Author: Mark Privratsky

It is officially North and South Dakota week at Equal Time, as the four Dakota schools embark on their turn of rivalry games. The plurality of D1 MN players in North and South Dakota make up the biggest part of our soccer pipeline and always offer a solid glance at our player pool. Shout out to the Summit League schedulers for this concentration of rivalry games, with NDSU and North Dakota playing last weekend, and the next two weeks featuring a slew of games in the 4 team Dakota pod, with South Dakota State and South Dakota playing their northern rivals in an almost round robin. NDSU is coming into this stretch on a high, with wins over Kansas City and North Dakota, also drawing Omaha. If they come through the Dakota Cup relatively unscathed, they'll be in line for a Summit League Tournament birth. With Denver dropping a few games, the Conference is up for grabs, and the rush to the postseason is sure to be tight. We'll dig into each Dakota State squad, link to our player tracker with 124 players (and counting), give you games to watch and rewind our recent podcasts for you. You can specifically note and appreciate our photographs this week from Kayla Plummer!

South Dakota currently sits in the perilous 6th spot of the Summit League -- the final spot that earns a conference tournament bid. The Coyotes are a regular playoff fixture and are facing a stretch of Dakota State rivalry games in their bid to solidify their playoff opportunity. After a weekend of a tough 0-1 loss to Omaha last Thursday, South Dakota got some much needed rhythm with a 4-2 win over Kansas City on Sunday and set the stage for their matchups with South Dakota State this weekend (Oct 11, 6pm), and the North Dakota schools next weekend (at UND Oct 17, at NDSU Oct 20). The Coyotes have a pack of Minnesotans as usual, with Izzy Quintaville showing out with the goal contributions (.56/game) and Brooklyn Bordson, Brooke Nelson, Gabbie Ryan and Sadie Straight also repping MN in the 605. 

Don't double take at the standings just yet, but the Bison of NDSU are starting the back stretch of Summit League play undefeated, with a 3-0-1 conference record (7-4-3 overall) and the potential for a solid playoff position -- particularly after their win over Oral Robert last night. Last week they bested Kansas City (1-0) and instate rivals North Dakota (2-1) to set up a 5 game stand with their fate in their hands. They'll face Denver (away) this Sunday before a huge homestand against SDSU and South Dakota next week. They close with St Thomas at home in a game sure to hold seeding relevance and pure spoiler factor for the Tommies. NDSU is home to a ton of Minnesotans, including Olivia Watson and Jess Hanley, who both play 75+ minutes a game for the Bison. 

South Dakota State has been a perennial contender in the Summit League in the Equal Time era, and this year they are heading into the back stretch in fine form. Nobody has scored more goals, and nobody has given up fewer goals than the Jackrabbits. They sit on 28 goals scored and 8 against, which is a goal difference of 20 in just 13 games. Katelyn Beulke is on fire with 5 goals and 3 assists (.95 g+a/game) while Katherine Jones has 5 assists in her 996 minutes to lead the squad. Lauren Eckerly, Emma Knack and Ava Grate also contribute to this years SDSU team. After a 3-0 conference start with wins over Omaha, KC and St Thomas, they'll face South Dakota (Fri Oct 11), NDSU (Thurs Oct 17) and North Dakota (Sun Oct 20) before closing the regular season with Denver and Oral Roberts at home. 

Sitting in 7th isn't comfortable when the conference tournament only invites 6, but North Dakota's record could be deceiving. Instate rivals NDSU bested them at home last Sunday, but their other two conference results were draws against respectable Oral Roberts and at Denver. Their back half schedule offers more opportunity for a postseason push, with only South Dakota State holding a big advantage on paper. They dropped a game to Omaha last night and head to Kansas City Sunday, before a weekend of hosting South Dakota (Thurs Oct 17) and SDSU (Sun Oct 20). UND is home to three Minnesotans this year, Jessica Machovec, Avery Toms and Sydney Bakritzes. 

We strive to find any and every Minnesotan playing D1 soccer and this week our list has grown to 124 players! Thanks to all of you who have submitted and helped us highlight these athletes. As always, if we are missing someone you know of, message us on social media and we will update our tracker. Check out our list, sort data to see who's showing out this year and use the sheet at you see fit HERE.

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Author: Mark Privratsky

This week in D1 Minnesotans we highlight Maddie Dahlien creating goals and earning a Bronze Medal with the USA in the U-20 World Cup. An unprecedented number of Minnesotans are playing on highly ranked teams, with Izzy Engle shining at #3 Notre Dame, Payton Cahill keeping at #5 Wake Forest, Kaitlyn Macbean bagging goals for #6 Penn State, and Iowa's MN fowards Maya Hansen & Berit Parten now up to #13. Wisconsin is just outside the top 25 and this weekend they make their first Big Ten trip to LA to face USC and UCLA alongside their Gopher rivals. First years Grace Pohlidahl (Army), Berit Parten (Iowa), Ashley Thurk (MN) and Izzy Engle (Notre Dame) are playing heavy minutes and making an impact ahead of schedule. We've got games to watch in the next two weeks, an update on St Thomas as they enter Summit League play, and as always, our STAT TRACKER with our 122 Minnesotans (and counting!) 

Of the ​28 MNs who are rostered as true freshman this fall, 21 have seen the field, and plenty seeing a solid chunk of minutes. But after 10 or so games, there are a few who are truly staking a claim as impact players from the jump. Grace Pohlidahl joined her sister Hannah at Army and immediately became a 90 minute player. Ashley Thurk has been a mainstay defensively for the Gophers, playing nearly 90 a game as they look poised to challenge for a BIG Tournament spot. The other two standouts are freshman goal scorers we've highlights this fall already because they are on FIRE for big teams. Izzy Engle currently sits on 10 goals in 9 games, with a G+A/90 of 1.71,  and is tied for 3rd in the nation in scoring (along with MN Kaitlyn Macbean of Penn St). Not to be outdone, Berit Parten at Iowa also continues to score effectively, with 6 goals in 519 minutes (& a few from a game that was abandoned) for a squad that looks to be challenging for the BIG Title. 

We are officially in the era of the Super Conference and that means a 18 team, coast to coast Big Ten. It also means coast to coast travel to new and potentially more threatening opponents. Last weekend Wisconsin snuck a 1-0 victory at home to the seemingly improved Gopher squad, in a great early test for both teams. This weekend the new Big Ten becomes real as both Minnesota and Wisconsin take their maiden voyage to Los Angeles to face UCLA and USC, two ranked foes with plenty of pedigree. For the Gophers, snagging any road points would a positive, while Wisconsin would likely set their sights higher given recent success. 10 our of 18 teams make the new Big Ten Tournament, with the four new additions all being competitive. Matt will be in Los Angeles to cover the inaugural trip as the Gophers face USC and UCLA this weekend. Stay tuned to Equal Time socials for on the ground content!

"Quick (fake) scenario for you: St Thomas is currently 4-4-1 as they head into Summit League conference play this weekend. In the fourth year of their NCAA transitional purgatory where postseason play remains out of reach, Head Coach Sheila McGill calls me up and says “Matt, we want you to come in, talk to the team, and give us a pep talk and some guidance for the rest of the fall.” I tell Sheila I’ll be right there. I jump on my ebike and bike to the Tom’s meeting room and write two words on the white board: Villain Season. Let’s jump into this very real idea based on a very fake situation." 

This is a taste of Matt's latest deep dive on St Thomas entering Summit League play, read the full piece HERE

Find our updated tracker for D1 MN's HERE. We are currently at 122 players and counting, feel free to DM us if we have missed a Minnesotan playing D1!

Author: Mark Privratsky

​We are about to kick off Conference play in D1 soccer and we've got 99 Minnesotans who've already seen the field this fall (out of the 119 rostered DI MNs). We are in the middle of an unprecedented scoring run with Izzy Engle, Khyah Harper, and Kaitlyn MacBean all in the top 5 for Goals nationally. The Gophers remain undefeated after a tie with Brown, while Bayliss Flynn and a slew of Minnesotans made their College debuts. In case you missed it, Maddie Dahlien continues to score for the US U-20s in the World Cup as they start the knockouts. And, as always, we will dig into stat leaders and games to watch in the coming weeks. Our D1 MN's stat tracking sheet now has 119 players total, with some added stat categories this week like minutes per game and goals+assists per 90. Check out every Minnesotan's we have in our stat tracker HERE! 

Did you ever get perfect attendance in school? Lauren Heinsch has probably one upped you this past week, as she became both the All Time Leader in Starts (74) for Northern Iowa, AND the All Time Leading Goal Scorer with 24 goals in 5 years. The Coaches of the Missouri Valley named her All Conference last year and again in the Preseason this year. The Mahdomedi native has been Miss Dependable for the Panthers since joining in 2020, playing 71 minutes a game, starting every game she ever played. She has been supported by a core group of Minnesotans throughout, which this year includes Morgan Barnette (3g,2a), Jenna Nyblom, Olivia Bohl (586 min, 1g) and Olivia Knoepfle (4g,2a). 

We all know it's not easy to earn your playing time as a first year or younger college player. As we get a few weeks into the season we are seeing more players get a chance, with 10 Minnesotans making their debut this week. Bayliss Flynn of Montana (and MN Aurora) stands out as a Sophmore Keeper who had to wait it out last year, and has now made 3 consecutive starts for the Grizzlies. Flynn won her debut against IU Indianapolis, and took away draws at Air Force and Wyoming. Flynn and Montana face North Dakota this Thursday, at 4pm on ESPN+. Joining Bayliss in getting their debuts were Lauren Buzzell (Nebraska), Jordan Hecht (Army), Ceilidh Whynott (Butler), Maddie Dowling (Illinois State), Ayden Gagner (Duquesne), Ashlyn Derosier (Milwaukee), Avery Petty (Minnesota), Annie Mulcahy (St Thomas) and Bella Meier (St Thomas). 

The Gophers are off to their best start in years with an undefeated 5-0-1 record. They dispatched Army 3-0 last Thursday before a tough 1-1 draw with Ivy League power Brown on Sunday to stay undefeated. Previously mentioned Khyah Harper is in the form of her college career with 8 goals and 3 assists in 7 games, while Sophia Boman, Ashley Thurk, Sarah Martin and Paige Kalal also playing heavy minutes for their hometown squad. The Gophers face Illinois this Thursday, Sept 12 at 7pm on BTN+, and return home to face MN heavy NDSU in St Paul on Sunday, Sept 15 at 1pm (BTN+). After that their schedule gets trickier with games vs Michigan (Sept 19) at Wisconsin (Sept 22), followed by their first away trip to LA. 

The college game has always had increased subs, and the pro game now features 5 allowable switches, but there are still those players who can stick it out for 90 and the coach doesn't bat an eye. With 99 MN's currently seeing the pitch over 6-8 games this year, only four have played every minute of their teams games (with a few close behind). Clare Gagne has stepped right in as UNC's starting keeper after showing out at Brown for years. Sophia Boman continues her legacy at Minnesota as a fifth year with hopes for a postseason chance. Jelena Zbilic is in her 2nd year with the Gophers is similarly locked in as a starter for 90 with Coach Erin Chastain, as is Sophmore Keeper Sarah Martin, who has fully grabbed the reins from long time starter (and now transferred) Megan Plaschko. Others like Grace Pohlidal (Army), Olivia Rowe (St Thomas), Maddie Ishaug (Wisconsin) and Ashley Thurk (MN) are right on the doorstep, playing almost every minute. 

Catch up with all of our Equal Time Soccer shows on our YouTube channel! Our entire archive is there

Sept 3: U20s, NSIC, UMN, UST, Summit League expansion? Presented by Pentz Homes & Modist Brewing

Sept 9: ​Anna Tobias of UMD Soccer, plus Gophers, Tommies, U20s. Presented by Pentz Homes

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