The University of Minnesota Duluth heads into week two of a four-game road tour this weekend and has one of its fiercest rivals in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference on deck.
UMD (3-3-0, 3-0-0 NSIC) will take the field on Saturday afternoon against Upper Iowa University riding a three-match shutout streak in NSIC play before the rivalry match with Winona State University (RV) on Sunday.
QUICK HITS• UMD senior defender
Megan Helberg earned NSIC Defensive Player of the Week honors this week for her role in leading the Bulldog defense to a pair of shutout victories that saw opponents take just a pair of shots on net against UMD. Helberg played holding midfield position
on Saturday before switching to left defensive back in
Sunday's match, while playing the second-most minutes on the team for the weekend. To cap off her weekend, she scored her first goal of the season -- a header off a free kick -- in
Saturday's 4-0 win over MSU Moorhead.
• Bulldog senior forward
Maureen Stormont scored two goals, including the game-winner in UMD's 1-0 win over Northern State, while adding a pair of assists to move into a tie for second-place all-time in scoring in Bulldog program history at 105 for her career, while claiming second place outright in scores. Her 12 points and five goals lead the NSIC so far this season.
SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS (Saturday, Sept. 27, 1:00 p.m.) -
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• Each of
Upper Iowa's (1-4-0, 1-2-0 NSIC) four losses this season have come to a nationally-ranked opponent, but they're coming off a 3-0 win over Wayne State (Neb.) College last weekend.
• Much like UMD, the Peacocks' offense has opened up upon entering league play. UIU ranks fifth in the NSIC at shots per game with 15.40 despite the fact that the team was held without a goal through its first four matches. Senior forward Aimee Wronski leads the Peacock attack with 19 shots and one goal on the season.
• Junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Emanuel has allowed just six goals on the season in starting every match for Upper Iowa. She's stopped 25 shots to the tune of a 1.20 GAA.
• UMD is 5-1-0 all-time against the Peacocks and knocked them off 2-0 at home last season on Sept. 21, 2013.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS (Sunday, Sept. 28, 1:00 p.m.) -
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Winona State (5-1-0, 2-1-0 NSIC, RV) will play host to St. Cloud State University on Saturday before the Bulldogs come to town. The Warriors currently rank fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)'s NCAA II Central Region rankings. The Warriors had been ranked in the National Top 25 before dropping their first match of the season to Augustana (S.D.) College last week.
• As a team, WSU ranks third in the NSIC with 19.33 shots per game (UMD leads at 26.50) and is currently tied for fourth having netted 13 goals already on the season. Junior forward Mehan Bolton leads the Warrior offense with eight points (three goals), good for seventh in the league.
• Freshman goalkeeper Rachel Olesen has played every minute between the pipes, allowing just three goals on the young season. She has 26 saves, three shutouts, a 0.50 GAA, and has stopped 89.7 percent of shots.
• UMD is 11-12-3 all-time against Winona State. The Bulldogs knocked off the Warriors 1-0 at home in the NCAA Central Region Tournament last season on Nov. 17, 2013.
UMD takes the field against Upper Iowa on Saturday in Fayette, Iowa at 1:00 p.m.
