NSIC in Minnesota - September

Photo Credit: Bemidji Pioneer

We're a couple games into the NSIC season and we've got some great story lines to follow already. The NSIC is home to the nation's leading scorer, Sara Wendt. Her Bemidji State squad is currently ranked #15 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. We saw the  mighty Mankato State squad end an 18 game winning streak against Augustana. Let's round up the top stories from the NSIC in MN. 
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Sara Wendt - Top Scorer in Division 2

Sara Wendt earns the "cover photo" on this article because she leads the nation in scoring. All she's done is score 8 goals in 5 games! Sara has been a consistent contributor for the Beavers, scoring 10 goals (5 game winners!) in 2019 along with 4 assists to make 2nd Team NSIC. She has been a big reason for Bemidji being nationally ranked in the recent Coaches Poll. By the way, her scoring isn't limited to the soccer field. She was a 1000 point scorer in high school basketball at Mounds View High School. Let's see if she can somehow maintain a goal a game rate for the whole season. 
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Photo Credit: BSU Athletics

Bemidji State - #15 Ranked Team in the Nation

Bemidji was picked to finish 4th in the NSIC this year, receiving zero first place votes. Our NSIC Correspondent Rachael Norton said that would motivate the team, and early results may be proving her correct. We're just 2 games into NSIC play and 5 games into the overall season, but in that short time, BSU has been the class of group. They started the year off with a 2-0 win over Division 1 University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and have taken care of business since then with three 1 goal wins over Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan and Northern State. On sunday they traveled to Moorhead and left with a 2-0 win, taking them to 5-0 on the season. This Friday they face likely their toughest challenge yet with a trip to Mankato. More on that later...

​Mankato falls to Augustana

NSIC power Mankato State starts each year with a goal of winning everything, the regular season, the conference tournament, and ultimately, the NCAA Tournament. When your standards are that high, the losses stand out a bit more. The Mavericks definitely book a challenging non conference schedule and they took a tough loss to #7 ranked Central Missouri on September 10th. That 3-4 loss doesn't hurt against a nationally ranked side, but the more noteworthy stumble was against Augustana in Sioux Falls on Sunday. The Auggies showed why they are perennial contenders in the NSIC with a 1-0 win at home. Before we get ahead of ourselves, lets remember that we are just 2 games into the conference season, and Mankato still features Jenny Vetter, Allie Williams and a roster stocked in talent. 
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Game of the Week - Mankato vs. Bemidji

Two of the best teams in the NSIC face off this friday in Mankato. The intrigue is easy enough even for me to understand. You've got the preseason pick to win the conference in Mankato, going up against their rivals from Bemidji, who just happen to be ranked #15 in the country. I can't imagine that the coaches are having to reach for motivation this week. Both of these squads believe they are the best team in the NSIC. Bemidji brings in the nation's top scorer in Sara Wendt, while Mankato are sure to be extra motivated (pissed off?) after 2 early losses. The Mustangs MIGHT be quick to remind everyone that they hold an overall record of 13 wins, 3 losses and 2 ties against BSU. We will see if Bemidji can add to their tally this weekend. 

The best part about this matchup? It's free to stream and its at a perfect 3pm on friday. Don't tell me you aren't slacking off at work by that point anyway. We won't tell the boss. Head to the Mustang Women Soccer page to stream this game and follow Equal Time on Twitter for some commentary/highlights. 

Conference Standings

Here's a rundown of where our Minnesota schools stand in the NSIC

1. Bemidji State 5-0 (2-0)
4. MSU Mankato 3-2 (1-1)
7. Concordia St Paul 2-2-1 (1-0-1)
9. Winona State 2-2 (1-1)
10. UM-Crookston 1-4 (1-1)
12. SW Minnesota State 1-3 (0-2)
13. St Cloud State 0-3-1 (0-1-1)
15. UM-Duluth 0-5 (0-2)
16. MSU Moorhead 0-5 (0-2)