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Mark Privratsky
If you talk to players and coaches in the Northern Sun, you will run across the saying, “anything can happen in the NSIC”. While we typically take that to expect an odd upset or a scrappy draw from a lower table squad, this year it seems a bit more significant. Last years NSIC tournament field featured #4 seed Minot State, #6 Winona State and #7 U Mary (and yes the table was tight overall in terms of seeds). Having played over half of the conference season, all 3 sit outside of playoff contention, having won just 1 of their first 7-8 games. Who’s to blame for the apple cart wobbling? St Cloud State sits atop the NSIC at 6-1-1 after missing the playoffs last year, Northern State is unbeaten in 8, and both Wayne State and Sioux Falls are sneaking out results that they didn’t last year. Bemidji and Mankato remain unbeaten, Concordia St Paul is holding their own at 3-2-2, while UMD, Moorhead State and Southwest MN State sit just outside the 8 team playoff field. The next two weeks will show us if St Cloud is as serious as they look, if the mid table Minnesota squads can step up, and if Bemidji and Mankato take their typical places at the top of the NSIC Tournament bracket.
Moorhead State wins Hwy 75 Rivalry Rock game with stingy defense, stays in playoff huntComing into last Sunday, Moorhead players likely felt like they deserved a few more points from their season so far. In NSIC play, they give up less than a goal a game, and have had solids results. They lost 1-0 to Northern State and Bemidji State, both teams in solid top 4 positions. They drew Wayne State and Sioux Falls, both in playoff spots, and now finally, victory. Moorhead gets their first win of the Conference season in the annual Northwest Minnesota Derby. MN Crookston and MN State Moorhead play for the epic “ Highway 75 Rivalry Rock”. For squads who don’t typically challenge for the NSIC crown, this is a great chance to win silverware. The current wrinkle to this rivalry features a certain all time leading scorer for one squad coaching on the other side and that makes it all the more dramatic (dig into the Equal Time archives). The Dragons face UMD this Friday in a game with huge playoff berth implications. St Cloud leads the Northern Sun after huge draw at MN State Mankato, win at Concordia St PaulCall me a Coach with a cliche in hand, but sometimes a tie feels like a win. St Cloud State is in the midst of a renaissance year, with 6 wins in their first 8 NSIC games, including a huge draw in Mankato, where no one likes to play on the Mavericks “Pitch”. The results may very well have been a confidence boost, as they followed it up with an away Sunday afternoon win over Concordia St Paul. In past years, the Huskies probably dreaded the toughest road trip you can take in the NSIC, and this year they got 4 points. St Cloud is a consistent and balanced team. In attack, they’ve got five players making 4 or more goal contributions in 12 games. They’ve got a First Year keeper Jaylee Strickland from Columbus, Ohio who has started every game for them and backstopped a defense that gives up less than a goal a game. This weekend they face a huge test at Northern State before facing a pretty manageable back stretch that features Moorhead, Sioux Falls, Southwest MN State, Winona State and Crookston. St Cloud looks legit and is primed to be in a good spot for the NSIC Tournament. Bemidji State drops out of National Rankings, but stays unbeaten with close wins, draws
The Beavers have been here before. They know the NSIC season is going to at times be a grind, like a 5 hour bus drive to Marshall that ends with a 1-1 draw to end September, or the possibly too close for comfort 1-0 win over Moorhead at home last Friday. However, they remain unbeaten in NSIC play after a home draw with (also unbeaten) Northern State this past weekend put 2 points back of St Cloud with a game in hand . Their ultimate goal is another trip to the NCAA’s and they know the most important thing is to be in form when it counts. This weekend the Beavers go to North Dakota to face down on their fortunes Minot State and U Mary, who’ve both dropped early results this year in the NSIC. The weekend of October 20 brings Augustana and Wayne State to town for two big home games. UMD back in playoff hunt with 4 point home weekend bounce-backThe Bulldogs had a brutal road trip to end September, losing to perennial contenders MN State Mankato and Concordia St Paul. Cue a visit from the North Dakota schools and a potential Equal Time Bump and you’ve got a renewed playoff race for UMD. After the tough road losses, we talked to Jackie Jares about the challenge of taking a step up in this league, and how she leads this team as a Captain. That weekend she score the lone goal against U Mary to secure a much needed point at home. Jackie and the dogs followed that up with a big 1-0 win over Minot to put themselves just outside the playoff spots. This weekend UMD travels to Moorhead and Northern State in two difficult games. Next weekend they host Southwest MN State and Sioux Falls in what will be must win games. Get to know UMD's leading scorer Anna Tobias below on "Bark and the Bite"!
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Friday, Oct 13
Winona State at Southwest MN State Kickoff: 3pm St Cloud State at Northern State Kickoff: 6pm MN Duluth at MSU Moorhead Kickoff: 3pm |
Sunday, Oct 15
Wayne State at MN State Moorhead Kickoff: 1pm Friday, October 20 MN State Mankato at Northern State Kickoff 5pm Augustana at Bemidji State Kickoff: 6pm |
Previous Game Results
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Friday, September 29
MSU Moorhead 0-0 Sioux Falls St Cloud State 0-0 MN State Mankato Bemidji State 1-1 Southwest MN State MN Crookston 0-4 Winona State MN Duluth 1-4 Concordia St Paul Sunday, October 1 MSU Moorhead 1-1 Wayne State Bemidji State 2-1 Winona State MN Crookston 0-2 Southwest MN State MN Duluth 0-3 MN State Mankato St Cloud State 2-1 Concordia St Paul Thursday, October 5 Concordia St Paul 0-1 Wayne State |
Friday, October 6
Northern State 3-0 MN Crookston Southwest MN State 0-3 MN State Mankato Minot State 0-1 St Cloud State Sioux Falls 2-1 Winona State U Mary 1-1 MN Duluth MSU Moorhead 1-1 Bemidji State Sunday, October 8 Minot State 0-1 MN Duluth Southwest MN State 1-2 Sioux Falls MN State Mankato 0-0 Winona State MSU Moorhead 2-0 MN Crookston Northern State 1-1 Bemidji State Augustana 1-4 Concordia St Paul U Mary 1-2 St Cloud State |
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