THE OPENING KICK: The University of Minnesota Duluth marks its final home weekend of the 2017 season with Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference engagements against Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday and the University of Sioux Falls on Sunday. Both game times are at 1:00 p.m. The Bulldogs ride their longest losing streak of two games into the contests.
SCOUTING REPORT ON SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE: The Mustangs are winless on the season losing all 11 of their games. SMSU was held scoreless for almost five games until Amanda Hartmann scored a late goal to snap a streak of 523 minutes of play without a goal. The Mustangs have led for only five-plus minutes throughout the season as they have been outscored 32-4 on the year and being outshot over a 2-to-1 ratio Hartmann leads all scorers with four points (one goal and two assists). Both goalkeepers have each allowed 16 goals (2.91 GAA).
SCOUTING REPORT ON SIOUX FALLS: The Cougars are in a heated race for the eighth and final spot in the NSIC playoff chase with the Bulldogs. USF is winners of two of its last three. The Cougars are 1-3-1 in road games. Morgan Lovato and Lauren LaFavre both notched four goals apiece. LaFavre leads the team with 10 points with two assists to her four goals.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs have the edge in the series winning 22 of the 26 all-time matchups. The Mustangs handed UMD its second worst defeat of the 2016 season, winning 4-1 in Marshall, Minn. SMSU has been a thorn to the side of the Bulldogs as they have won four of the last five games.
The Bulldogs and the Cougars will meet for the 6th time with UMD winning the last previous five contests. UMD hasn't allowed a goal to USF in the past three matches as it has outscored them 5-0.
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD stacks up against SMSU and USF in the NSIC standings, the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II poll and how they were matched up in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Central Region poll.
TEAM NSIC COACHES POLL REGION POLL
UMD 8th NR NR
SMSU 16th NR NR
USF 9th NR NR
THE BROADCAST: The matches this weekend will be carried live through a video stream, in addition to live stats, with play-by-play provided by the iFan Sports Network and is available for free at:
portal.stretchinternet.com/umd
LAST TIME OUT: UMD lost back-to-back contests for the first time all season. The Bulldogs dropped a close a close 1-0 decision to Minot State University on the road Friday. The University of Mary upended UMD with the help of a penalty kick Sunday afternoon at Malosky Stadium.
The Bulldogs dropped to eighth in the NSIC standing after gathering zero points over the weekend. Junior forward Destiny Schmitz netted the only goal of the weekend. Schmitz has scored the last four UMD goals
GOLDEN GIRLS: Senior forward Skye Finley and junior forward Natalie St. Martin each received NSIC honors for offensive player of the week accolades for the first two weeks of the season. Before St. Martin claimed the weekly conference award, defender Megan Helberg ('14) was the last Bulldog member to be selected player of the week honors on Nov. 3, 2014.
Player of the Week Honors
Sept. 5- Natalie St. Martin Offense PoW
Sept. 11- Skye Finley Offense PoW
Finley snagged the honor for leading UMD to a pair of victories over Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. She chipped in both game-winners off beautifully placed corner kicks.
St. Martin, the product of Mahtomedi H.S., slammed home the game winner then proceeded to tally assists on the other two markers of a 3-0 victory of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. That four-point performance already matched her entire output of 2016.
TOP DOGS: Forwards Skye Finley, Natalie St. Martin and Destiny Schmitz are near the top of the NSIC scoring charts St. Martin is ninth with 10 points and tied for 11th in points per game (0.83). Finley and Schmitz are tied for 12th in points with nine. Schmitz' recent burst has her tied for ninth in points per game (0.90) and eighth in goals per game (0.40).
THESE DOGS HAVE NO QUIT: The Bulldogs have knocked in 15 of their 18 goals in the second half or later. All seven go-ahead markers have come after the intermission. They have also outscored the competition 15-3 after the first 45 minutes.
TIGHTLY CONTESTED: UMD on the losing end of games never get blown out. In its four losses this season, the Bulldogs has not lost a game by more than a goal. In three games, they have outshot the opposition.
YOU'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR FIRST: Junior Madison Carey, sophomores Mikayla Iaquinto, Emily Hinz and Nan Glinsek, and freshman Gabby Bland each registered their first points of their careers this season.
Carey assisted on UMD's third goal against the Rangers on Aug. 31. Iaquinto posted her assist on Nash's tally when her shot banged off the crossbar at Michigan Tech on Sept. 10. Hinz had a goal and an assist against Concordia-St. Paul on Sept. 17. Glinsek received her first point on an assist at Winona State on Sept. 29. Bland knocked in the game-winner marker on her first collegiate shot versus Northern State on Sept. 24.
THE DYNAMIC DUO: Skye Finley and Destiny Schmitz each lead the team with four goals, which ranks them tied for eighth in the NSIC. The duo ranks as the fourth best scoring combo in the league.
Finely is also tied for fourth in game-winning tallies with three. Schmitz is tied for fourth in goals and in goals per games in conference games only.
WHAT A FEED: Natalie St. Martin does more than just score goals. Her team-leading six assists occupy the top slot with two others in the conference and 16th in all of Division II. St. Martin has gathered two assists on two occasions. She helped on two assists in the season opener against Wisconsin-Parkside and again in the comeback win over Upper Iowa.
OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS: A pair of forward seniors, Hailey Hoff and Skye Finley, have been entrenched with the 'C' responsibilities for this fall. Finley served that responsibility last season. The last time UMD had at least two captains was in 2014 when Hannah Keil and Jennifer Smith led the helm.
BEHIND THE CRYSTAL BALL: In the annual NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Bulldogs were tabbed with a sixth place finish. The top distinction went to Minnesota State University-Mankato, which garnered 11 first-place votes and 217 points overall. Augustana University was second with 210 points (five first-place votes) followed by Bemidji State University (188), Minot State University (187), St. Cloud State University (165) then UMD.
THE CANE FILES: Greg Cane is one of the few coaches who can claim to have literally build his or her squad from the ground up. Cane officially became the first head soccer coach in Bulldog history in 1994.
The Bulldogs joined the upstart NSIC in 1996 and have claimed the league crown five times (1997, 1998, 2001-03) as well as five conference tournament titles (1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2009) in 17 seasons of NSIC competition Cane has twice led UMD to unblemished conference marks (1997 and 2003) and both times been named the NSIC Coach of the Year in those seasons.
Cane and the Bulldogs claimed its first-ever national ranking in 1999. One year later, UMD set a team record with 17 wins and would be ranked as high as eighth nationally en route to capturing the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. The team matched that win total in 2013 and made its biggest splash in the postseason, hosting the NCAA II Central Region Tournament where they reached the NCAA II Quarterfinals before succumbing to eventual champion Grand Valley State University.
The Bulldogs have been a model of consistency under the guidance of Cane in the upper Midwest. His keen eye for talent and development has harvested 27 different NSCAA/Daktronics All-Central Region players including three All-Americans in Clare Dahmen and Hannah Bengston in 2009 and Maria Leider the following season.
In September 2013, Cane was inducted into the St. Scholastica Athletic Hall of Fame for leading the Saints to two National Small Colleges Athletic Association National Championships and five NAIA District 12 titles in his nine years. Cane later played an integral role in establishing the St. Scholastica women's soccer program in 1990.
THE 250 WATCH: Cane needs two more victories to become a member of the 250-win club at UMD. Cane will be on pace to become the 13th coach in any sport to accumulate at least 250 wins at the university. Cane clinched milestone win number 200 on Oct. 20, 2012 versus Northern State. Starting the 2017 campaign, his 256 victories at the collegiate level ranks him 13th all-time among NCAA II coaches and his .579 career winning percentage ranks him 11th among coaches with 20-plus years of experience.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: UMD has an impeccable 128-52-12 record playing inside the confines of Malosky Stadium (good for a .702 winning percentage). Having played all 24 seasons inside the 4,500-seat venue, the Bulldogs have had only two losing seasons and have capped off three perfect home records, the latest coming in 2009.
"KICKS FOR CAUSES"- METASTATIC BREAST CANCER AND PANCREATIC CANCER EDITIONS: The UMD soccer team has used their home matchups since its initiation in 2014 as a way to give back to the community by highlighting organizations and charities that student-athletes have chosen to represent.
Junior Madison Carey selected Circle of Hope to be featured for Saturday's game. Carey's mother was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer and has been cancer-free for four-and-a-half years.
Junior Natalie St. Martin selected Pancreatic Cancer Action Network for Sunday's game. St. Martin's best friend's father passed away to pancreatic cancer.
For more information on the Kicks for Causes weekend click the link below:
Kicks For Causes Weekend
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will have three of the next four games on the road with two of those road matches coming next weekend against Augustana University and Wayne State College.
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