MARSHALL, Minn. – Minnesota State Moorhead soccer collected a valuable road conference win on Friday afternoon. The Dragons bested Southwest Minnesota State thanks to three goals in a 3-2 victory.
"This week we worked so hard on playing the right way on the ball," said MSUM head soccer coach
Scott Forster. "Winning in the Northern Sun is hard but it's great to see the comeback spirit and fighting to compete. These players deserved it."
The Dragons would put the pressure on early in the match as MSUM earned a corner kick within the first 10 minutes of play.
Madalynn Hopkins would claim rights to the attempt, but the sophomore opted for a more aggressive approach. The Denver, Colo., native did not look for a set piece, but would bend the ball to the left, resulting in it landing in the net. The rare corner kick score was the first for Hopkins in 2025.
Southwest Minnesota State would get a shot on goal in the 16
th minute with
Quinn Carter making a strong save. Moorhead would push for another goal not long after as redshirt senior
Brooklyn Broderick tried a shot on net ahead of the 20
th minute. With the shot stalled by Mustang keeper Kennady Krebs, MSUM retained a one goal lead.
Southwest Minnesota State would take advantage of a corner kick to equalize with three minutes to play in the first half. The Mustangs would strike again just over a minute later to take control of the scoreboard and momentum. After 45 minutes, SMSU led the Dragons, 2-1. The home club outshot the Dragons, 6-3 (3-2 SOG) in the first half.
Moorhead would push the pace again to open the second half as
Mary Cox would deliver a beautiful, bouncing pass into the box. Broderick would race for it as the Mustang keeper charged the ball. The upperclassman would be able to poke the ball upwards, eventually bouncing into the open net. For Broderick, it is her first career goal as a Dragon while the shot equalized the count once more.
Lauryn Katzenberger would fire a shot on net in the 68
th minute, looking to give the Dragons a lead. The shot was stopped by SMSU keeper Stella Litzen, who came on at half. Broderick would have another shot on goal a minute later with Litzen also making a timely save.
With just under 16 minutes to play, true freshman speedster
Ana Cecilia Walker was able to take the ball away from a Mustang defender. Using her acceleration, Walker would get loose on a breakaway following the takeaway. The freshman would fire a low shot that found the right side of the net. Walker's second goal of the season had Moorhead in front, 3-2.
Ultimately, it was Walker's goal that was the deciding factor in the match as the Dragon defense would clamp down in the latter stages. MSUM did not allow a shot from the Mustangs in the final 15 minutes. Moorhead won the shots (10-6) and shots on goal (6-3) battles in the match.
Up Next
MSUM (2-3-1, 1-2-0 NSIC) travels to Sioux Falls, S.D. for a matchup with USF on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
