NSIC In MN: Northern Sun play begins, St Cloud St face a tough start as defending champs, UM Crookston shows early resilience, Jenny Vetter plays in the USL Super League, Mackenzie Rath signs with NWSL, and games to watch in the early conference season

Author: Mark Privratsky

The 2024 NSIC Kickoff Weekend is upon us! The non conference gave us a glimpse of what to expect in the Northern Sun, but we know it really comes down to how ​these squads face off against each other. To get you ready for the weekend, we'll catch you up on St Cloud State's wild schedule to begin their season as defending champs, dig into UM Crookston's hopeful start in a potential rebound year, and the local teams who made the Central Region rankings. We will highlight the Games of the Week, Jenny Vetter making her Pro debut with Spokane Vephyr, Mackenzie Rath signing with San Diego Wave and share our interview with UMD star Anna Tobias. 

Defending NSIC Champs St Cloud State's front loaded schedule

Pictured: Elle Primerano (Photo: St Cloud State Athletics)

Coming off their first ever NSIC Title, the Huskies return most of their minutes played from last year, along with a slate of newcomers hoping to build on last years momentum. St Cloud had a solid test in non conference, playing NCAA Tourney teams Michigan Tech (L 0-1) and Northern Michigan (W 2-1), before besting two other regional opponents in Roosevelt (W 2-0) and UW Parkside (W1-0). As they start NSIC play, they have perhaps one of the more lopsided schedules you could create in terms of opponent strength. They will face 6 NSIC Tournament teams from 2023 in their first 7 games, completely frontloading the slate with UMD, Bemidji State, Augustana, Wayne State, Concordia St Paul, Minnesota State Mankato and U Mary. If the Huskies want to challenge for another trophy this year, they will need to come through the first half of the schedule relatively unscathed. Howver, they will have plenty of space to find momentum going into the NSIC Tournament, with the close all being (2023) bottom half of the table squads. ​

UM Crookston bests 2023 points total, ​looks tough to beat in '24

Pictured: Sarah Burgum (Photo: UM Crookston Athletics)

​In a Conference like the NSIC, there are definite tiers of talent, and also resources, so any teams growth has to be methodical and built year over year. For a relatively new Coaching staff at Crookston, they are in the midst of building that growth at one of the most far flung and (let’s be honest) under-resourced spots. They had a particularly tough 2023, going 0-18-0, but there were still close losses and respectable score lines at times. For 2024 Coaches Neil Mancktelow and Morgan Philliber recruited a slate of 11 newcomers (many of which are already seeing minutes), and clearly worked to find another level of resilience and potential. They started the year with an ambitious exhibition against D1 North Dakota, losing only 3-0, which you’d think would inspire some confidence. In the Non Conference, the Golden Eagles lost two close games to Lincoln University (an HBCU in Missouri) and University of Nebraska Kearney 0-1 at a round robin in Sioux Falls. In their third game in Spearfish, South Dakota, they snagged a 0-0 draw, ending their losing streak from last year, and also getting their first shutout since 2021. The result earned Keeper Jordan Metz an NSIC Keeper of the Week award (with an assist to finish the game from Emma Stempien) They face two tough games this weekend, at Bemidji State and home vs UMD, but next weekend could present an easier opportunity for points, with a trip to Sioux Falls and then a final non conference game against Jamestown. Jamestown is a soon to be NSIC member that Crookston beat 2-0 in an exhibition last year.

Central Region Coaches Poll

We've all probably been seeing too much about political polls, but there is one lesson we can take into NSIC play. Like their political counterparts, it's good to know the details and relevance of sports poll, to understand if it actually means anything. In Division 2 soccer, the coaches poll matters A LOT. When the NCAA Tournament field is selected, like most other sports, conference champs get an automatic birth. However, most teams that make the tourney are selected by at large invites, selected by the coaches of the Region. Last year St Cloud and MN State Mankato made the NCAA Tournament via at large selection, and the Conference would probably hope for at least a couple at large spots again this year. As we kick off NSIC play, we have four local squads getting ranked with few surprises, MN State Mankato, Concordia St Paul, Bemidji State and St Cloud State. With big NSIC matchups starting right away in the first weekend, we’ll see who takes the early momentum towards the postseason in a competitive '24 season.

Games to Watch

FRIDAY, SEPT 20
MN State Mankato vs Concordia St Paul (3pm)

Southwest MN State vs Wayne State (1pm)

Bemidji State vs UM Crookston (4pm)

​Winona State vs Augustana (5pm)

UMD vs UM Crookston (6pm)

Norhtern State vs MSU Moorhead (6pm)

Sunday, SEPT 22
St Cloud State vs Bemidji State (1pm)

UM Crookston vs UMD (1pm)

Winona State vs Concordia St Paul (1pm)

MSU Moorhead vs U Mary (1pm)

St Cloud State vs Bemidji State (1pm)

MN State Mankato vs Augustana (1pm)
​

NSIC Alum Jenny Vetter debuts with Spokane Zephyr,
​Mackenzie Rath signs with San Diego Wave

Jenny Vetter left the NSIC as the all time leading scorer, and took no time finding her way in the pro game. Vetter signed with a young club, Racing Power FC in Portugal, scoring 14(!) goals in her debut season in their top flight. Seeking an opportunity closer to home this year, she signed with the USL Super League's Spokane Zephyr as the first Minnesotan to join the league. After a slight injury delay, she has now made her debut with two substitute appearances for Zephyr. It seemed like as soon as Vetter debuted, her MN State Mankato teammate Mackenzie Rath (of MN Aurora 2) signed as a replacement with San Diego Wave in the NWSL, marking a huge fall for the Mavericks program and the NSIC. You can watch all of the USL Super League action on Peacock.

Equal Time Weekly with UMD's Anna Tobias