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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Authors: Mark Privratsky & Matt Privratsky

Fall is officially here! We can wear layers, gorgeous leaves are changing color and most importantly, college soccer playoffs are upon us. For D1 Minnesotans, we have a year with a lot of postseason potential -- with multiple teams still in the chase for postseason opportunities. The Gophers are back in the Big Ten Tournament after missing out last year, with a real chance to be in the NCAAs (maybe even host...?). North Dakota State has taken it a level up this year and are fighting with their fierce rivals SDSU for the rights to bypass the opening round of the Summit League Tournament and host the semis and finals. We've got huge players on huge teams like #2 Wake Forest, #4 UNC, #7 Notre Dame, #11 Iowa and #15 Penn State who know they're in the NCAA Tourney, and we've got players on teams that are good but likely need to win their tournament like Montana, Army, or the Summit League squads. With conference tournaments kicking off next week, including the Big Ten Tournament in Saint Paul, check out some sources postseason predictions and catch up on our 124 (and counting) public player tracker for 2024. 

While most teams needs to rely on winning their conference tournament to get to the NCAA's, a good number get picked based on an "at large" status, which can be a bit mysterious sometimes. This year, as always, we are relying on some other independent soccer journalists, along with the traditional RPI from the NCAA, to predict a National Tournament field that is becoming clearer and clearer. Specifically, I'm trusting Chris Henderson, who you should be following on Twitter already (@chris_awk), who is constantly updating his modeled predictions for the Tourney. He's one of the few people who do data work in womens soccer that we are aware of! We've also utilized the work of Christopher Thomas (@CPThomas2611 on Twitter) who similarly models postseason at large predictions, something that has been helpful for us in having real conversations about postseason potential. Check them out for a steady stream of data work in the game!

I listed Chris Hendersons most recent bracket prediction from this week below. In the ACC, UNC (Clare Gagne, Maddie Dahlien), Wake Forest (Payton Cahill), and Notre Dame (Izzy Engle) look safe. In the BI 12, TCU (former Gopher Megan Plaschko) are in. The Big Ten added some successful programs from the Pac 12 (USC and UCLA are in 1st and 2nd as of now) and the boost in strength of schedule league wide looks to have paid off, with a projected 10 bids coming from the new super league to top the nation. Minnesota is predicted to be making a return after a half decade, with a chance to improve their standing with a regular season closer versus Iowa. Wisconsin is looking to be in with their squad of MNs (Ishaug, Andringa, Poor, Jacobson, Gilliand), along with Iowa (Berit Parten, Maya Hansen) and Penn State (Kaitlyn MacBean).

Other squads with a MN presence but likely in need of a conference tournament win include Montana (Bayliss Flynn), the entire Summit League race, Milwaukee (Ashlyn Derosier),  and handful of others with an outside shot. Partial credit to FGCU (Gopher alum Alli Kempainen on staff), Utah State (MN Aurora FC legend Addy Symmonds), FIU (Cat and Eli Rapp), and a super deep cut for Utah Valley and a former Gopher from waaaaay back in 2019 Manthy Brady. Army (the Pohlidal sisters, Hecht, and Wamre) still with a real conference tournament path as well -- even if they're no longer favored on paper.  

It's been a few years but the Golden Gophers of MN are locked in the Big Ten Tournament with a game against Iowa still to come this Sunday prior to the Big Ten Tournament at ELR next week. The expansion of the BIG to 18, including newcomers USC (1st), UCLA (2nd), Washington (6th) and Oregon, the competition level ratcheted up, but with it came a new 10 team (used to be 8) conference tournament. Minnesota has seized on that opportunity and now play a very good Iowa squad this Sunday (1pm, BTN+) with a fighting chance at a top 6 seed and first round bye (Oregon has to upset Washington, MN has to win, and Ohio State and Penn State need to tie...). Iowa has been having a very strong year and will be a big test ahead of postseason play. While the Gophers are in a good place when it comes to at large selection, you can bet they want to both build momentum and potentially earn themselves an easier postseason road ahead (maybe even a first round seeded home matchup in the NCAAs...). Of note for the Gophers is the amount of players who play 90 minutes a game, including locals Sophia Boman, Sarah Martin, Jelena Zbilic, Ashley Thurk and Khyah Harper, all pretty much going to the distance as part of the depended-upon core for Coach Erin Chastain. 

​Catch up on our nationwide tracking of Minnesotans playing D1 soccer. This week highlighted by the best assisters from the Gopher state, lead by Paige Kalal with 9, her teammate Khyah Harrper and Katharine Jones of SDSU. Check out our player tracker here, and let us know if you have any feedback!

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