THE OPENING KICK: The University of Minnesota Duluth begins its final push towards the postseason with three of its last four regular season games on the road. The Bulldogs open this weekend with Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday then travel to Wayne, Neb., to play Wayne State College the following day.

SCOUTING REPORT ON AUGUSTANA: The Vikings have lost only once in the last 11 games. Augustana is 0-2-2 against top-25 competition. Bemidji State tied 1-1 in  the previous match. Samantha Tymkowicz and Rebakah Thoresen each registered a team-leading four goals. Tymkowicz also has three assists to direct all Vikings with 11 points. Augustana has posted nine shutouts. 

SCOUTING REPORT ON WAYNE STATE: The Wildcats finished a three-game road swing going 0-2-1. Wayne State last win came in September against Minnesota State Moorhead. Hannah Knight, Christina Stasi and Brooke Buzzell all have three goals a piece. The Wildcats have been outscored 10-2 the last five games.

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 11-6-2 over the Vikings. Augustana and UMD tied last year 1-1. The Bulldogs last victory over the Vikings happened in the NSIC playoffs on Nov. 5, 2014 in overtime. Kailey Beatt scored the lone goal in the 39th minute.
The Bulldogs and the Wildcats will square off for the 17th time on Saturday. UMD has not lost to Wayne State (14-0-2) and has won the previous four matchups. The only two ties came in 2000 and 2012.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD stacks up against Augie and WSC in the NSIC standings, the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II poll and where they stack up in the NCAA Central Region rankings.
TEAM        NSIC        COACHES        REGION
UMD            8th               NR                   NR
AUGIE         3rd               NR                   NR
WSC           T-11th            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 came away with a win and a tie last weekend at Malosky Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated Southwest Minnesota State 3-1 then tied Sioux Falls 1-1.
Junior defender Erika Hjort, junior midfielder Madison Carey and junior forward Destiny Schmitz scored for UMD. Carey notched her first collegiate goal --the eventual game-winner. The Bulldogs outshot the Mustangs 24-9. Junior forward Natalie St. Martin knocked a team-high five shots on goal. 
St. Martin assisted on sophomore forward Logan Nash's tally in the 11th minute. UMD doubled the shot total of the Cougars. USF knotted the game in the 82nd minute on a set play. 

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 Natalie St. Martin and Destiny Schmitz are near the top of the NSIC scoring charts. The duo are tied for 11th with 11 points each. Both players have tallied their points differently. St. Martin has two goals and seven assists. Schmitz, on the other hand, has five goals and one assist. 

THESE DOGS HAVE NO QUIT: The Bulldogs have knocked in 17 of their 22 goals in the second half or later. They have also outscored the opponents 17-5 after the intermission session.

TIGHTLY CONTESTED: 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, freshman Gabby Bland and freshman Jenna Eichten 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. Eichten, in her first collegiate start, grabbed her first assist on Nash's goal.

THE DYNAMIC DUO: Destiny Schmitz (five) and Skye Finley (four) rank in the top 12 in goal scoring. The duo ranks as the fifth best scoring combo in the league with nine total goals.
Finely is one game-winning goal short of tying the conference lead. In NSIC games, Schmitz is tied for fourth in goals (five) and in goals per games (.500).

WHAT A FEED: Natalie St. Martin does more than just score goals. Her team-leading seven assists occupy the top slot with Bemidji State's Allyson Smith in the conference and 11th 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.

GETTING OFFENSIVE: The backrow has done its share of contributing on the offensive side of the field. UMD defenders have compiled 13 points (four goals and five assists) this season. Also, 16 different Bulldogs have garnered at least a point, the highest number since 2012 when that club also had 16 different point gatherers.

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 set a team record 17 wins in 2000 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. Cane later played an integral role in establishing the St. Scholastica women's soccer program in 1990.

THE 250 WATCH: Cane needs one more victory to become a member of the 250-win club at UMD. Cane will become the 13th coach in any sport to accumulate at least 250 wins at UMD. 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 128-52-13 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. 

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs end the 2017 regular season with Bemidji State University at home and the University of Minnesota Crookston on the road.