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Author: Mark Privratsky  Once Labor Day has come and gone, we know it's time for D2 soccer to begin. Each year we strive to cover the Northern Sun Conference with same attention and hype as their D1 counterparts. We've seen women like Jenny Vetter from Minnesota State go pro (Racing FC in Portugal & Spokane Zephyr in the USL) from the NSIC, and the competition level never seems to fade, with any team capable of a result on any given day. The Northern Sun Conference is coming off a great year in which 3 of their squads made the 48 team NCAA Tournament field. St Cloud won their first ever NSIC Regular Season Title on their way to an At Large bid, along with Minnesota State (Mankato) who were surprisingly upset by Concordia St Paul in the first round of the NSIC Tournament. Bemidji State won the NSIC Tourney and ended up beating St Cloud in the first round of the NCAA's, meanwhile Minnesota State dropped their opener to Central Missouri, surely leaving a sense of motivation for this year's postseason. In our kickoff we will dig into the traditional rankings of the NSIC squads in the last few years, highlight the top MN programs and players (based on 2023 standings), and give you some Non Conference games to watch. We encourage all of you to find the closest NSIC squad to you and become a fan in person, but luckily the NSIC is also one of the most easily streamed Conferences in all of college sports. Check out any of the Northern Sun team's websites to find easy stream links, often including playback ability after the game. In our next edition of NSIC in MN we will dive into Winona State, Southwest MN State, MSU Moorhead and UM Crookston as they approach NSIC play, in addition to recapping the non conference results of the whole Conference.  (Image: NSIC) NSIC Power Rankings 2021-2023The Northern Sun is known as one of the best Division 2 Conferences in the Country, and it has some definite tiers to the competition. While every year features a share of shock wins, draws or close losses, we can see trends in the levels of each program over the last few years. How can you find a team to support? Do you like underdogs, traditional powers or a program on the rise? We are here to help lay out the NSIC landscape for you. Because non conference schedules vary widely, I chose to aggregate the Conference Points earned from 2021-2023 for each NSIC squad, averaged out, to break down the typical competition level for you.
Last Year's Post Season (Image: NSIC) St Cloud State made the tournament as first time Regular Season Champs, outlasting UMD in the opener. Bemidji State beat Augustana in their opener and then solidly beat St Cloud in the Semi finals. Concordia St Paul upset MN State as the 7 seed, but dropped their Semi Final to U Mary. Bemidji State dispatched U Mary to earn the NSIC Tournament Title. In the NCAAs, we had Bemidji State dropping St Cloud again, before losing to Emporia State in the 2nd Round. Minnesota State lost to perennial Tourney team Central Missouri, leaving the potential of the 3 NISC squads somewhat unfulfilled. St Cloud State Huskies (Photo: St Cloud State Athletics) Did You Know? Head Coach Gretta Macdonald is in her 11th year at St Cloud (previously a MN State Assistant!), with Assistant Jade Smith joining the latter half of her tenure. Together they built the Huskies up to their first ever NSIC Trophy last year and return the vast majority of their roster with newcomers as well.
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| 2023 Record: 11-4-5 (9-1-4 NSIC) Key Returners (1000+ Min in 2023) Ashlyn Watt, Sr Mid, 1628 min, 1g,1a Courtney Kovacs, Jr Def, 1656 min, 1a Addison Clarey, Jr Fwd, 1087 min, 3g,4a Avery Korsching, Jr Fwd, 1263 min, 6g,2a Anna Van Wyngarden, Jr Mid, 1310 min, 5g, 2a Kiera Laney, Jr Def/Mid, 1558 min, 1g, 2a Maille Mathis, did not play in 2023, 9g,6a in 2022 Maddix Archer, Soph Mid/Fwd, 4g,2a | NON CONFERENCE GAMES Fri, Sept 6, 4pm Home vs #17 Emporia State Sunday, Sept 8, 2pm Home vs West Florida Fri, Sept 13, 6pm At #21 Central Missouri Sun, Sept 15, 1pm At Northwest Missouri State |
Bemidji State Beavers
(Photo: Bemidji State Athletics)
Did You Know? Head Coach Jim Stone is in his 23rd Season at BSU, posting a 219-126-35 (.622) record, with 17 consecutive winning (or.500) seasons in a row. Their coaching staff was United Soccer Coaches Central Region Staff of the Year in '21 and '22, and they are in the midst of a 3 year NCAA Tournament streak as the new power in the NISC.
| 2023 Record: 13-4-6 (7-3-4 NSIC) Key Returners (1000+ Min in 2023) Anna Breffle, 5th Yr Def, 1096 min, 1a Lauren Hodney, 5th Yr Mid, 1429 min, 3g,1a Maria Stocke, Sr Mid, 1547 min, 5g,1a Katrina Barthelt, Jr Fwd, 1455 min, 12g,2a Julia Freed, Soph Def, 1526 min Megan Ko, Soph Def, 1443 min | NON CONFERENCE GAMES Fri, Sept 6, 4pm Home v Missouri Western State Sun, Sept 8, Noon Home vs Drury Fri, Sept 13, 5pm At Quincy Sun, Sept 15, Noon At Upper Iowa |
Concordia St Paul Golden Bears
(Photo: CSP Athletics)
Did You Know? Coach Steve Ballis is in his 13th Season at CSP, boasting a 101-11-27 record. His Coaching Staff was Central Region Staff of the Year in 2019 on the back of a NSIC Title and 2nd Round NCAA Tournament birth. They'll look to build on a solid upset of MN State in the NSIC Tournament last year.
| 2023 Record: 9-7-4 (6-4-4 NSIC) Key Returners (1000+ Min in 2023) Haley Rudebusch, Sr Fwd/Def, 1300 min (20/20 Starts) Sammy Ponsonby, Sr Fwd, 1105 min, 2g,1a Sydney Manthana, Sr Mid/Def, 1237 min, 1g Brittany Bordson, Sr Mid, 1585 min, 2g,1a Belle Abruzzo, Jr Def, 1723 min, 4a Sophia Haase, Soph Mid, 1078 min, 1g,4a | NON CONFERENCE GAMES Sat, Sept 7, 1pm At Texas A&M International Sun, Sept 8, 1pm At St Edwards (Texas) Fri, Sept 13, 6pm At Nebraska-Kearney Sun, Sept 15, 11am At New Mexico Highlands |
UMD Bulldogs
(Image: UMD Athletics)
Did You Know? Greg Cane is in his 31st Season as UMD Head Coach, boasting a .583 winning pct and keeping the Bulldogs competitive through 4 decades. WDIO has a preview piece for the '24 Season for UMD where Captain Anna Tobias said the team is seeing this year as "Ring Year", and their goal is trophies. Check out the piece HERE.
| 2023 Record: 6-7-6 (5-4-5 NSIC) Key Returners (1000+ Min in 2023) Anna Tobias, Sr Fwd, 1457 min, 5g,2a Baamlak Haugen, Sr Mid, 1171 min Hallie Witte, Jr Def, 1083 min Cambelle Christensen, Jr Def, 1279 min Jessica Eichens, Soph Fwd/Mid, 1371 min, 2g,2a | NON CONFERENCE GAMES Thurs, Sept 5, 6pm Home vs Northern Michigan Sat, Sept 7, 1pm Home vs Michigan Tech |
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