to yourself, how do you now provide some width if your forward partner is already posting up centrally? Two mainstays of the outside wings in the 4-3-3 went different directions, for example. Kenna Buisman lives up top (where she’s a menace) and Meg Gray lives at outside mid (also a menace). But those moves took weeks to sort out. Will they all be settled this time around?

The next trend to track is whether Minnesota can engineer goals when they aren’t coming naturally in the flow of the game. There were times in the first half of the recent exhibition against Iowa State where Minnesota looked pretty disjointed in the final third. And then, the second half came and the urgency and energy was flipped entirely. In the grind of the college soccer season, things won’t always feel like a 4 or 5 goal explosion. They will, in fact, more regularly feel like you’re playing Nebraska and getting fouled every other time you touch the ball. Can Minnesota find a way to engineer goals through: their press, set pieces, passing combinations and movement in the final third that breaks the defense’s shape and opens up space for a chance? That last one would mean they have really raised their floor. Watch whether players are moving off the ball in the final third. When they aren’t, it can get a little “sloggy” down there. 

Finally, how deep will the Gophers rotation be this year? Last year, through a confluence of random injuries, COVID, and coaches choices, Minnesota played their thinnest game to game rotation in our time covering the team – sometimes using as few as 2 or 3 subs. This year, at certain positions, they arguably have *too much* depth. Lauren Donovan, Elizabeth Overberg, and Amelia Brown are all at very least rotation quality holding midfielders. The Gophers play a system that uses one at a time. Soccer teams don’t really like to sub that position all that much. So…what are we gonna do here?

Well, we might see Overberg on the backline a bit as Alana Dressely (she’s back!!! We are psyched!!!) works back to every game, 90 min fitness at outside back. We might see Lauren Donovan get a chance to breathe for a second and Brown holds things down when MN either builds a lead or needs a different look there. But still, you get our point. 

Up top is a similar story where Kenna Buisman and Izzy Brown may start, Khyah Harper and Christa Van Loon have looked good, but you also have Sadie Harper with a nice nose for goal. At least at forward players rotating is a bit more expected so having 5 players all capable of playing rotation minutes isn’t actually *that* wild (180 minutes total for two forward spots, divided by 5 is 36 minutes per game for all 5 – it won’t be split that way but 40-60 min for starters and 20-40 for bench forwards isn’t that wild. It could work).

And as we spoke about in last year’s season recap, the act of subbing at all carries at least some value when games bog down and the run of play seems to be going against you (look at you, game AT Purdue…). Is subbing off a starter a “risk” in that moment because you’re removing a top contributor? Sure. But the sheer variety of players and styles, and forcing the opposing team to think for a split second when they see a new player that plays an entirely different way – whether “better” or not – also has some value. All that to say: greater depth this year *should* give Chastain the confidence to go deeper into her bench, which we think will pay dividends. 

Key Swing Pieces
There are so many key contributors on this team that will have a huge impact on how this season goes, but here are three in particular that could really make the Gopher season swing one way or another. 

Sophia Romine: the transfer from Wisconsin will be charged with being the glue for the Gopher offense in the final third. She’s scrappy. Her work rate is super high. She’s a dribbler. And she will absolutely lead the team in slides/going to ground (honestly might have as many as the rest of the team combined – you can’t *not* notice it). If she can be even fairly close to a natural fit as an attacking midfielder it could do wonders to let others play their more natural roles. And look out for her on the press. If Buisman, Gray, Romine, and Boman are all part of that front 5 and truly turning the press on…I would not want to be an opposing defender.

Gabbie Cesarone: Gabbie is just that super chill, super normal story of someone who is so academically and future focused that she searched for her precise academic program she was interested in, chose her college entirely based on that, happened to then check if they had a soccer team to I guess keep playing on, the team happened to be DIII but who cares, becomes a DIII All American in a star studded four years at Wash U, transfers to a Power 5 DI institution (the University of Minnesota, obv) for grad school that also happens to have a soccer program, and starts at centerback for said program. If you can’t tell, this is a Gab Ces fan space and will continue to be. If your favorite Big Ten team *doesn’t* have a DIII transfer that will immediately be a starter at one of the trickiest positions on the field, what are you even doing?

Sophia Boman: Yes, you did make it 1400 words into a Gopher Soccer piece that barely mentioned Sophia Boman. That’s cause we both: don’t play by the rules AND wanted to save the biggest swing piece for last. Boman will be great no matter what. The absolute *least* she could ever do is be solid in all phases of the game, cover more ground than anybody, and play 90 minutes a game. Think about that. But her having an absurdly high floor isn’t what we came here to talk about. We came here to talk about Boman’s ceiling. 

Gopher fans have largely seen Boman play in central midfield. At times I wished she would have been pushed to the 6 (rather than putting Katie Duong there), loved the idea of her playing as a destroyer 8 that covered truly every inch of the field, and have seen her do well as a central attacking midfielder 10 – particularly when she’s on the run, has space in front of her to attack, or can lead the counter after the Gophers turn an opponent over in midfield. If you tried to describe her recent Gopher comparisons in *those* kinds of roles you’d be thinking of the Emily Heslins, Molly Fiedlers, or Josee Stievers (now Melan) of the world. But I want to throw out another comp for Boman to aim toward: April Bockin.

At her best defensively, Bockin was like a more nimble (or way smaller) Kenna Buisman on the press. On the ball, she was fearless and deadly against virtually any one on one matchup. In the final third, she could beat the initial defender, work horizontally along the endline, and slot a “gimme” goal to a teammate with a diagonal ball toward the PK spot. When she was on and dialed in, she was *absurdly* impactful playing on that right wing. Like, win you a whole game because you created two goals single handedly impactful. 

Boman definitely has more strength and endurance than Bockin did. She has good quickness and ability on the ball. And she really does seem to be at her best when the game is front of her. She excels on the run and in transition partly because she so naturally sees the field in her line of sight. Now imagine that she’s able to play with her back to the sideline and *everytime* she touches the ball the field is in front of her (as opposed to in central mid when you’re really working with a 360 degree antenna). That is scary as hell. That is a player that could double her goal (4) AND assist (4) totals from last year without blinking an eye. April Bockin averaged roughly 8 goals and 9 assists in her Junior and Senior campaigns on route to becoming an All American, Big Ten Forward of the Year, and NWSL draftee. If I’m Sophia Boman, that’s who I want to emulate and that’s the marker I want to beat.