The University of Minnesota Duluth comes home this weekend, and for its soccer team that means a pair of tough Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches against Wayne State (Neb.) College and Augustana College.
The Bulldogs (5-2-0, 4-1-0 NSIC), ranked eighth in the central region of NCAA II in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, split in two matches last weekend, but have enjoyed a home field advantage in 2013 with a 3-0-0 record at Malosky Stadium this season.
Head coach
Greg Cane and his UMD squad will hit the road for four matches following this weekend, so they'll hope to maintain that spotless home record as they begin the grind of the NSIC schedule.
The Opponents
Wayne State enters the weekend with a 1-6-1 record (1-3-1 NSIC) . In his first season at the helm of the Wildcats, coach Tom Cliff's squad is 1-1-1 in their last three after snapping a five-match losing streak to start the season. WSC has allowed 3.38 goals per game while scoring just seven times in eight matches. Senior midfielder Macy Hagen and sophomore forward Kelly Voigt each have two scores to lead the Wildcats in 2013. Freshman Kylie Comba has played every minute between the pipes for WSC with 53 saves, earning a shutout vs. Minn.-Moorhead for her first career victory.
The Bulldogs are an undefeated 10-0-2 in the all-time series against the Wildcats. One of those ties came last season as the teams battled through double overtime with a 2-2 score on Sept. 30.
Augustana (7-1-0, 5-0-0 NSIC) ranks seventh in the central region of NCAA II, and the Bulldogs will need to beat the team just ahead of them as they look to keep moving up in the poll. Head coach Brandon Barkus is in his eighth season at the helm of the Vikings, who have outscored opponents 21-7 in 2013. Senior midfielder Maren Werth is tied with UMD junior forward
Maureen Stormont for second in the NSIC with six goals and leads Augie with 12 points on the year. Five Vikings have multiple goals on the year. Junior Ashley Limmer has posted a 0.84 GAA in-goal this year with 30 saves and a pair of shutouts for 2013.
UMD leads the all-time series with Augustana 9-3-1. That lone tie came last season, when the Bulldogs and Vikings played to a 1-1 double overtime score on Sept. 29, 2012.
The Bulldogs
The aforementioned
Maureen Stormont, third in the conference in points as well, is not the only Bulldog to crack the top statistical ranks in the NSIC, as senior forward
Dani Potter ranks sixth in scoring with 11 points. Her four indivudal scores are good for a seventh-place tie in that stat as well. Stormont has scored four of the Bulldogs' five game-winners to lead the NSIC.
Freshman midfielder
Marissa Ganske earned her first goal last weekend as she has emerged as a key contributor for UMD in her first go-around. She and four other first-year Bulldogs have seen signifcant playing time in 2013.
UMD's match with Wayne State, scheduled for 6:00 p.m., will be the team's first evening tilt since the season opener one month ago. The team will then return to the pitch Sunday afternoon to take on Augustana. That match is set for a 1:00 p.m. opening kick.
