NSIC Tournament Website
NSCAA/Continental Tire Division II National Top 25 Poll
NSCAA Central Region Rankings

The University of Minnesota Duluth will have a shot at revenge Wednesday evening when the Bulldogs take on Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival Bemidji State University in the first round of the NSIC/US Bank Soccer Tournament at Malosky Stadium.

UMD (13-4-0) earned the third seed in the NSIC postseason tournament with a split last weekend, falling to the Beavers before bouncing back with a win over the University of Minnesota Crookston on Sunday. The Bulldogs finished the regular season undefeated at home and will look to defend that standing in the quarterfinals. Today's final regular season rankings by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) cited UMD  team in the Central region with official NCAA II Central rankings due to release tomorrow afternoon.

The Opponents
Bemidji State (12-6) finished sixth in the NSIC, securing a postseason berth with a win over the Bulldogs on Friday afternoon before falling in its regular season finale by a 2-1 score at St. Cloud State. Coach Jim Stone and the Beavers improved upon their 2012 record by two wins this season and are now ranked tenth in the region by the NSCAA. Senior midfielder Tiffany VanHaaften netted her fourth goal of the year against UMD last time out, while junior goalkeeper Sonja Barr earned her sixth shutout of 2013. First-year forward Sarah Stram and junior Mary O'Brien led the way for BSU with seven goals each during the regular season. The Beavers outscored opponents 33-18 so far this season, allowing just 1.00 goals per game. Barr improved upon that in her 13 games of action, posting a 0.72 GAA and an .887 save percentage.

Despite Friday's defeat, UMD remains 14-4-2 all-time against Bemidji State. The Beavers own a 1-0-1 record over UMD the past two seasons.

The Bulldogs
UMD saw its leading scorer return to the pitch this weekend in junior forward Maureen Stormont as she had an assist in the Bulldogs' 3-1 win over Minnesota-Crookston. Stormont finished the regular season with 29 points via 12 goals and five assists. Coach Greg Cane relied on a pair of goals from his back-line as junior defenders Kelli Klun and Riley Allen each scored on the afternoon. UMD got six goals from its back-line in 2013, just under one-sixth of its total scoring output (37 goals). The Bulldogs averaged 2.18 goals per game while UMD goalkeeper Marissa Rosa posted a 1.05 GAA. Rosa's numbers steadily improved throughout the year as she posted four shutouts including three in October.

Joining the Bulldogs and Beavers from the conference in the NSCAA's regional rankings are No. 6 Minnesota State, who tops the region despite falling in its regular season finale, Winona State which vaulted into the top 25 at No. 19 and third in the region. Southwest Minnesota falls out of the national rankings and is now fifth. Eighth-ranked Upper Iowa rounds out the NSIC representation in the regional poll.

The NSIC postseason tournament kicks off tomorrow afternoon with matches across the league. UMD and BSU will match up in the final battle at 5:00 p.m.