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NSIC in MN: Katie Anderson paces Concordia St Paul, Mankato scores a touchdown and Winona, UMD and St Cloud fight to contend for the post season

9/28/2022

6 games into the Northern Sun Conference season is about all it took for teams to shake into their typical tiers, with a couple of exceptions. Typical postseason participants Mankato, Concordia and Bemidji are challenging for the top of the table. Mankato is running up goals on some of the teams lower in the standings, while Concordia is looking to challenge at the top after knocking off Bemidji. University of Mary is a surprise undefeated team in third and as expected, Winona, UMD and St Cloud are fighting out the middle of the conference to prove they can take a step up. Dig into the NSIC standouts, the past two weeks of game recaps, and stay til the end to find upcoming games to watch!

Photo Credit: NSIC

Concordia comes out strong with big goals from Katie Anderson

After a tough 1-0 loss at home to Augustana to start the NSIC season, Concordia is undefeated in their last 5, scoring wins over Bemidji, Wayne State, Moorhead State and Crookston, while tying Northern. One reason for the run: Katie Anderson has been on fire. She was last week's Offensive Player of the week after a game winning goal at Bemidji and another at Crookston. She bagged another 3 goals last week against Moorhead and Northern State to take her total to 6 on the year (watch out Jenny Vetter!). Concordia have a run of winnable games the next few weeks, but they're all on the road. If the Golden Bears can take a good chunk of points off Winona, Upper Iowa, UMD and St Cloud, they'll be sitting pretty for a more difficult end of the NSIC slate.

Mankato Rolls with 24 goals in 6 games

GOOOOAL @jennyvetter1

WOW it only took one late chance@MinnStSoccer equalizes with a HUGE goal late to likely save a result in Bemidji pic.twitter.com/I23TdkIFOW
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) September 16, 2022

Two weeks ago we covered the big early season matchup between Mankato and Bemidji. Bemidji were up 1-0 with a minute left in the game when Jenny Vetter headed a bounced ball over the Bemidji keeper to steal a point away from home (See below). It could appear to be a sign of the teams resiliency, that even in a game they struggled to create, they found a way to salvage a result. Mankato has not been light on goals since then, feasting on some lower tabled squads. 6-0 on Wayne State, 4-2 over Augustana, 7-0 at Crookston and 6-0 at Moorhead. Opposing coaches will try to focus on the way Bemidji held them to a late goal and the fact that Northern State were able to snag a 0-0 draw in Mankato. The Mavericks goe to Upper Iowa and Winona this week, followed by tripes to St Cloud and UMD.

Winona's stout Defense keeping it in games, St Cloud and UMD chasing

Don't look now but Winona State has already matched their win total from '21 and have lost just once in their first 6 NSIC games. They're coming off a solid weekend of draws against Minot and U Mary, who're both very competitive this year. The challenge for this team appears to be finding ways to put goals in the back of the net, but they've certainly decided that nothing will come easy for their opposition. In 6 conference games (4 away), they've only given up 5 goals. Winona currently sits in 8th place, the final spot for a postseason birth, but UMD and St Cloud sit right behind them in the standings, each at 2-2-2 in NSIC play. If the Warriors want to keep their spot, they'll have to find something out of two tough games this weekend as they host Concordia and Mankato, before going to Bemidji next friday. After that they could find an easier end of the schedule to wrap up NSIC play.

Photo Credit: Winona State Athletics

Game Recaps

Friday, September 16
Mankato State 1-1 Bemidji State
Concordia St Paul 2-0 UM Crookston
Augustana 4-3 Moorhead State
Winona State 0-2 St Cloud State
Upper Iowa 1-3 UMD
Southwest MN State 0-1 Minot State

Sunday, September 18
Wayne State 2-2 Moorhead State
Concordia St Paul 1-0 Bemidji State
Mankato State 7-0 UM Crookston
Southwest MN State 0-1 U Mary
Winona State 3-1 UMD

Friday, September 23
UMD 0-0 Sioux Falls
St Cloud State 2-2 Southwest MN State
Moorhead State 0-6 Mankato State
UM Crookston 0-3 Wayne State
Bemidji State 1-0 Augustana
Minot State 1-1 Winona State
Northern State 1-1 Concordia St Paul

Sunday, September 25
U Mary 0-0 Winona State
Bemidji State 1-1 Wayne State
Northern State 0-0 Mankato State
UMD 0-2 Southwest MN State
Moorhead State 1-4 Concordia St Paul
St Cloud State 2-0 Sioux Falls
UM Crookston 0-5 Augustana

Games to Watch

Concordia St Paul at Winona State
Friday, September 30, 5pm
STREAM: NSICNetwork.com

Mankato State at Winona State
Sunday, October 2, 1pm
STREAM: NSICNetwork.com

Bemidji at St Cloud State
Sunday, October 2, 1pm
STREAM: NSIC Network

Concordia St Paul at St Cloud
Sunday, October 9, 1pm
STREAM: NSICNetwork.com

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Gophers Big Ten goals being put to the test

9/27/2022

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(Photo: Jeremy Olson)

Listen. Conference play is rarely pretty. The last time the Gopher Soccer program won the Big Ten Championship they barely made the Tournament and then got hot at the right time, riding some insane performances by impact players. This fall, as they continue their transition into the Erin Chastain era, the Gophers have shown potential to play up to competition in stretches but far too little discipline for a group that is, frankly, old as hell. So now, three games into Big Ten play, the Gophers goals of making the Big Ten Tournament field (finishing in the top 8) are beginning to be truly tested. Here’s what to watch as they prepare for a showdown against MIchigan this Thursday.

Macro vs Micro
When I over-obsessively talk about the Gophers rotation it’s usually about “how much” Head Coach Erin Chastain is using the bench or “how many minutes” we’re seeing the bench at the macro level. But this year, the bench has largely been a consistent force overall (save for the Baylor and Nebraska games). The more interesting dynamics this fall have been in those individual tweaks at the micro level.

Lineup notes for @GopherSoccer:
> Amelia Brown gets the start at holding mid
> Sadie Harper starting alongside her sister, Khyah. Sadie put in a long shift last match v Nebraska - great to see her getting a start at home pic.twitter.com/EvGoRKWAXU
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) September 22, 2022

Sophia Romine got moved from the number 10 (central attacking midfielder) to more of a tip of the spear forward at the center of the 4-3-3 so her dribbling and creativity could be a little closer to goal. Abi Fransen solidifies her spot at outside back because of her attacking juice only for Elizabeth Overberg to then, once again, see major minutes because of her stout defensive positioning. Amelia Brown gets her first career starts and plays well only to have Lauren Donovan come on to bring slightly more defensive savvy against the super tough Northwestern attack.

Granted, these tweaks are coming because the Gophers have yet to really settle into consistent performances against any opponent that really tests them. But even teams that *need to* make tweaks don’t always do so. This coaching staff has shown an impressive amount of both creativity and humility in continuing to tweak the formation, broader rotation, and individual roles *with in* that rotation in an effort to put players in position to succeed. Now it’s on the players to step up and make it happen.

Playing to Competition or Playing to Space?
For years I’ve been known to (overly) speak to the Gopher’s tendency to play up and down to competition. Some specific matchups this season have helped me realize that it may more accurately be described as playing better based on how much space they’re given to operate.

When a team sits back in a disciplined defensive shape, the Gophers have almost always struggled to break the opponent down. They just haven’t quite had the level of off ball movement, passing, and combination play to stretch that defensive shape, find a gap, and make the pass that unlocks a chance on goal. Whereas when a team plays forward a bit more, they’re doing so with the confidence that their backline can handle a bit of pressure on its own – leaving more space for the Gophers to find gaps, passes, and opportunity.

POSTGAME | MINN 3-0 INDIANA

Head Coach @ChastainErin on getting the bounce back 3-0, having so many @GopherSoccer players play well, and the impact of locking in a win tonight to build confidence for Northwestern on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/nPj8sqbfWj
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) September 23, 2022

This, in part, might be why Minnesota has traditionally shown their most spectacular offensive outputs against confident, attacking teams like Penn State (4-0) or Ohio State (4 straight goals after going down 2-0). But it’s also why they’re able to put up multiple goals against Indiana as the Hoosiers (somewhat mistakenly) assume they can “risk” playing forward against Minnesota when they much more typically sit in and go forward only when it’s an absolute slam dunk. But it’s also why against a team like Northwestern, which is able to play super attacking but also has the work rate to transition *back* into a defensive shape very quickly, games present both tests at once.

As conference play continues, keep an eye on who puts numbers forward and allows space behind their forward and midfield lines. Those games are likely where you’ll see Minnesota flow much better offensively.

Courage & Creativity
As tough of a test as facing #9 Northwestern was, some of the challenges Minnesota faced were fairly recognizable. Similar to games against Cal Poly, Nebraska, or Mississippi State, the Gophers sometimes seemed to be *waiting* for opportunities to come to them. Obviously against Northwestern some lack of confidence and willingness to attack should be expected. The Wildcats were attacking the hell out of the Gophers. They were throwing numbers forward and testing almost every member of the defensive unit at every turn. So while the comparison to previous matches isn’t exactly parallel, the offensive possessions still had the same vibe at times.

@kennabuisman15 ✖️ @sadieharper_43 □ ⚽️⚡️□#ThisIsHome | #Gophers〽️ pic.twitter.com/cvd5E42C78
— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) September 26, 2022

The times where Minnesota was able to break out of that trend was when individual players like Izzy Brown, Kenna Buisman and others decided to take an aggressive step forward and attack their individual matchup to break the rhythm of the game. Now that Minnesota has multiple tough tests under their belt, will we see some of their most courageous and creative players like Kenna, Izzy, Sophia Romine, Sophia Boman, and others start to bring some individual spark that can unlock some scoring opportunities. At their best, that courage and creativity from Gopher attackers has been what’s swung the flow of games.

The Path to the Top 8
Let’s boil things down to the most simple single point we can: Minnesota wants to make the Big Ten Tournament. That means they need to finish in the top 8 in conference play. In the past, that has essentially meant you need to get to a .500 record. For example, in 2018 they snuck into the field with a 5-5-1 conference record.

They currently sit at 1-2-0. Their remaining games are against: Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, Illinois. My rough, undereducated off the cuff take would say Rutgers is a very tough test, Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Iowa are regular tough tests, and Maryland and Illinois are games MN should maybe be favored in. If you assume they’ll drop the Rutgers game (not a given, but still), then they’d likely need to go 4-2 in the other remaining Big Ten games to make it to the conference tournament. That means getting at least one result this weekend, against Michigan and Wisconsin is approaching a *must*.

And, in case you forgot – and if we want to take our homer attitude to the *max* – that 2018 team that snuck into Big Ten Tournament play with a 5-5-1 record took their chance, caught fire on the back of several key veteran leaders, and won the tournament championship.

Next Up:

Minnesota hosts Michigan - 7PM Thursday September 29th (Big Ten Network)

Minnesota AT Wisconsin - 1PM Sunday October 2nd (btnplus.com)

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St Thomas enter Summit League play swinging

9/23/2022

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(Photo: Tommie Athletics)

Authors: Isa & Matt

In their first season as a DI program last fall, St Thomas didn’t sit back and park the bus. They played an attacking brand of soccer that was sure to cost them games but which may also pay dividends long-term. Now, as they wrap up their non-conference schedule in the second ever DI campaign, St Thomas looks battle tested and ready to give Summit League rivals legitimate headaches as a no-regrets spoiler (they are unable to qualify for conference tournament play while still in their probationary period). Here are some key takeaways from the Tommies 2022 season so far.

Key Players (Isa)
Of course, as a spectator there’s the inevitable natural selection of your favorite players. I could be here all day to talk about every player I’ve watched contribute to this team, but I don’t think you (or I) have the attention span for that. (Maybe someday though… I’ll have to see).

Camryn Rintoul has been nothing but an absolute joy to watch, and I’m grateful that I was able to tell her in the show (mainly) Matt and I hosted earlier this week (her segment is embedded below). Her absolute dominance inside the midfield is phenomenal, and watching her build confidence in both herself, and her play is just an amazing process to watch. Looking back to all the notes I’ve taken from previous games, Camryn was the first player I took notes on, and even caught my eye, which I think is pretty hilarious since my focus on her was basically foretold from the very beginning.

During our talk, Camryn talked a little about coming into this season with more pressure and expectations on her shoulders because she both had a year already under her belt, and because she was now considered an upperclassman to her new freshman teammates. Knowing this, she’s stepped up, and (in my opinion) ultimately has shaped the way this team plays. Anywhere the ball is, Rintoul isn’t too far behind. It’s one of the reasons she continues to be one of my favorite players on this team.

Furthermore, I think we genuinely just have to talk about Lissa Mizutani. She was one of the first players that caught my eye at the first game I went to go spectate, particularly because of the way she handles defending. She’s got amazing skill, but also has the potential to defend anything that comes her way. Not to mention the absolute leg she has got on her.

In the Tommies most recent game against Wyoming, I posted a story with a video of the free kick she had taken from inside their final third. And let me tell you, it was absolutely astonishing. She launched that ball all the way past half into the box, almost as if the team was meant to treat it like a corner kick. I mean, c’mon who the hell else can do that?! But not only that, Mizutani (as a defender) can also contribute to the attack, which is something you don’t see as often as you think. One of my favorite things that I’ve seen from her, is her ability to see the field in its widest form. She’s the one who receives the ball in the back, listens to her midfield, and constantly switches the ball. I personally think it’s one of the best things about her style of play.

Next on my list is Arianna Sanchez, or more infamously known as Chez to the rest of the team. One of the things Chez is most known for, is her speed on the wing. Arianna is probably one of the fastest players on this team, and when she can use it, you best believe she will.

One thing that really stands out about her, is that she’s not afraid to take that risk. She never seems to be worried about wether or not she’ll win that 1v1 against that wing defender on the opposing team, but more so focused on if she can do it, and what she does if she wins or loses. If she wins, heck that’s great! She’ll keep going and shoot for goal. If she doesn’t, not a problem, she’ll track back and pick up after herself.

Chez is also an amazing outlet and support for her center mids. There have been countless of situations where is seems to get sticky in the center mid, but Sanchez comes off her line and helps wherever she can, however she can. Arianna never fails to leave it all out on the field, and try her hardest whenever she sets foot on the grass (or turf), its what makes her unique and a great team player.

That winning feeling!□@UST_WomenSoccer #RollToms #D1Year2 pic.twitter.com/aqyLnCv04B
— St. Thomas Athletics (@TommieAthletics) August 26, 2022

Now of course last (but certainly not least), I had to talk about our lovely Mariah Nyugen. I was so excited when I had heard about her transfer to St. Thomas. While I was working the Minnesota Aurora games, I got to watch her play every once in a while, but I never got to fully invest myself in analyzing her style of play until now.

Mariah is one of the fiercest players I’ve ever seen. She could care less if you can see over the top of her head, what she wants, she’ll do her best to get. Being physical with players that are bigger than her has never stopped her, and that’s one of the things that makes her so entertaining to watch.

Besides being physical, Mariah has one of the most creative minds I’ve ever seen. She can create, but she’s also ambitious enough to want to score her own goals. In their exhibition game vs. St. Cloud State, I remember seeing the corner kick of a lifetime. Watching Mariah put her head on that ball was perhaps one of the biggest things that made me so excited to continue covering St. Thomas (more than I was already).

(Side Note: She also recognized me after a game and said hi to me. biggest. fangirl. moment. ever. I had never felt so famous. Plus, her dad is an amazing human being. He always says hi to me when I come to watch. GAH!)

Rotation and subbing (Matt)
When you look at the St Thomas rotation on paper via a random box score, it might appear they go a bit deeper than other teams into their bench – nothing too crazy. When you watch the team in person, you notice it’s much more unique than that.

While most teams try to substitute players on and off with enough time for the squad to settle into a new rhythm, St Thomas is virtually always taking players on and off – giving the feel of the game a layer of chaos at almost every moment. Head Coach Sheila McGill has said (watch her discuss in the show below) that subbing strategy is to both allow maximum effort defensively and to give more players the chance to see the field. But those two reasons only speak to the amount of subs used. The timing and cadence of it is what’s truly unique.

Next time you tune into the Tommies you won’t help but notice it. Trust us. Especially if you watch the game in person.

LIVE with @UST_WomenSoccer Head Coach Sheila McGill and stars @camrynrintoul and @audrey1722. Presented by @pentzhomes https://t.co/sHV76eMK4g
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) September 20, 2022

Playing on the front foot (Matt)
In a college soccer landscape where it feels like maybe a third of all DI programs strategically sit back and hope for a low scoring result they can grit out, it continues to be refreshing to watch teams that throw forward and play on the front foot. Even when it means risking a counter attack or exposing the backline, teams that play to win (vs not to lose) are just more fun to watch.

Coach Sheila McGill has said that she knew from the beginning that the team would never park the bus and sit back. Apart from it being a really boring style (for fans AND her) to watch and for the players to play, she also knew that if the vision for the Tommies in the long run was to be a highly competitive program then the growth to that point might as well start right away.

Defender Audrey Vidmar (during her interview with us embedded below) described the style of play as requiring lots of focus and discipline from the whole team. With forwards pressing a bit higher, midfielders are required to follow suit or else they’ll create a gap between the forwards and mids that the opponent can exploit. And even if the midfielders shift up as unit with the attackers, the defense then has to follow suit in a coordinated and connected way. It’s the kind of style that can keep opponents on their feet and force them to never feel entirely comfortable – even if it risks being exposed yourself.

The true test will be how the style holds up against the top dogs of the Summit League like South Dakota State and Denver. Our money is on St Thomas being able to succeed at it just enough to find a spot in the middle of the table – a huge accomplishment if they’re able to pull it off.

Resilience and Grit (Matt)
It’s easy to get a result when things are going well for you – when the team is clicking and you over power the opponent from the first whistle. It’s harder to right the ship when things, for whatever or however many reasons, just aren’t going your way.

Two times, in particular, during non-conference play St Thomas lived through an opening stretch where they were getting dramatically outplayed – only to come away with key points. Against Idaho, the Tomcats were being out possessed to almost an absurd degree. Idaho looked as crisp to start the game as any team I’ve seen this fall. It looked like St Thomas was going to get blown out. Then, as they kept battling, the game just turned. After 15 minutes of composed, disciplined possession, Idaho fell back to earth and the teams played to a fairly even handed draw.

On the road against Northern Iowa, St Thomas gave up 3-5 truly dangerous chances all within the first ten minutes or so. The Panthers of UNI were showing out for senior day and only through some brilliance from UST keeper Annie Bantner where the Tommies were able to keep things level at 0-0 through that stretch. And then, they brought the heat – winning 3-0 in a convincing and dominating performance.

FINAL | ST THOMAS 3-0 UNI@UST_WomenSoccer continues to show that they are making that next step from start-up DI. @Balfour_Alex, @brantner_abby, Huber with the goals. Second game in a row weathering a super hot start, settling in, getting a result. Impressive for a young team! pic.twitter.com/RsLibMV7m5
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) September 5, 2022

No, Idaho and UNI aren’t big time, big name programs necessarily. No they aren’t making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. But if you watch college soccer consistently you know when games are going the wrong way. And it is not common – even when teams are fairly evenly matched – for a squad to turn the tide of a game that is going so strongly against them. It just isn’t. And when it happens, you should take note. Because that squad has some grit and resilience in their bag.

Quick Stats Check (Matt)
It’s hard to take too much away from early season stats, especially when teams have played such varying levels of schedules in terms of opponents. But here are three stats to keep an eye on heading into Summit League play.

Save Percentage: St Thomas is 2nd in the conference in save percentage. Three different keepers have seen some field time for the Tommies but the vast majority of time they have been anchored by Annie Bantner who currently sits in the top 50 nationally with a .840 sv pct. Our money is on that number holding fairly steady overall, with some wobble in both directions as St Thomas faces power house offenses and the lower level teams respectively.

Physical vs Dirty: The very first drill St Thomas did at this year’s training camp was one where players had to fight off a defender who was pushing hard into their back in a sort of “almost allowed” kind of shove. It was meant to both encourage offensive players to settle the ball well and battle in those duals, while also teaching defenders how to be physical but within the rules of the game. If toeing that line was the goal, then St Thomas has absolutely succeeded. While they definitely play with a bit of scrappiness and chaos, they currently sit at the bottom of the Summit League in terms of yellow cards with just 1. No other team has fewer than 4.

Margin of Error (and victory): St Thomas’ strong showing has them third in the league in overall goal margin. Part of that has come from minimizing their “bad” games (losses have regularly been 1 goal) and maximizing their scoring when games flow their way (3 goals vs UNI, etc). If they can continue even a lesser version of that kind of game plan, you could see them pull off some upsets against the top of the table.

Next up:

Friday, September 23rd - Home vs Kansas City at 4PM
- Stream: tommiesports.com/watch

Sunday, September 25th - Home vs Oral Roberts at Noon
- Stream: tommiesports.com/watch

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NSIC in MN: Katie Anderson paces Concordia St Paul, Mankato scores a touchdown and Winona, UMD and St Cloud fight to contend for the post season

Concordia comes out strong with big goals from Katie Anderson

Mankato Rolls with 24 goals in 6 games

Winona's stout Defense keeping it in games, St Cloud and UMD chasing

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Gophers Big Ten goals being put to the test

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