Scuffling to a 1-3-1 record out of the gates in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season, the University of Minnesota Duluth will look to end its offensive woes and regain footing in the conference standings this weekend as it takes a road trip to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Marshall, Minnesota.

UMD (2-5-1 overall) has seen its offense fall quiet over its last five matches of NSIC play, scoring just three goals in that time frame since a 3-0 victory over Northern Michigan University to end non-conference play. The Bulldogs will look to snap a scoring drought that's now last through back-to-back shutouts when they travel to the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday morning and then stop in Marshall to take on Southwest Minnesota State University on Sunday afternoon.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS | 2-5-0, 1-4-0 NSIC
Sioux Falls snapped a three-match losing streak last week with a 4-3 double overtime victory over the University of Mary last week before falling in a shutout last Sunday against Minot State University ... freshman goalkeeper Morgan Perkins currently ranks fifth in the conference making 7.00 saves per game but has allowed an NSIC-high 17 goals on the season ... the Cougars have just five goals scored on the season, led by junior forward Lola Weiss with two ... head coach Brittany Goosen took the helm of the Cougars for the first time this season and has already matched the team's win total from a year ago ... UMD is 3-0-0 all-time against USF including a 1-0 victory last season on Oct. 4, 2014 ... the Bulldogs and Cougars will hit the pitch bright and early Saturday with an 11:00 a.m. kick-off.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS | 2-5-1, 2-3-0 NSIC
Southwest Minnesota State has also struggled through its last three, falling against Minot State and U-Mary last weekend each by 2-1 scores ... the Mustangs will host St. Cloud State University on Saturday before UMD comes to town ... senior forward Kendahl Fisher is tied for third in the NSIC with three assists on the year ... senior forward Miranda Cadena leads Southwest Minnesota with with three goals in 2015 ... senior goalkeeper Kristy Leopold ranks 10th in the NSIC with a 1.26 goals against average ... head coach Erin Kasmarik-Mallett is in her first season with the Mustangs ... UMD is 22-2-0 all-time against SMSU but fell 2-1 in overtime last season on Oct. 5, 2014 ...the Bulldogs and Mustangs will take the field at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

QUICK KICKS
First-year goalkeeper Sisley Ng made a valiant effort in her first collegiate start on Sunday against Winona State, making six saves on the afternoon to keep UMD's hopes alive ... junior midfielder Marissa Ganske led the Bulldog attack with seven shots and two on-goal as the Bulldogs nearly matched their opponents shot-for-shot (21-22) ... sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Melby made the start between the pipes against Upper Iowa, making just two stops as UMD out-shot UIU 12-4 in the match but suffered a 1-0 defeat.

LINKS TO WATCH
... vs Sioux Falls: Live Stats | Live Video
... vs. Southwest Minnesota: Live Stats | Live Video

UMD and Upper Iowa will kick off the weekend early on Saturday morning as the teams meet at 11:00 a.m.