Live Video (USF game)Live Stats (SMSU game)Live Stats (USF game)MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's soccer team will wraps up a stretch of four straight road games this weekend with a pair of contests. The Dragons will play at Southwest Minnesota State at noon on Saturday and conclude the trip at Sioux Falls for a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.
MSUM and SMSU will meet for a 23rd time with the Dragons holding a slim 10-9-3 series lead. The Dragons had won three straight in the series before losing to the Mustangs, 3-1 in Moorhead last season. MSUM will meet Sioux Falls for a sixth time and hold a 4-1 lead in the series; USF's only win came last year in a 2-1 decision in Moorhead.
MSUM (3-10, 2-9 NSIC) split on the road last weekend, beating Minnesota Crookston, 2-1, on Saturday, thanks to two goals from sophomore
Jessica Johnson and 13 saves from junior goalkeeper
Ashley Leintz. The Dragons fell the next day to Bemidji State, 3-0.
Seven different Dragons have scored goals this season: Johnson (two), freshman
Mackenzie Carlson, senior
Erin Nyberg, freshman
Annika Greaney, freshman
Jenai DeNardo, junior
Kelsey Schatz and Tharaldson. Carlson, sophomore
Ashley Germann, Drexl and sophomore
Gabrielle Bjorge each have assists.
Junior goalkeeper
Ashley Leintz has 103 saves through 13 games and leads the NSIC at 9.85 per contest. She has a shutout and a .810 save percentage.
Rollie Bulock is in his 16th season as the Dragon head coach with a record of 94-163-15 at the school.
About SMSU The Mustangs are 7-6-1 overall and 6-4-1 in the NSIC. They have lost two games in a row, including 2-0 losses at Upper Iowa and Winona State last weekend. Miranda Cadena has 11 goals and 25 points to lead the SMSU attack while Kendahl Fisher has three goals, a team-high seven assists and 13 points. Autumn Hayes has 10 points for the Mustangs. Brienna Dehkes has served as the team's primary goalkeeper and has a 5-6-0 record. She has 60 saves and two shutouts. SMSU has outscored its opponents 28-20 this season. T.J. Buchholz is in his fourth season as SMSU's head coach with a record of 35-30-5 at the school.
About Sioux FallsThe Cougars are 1-12-1 overall and 1-10 in the NSIC. USF, which will face Northern State prior to facing MSUM, has lost four in a row, including a 6-1 loss at Winona State last Saturday and a 4-0 loss to Upper Iowa on Sunday. The Cougars' lone win came over St. Cloud State on Oct. 5. Ciara Howerton has four goals and one assists to lead USF with nine points, while Elisa Martinez has three goals, an assist and seven points. Rachel Mata leads with three assists. Sioux Falls has used two primary goalkeepers, Jordin Crosby and Cheyanne Carpenter. Crosby has a 1-6-1 record with 46 saves while Carpenter has a team-high 60 saves. Mekonnen Afa is in his seventh season as USF's head coach.
Leintz Ranked Nationally Junior goalkeeper
Ashley Leintz is ranked fifth in all of Division II with 128 saves. She leads the NSIC in that category and also leads the league in saves per game at 9.85
Perfect Time for First GoalJunior
Kelsey Schatz and freshmen
Mackenzie Carlson and
Jenai DeNardo have each scored the first goal of their college careers this season -- and all have come at critical times for the Dragons. Schatz scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Wayne State on Sunday. Carlson scored the first goal of her collegiate career earlier in the game to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. DeNardo scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Washburn to open the 2014 season.
Captains Seniors Stephanie LIndo and
Erin Nyberg and junior
Ashley Leintz are the Dragons' 2014 captains.
