MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead soccer looks to continue its strong start to the 2026 season at the Rimrock Classic, hosted by Montana State Billings. The Dragons will begin the two-match set against the Yellow Jackets on Thursday at 8 p.m. before wrapping play against Black Hills State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Live video and stats will be available at msumdragons.com. Please note that the GNAC Network is a pay-per-view service. Moorhead opened the 2026 regular season with a rivalry series victory over Minnesota Crookston on Monday. The Dragons defeated the Golden Eagles 1-0 to regain control of the Highway 75 Rivalry Rock traveling trophy. 

A Scintillating Debut...Sophomore goalkeeper Emilia Bukholt Kristensen turned in a strong debut for Moorhead against Minnesota Crookston on Monday. The Poulstrup, Denmark, product made seven massive saves for the Dragons in the victory. Kristensen's clean sheet is the first by a Dragon since Rylee Truslow's against Nebraska Kearney on September 7, 2025. The sophomore Kristensen played the 2025 season as NJCAA Hawkeye Community College (Waterloo, Iowa) where she earned all-region second team honors. Kristensen led her conference in save percentage (.877), goals against (8), goals against average (.56) in 2025. 

An Early Impact...Moorhead earned the victory over Minnesota Crookston thanks to a stellar goal off the head of freshman Erika Bergh. A Golden Eagle turnover in the Dragon half of the field afforded a wide open shot opportunity for junior Mary Cox just ahead of the 11th minute. Cox's ball was struck well but lifted just high enough to hit the lower half of the top post. The ball would forcefully bounce in front of the goal line which catapulted it up above the net. At the same time, Bergh was marking the ball as she made a sprint to the net. Bergh showcased impeccable timing, connecting with her head to fire the ball past UMC keeper Phoenix DeBrusk. Bergh's first career goal supplied a lead for Moorhead 11 minutes into the contest.

It Still Counts...Despite the missed shot on goal, Cox was still attributed an assist on Bergh's goal thanks to the creative ricochet. The assist was Cox's fifth of her career after dishing out four assists as a sophomore in 2025. In MSUM soccer history, Dragon Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Shauna Derosier and Suzanne Rebne hold the program record with 14 career assists. 

Forster Clinches No. 20...Head soccer coach Scott Forster earned his 20th career win as a head man in MSUM's win over Minnesota Crookston. Forster has won five matches in his tenure with the Dragons while earning 15 as head coach at Bluefield State from 2021 until 2023. 

Preseason Buzz...Minnesota State Moorhead was selected to finish 16^th in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll while the midfielder Cox and defender Lizzy Jaraczeski were tabbed as 'players to watch'. The Dragons earned their poll placement with 34 points. Minnesota State earned the top spot in the preseason index, garnering 223 points and 13 first-place votes. Concordia-St. Paul (3) assumed the other first-place nods, earning the second position. Moorhead is coming off a 3-14-1 season in 2025, including a pair of NSIC victories over Southwest Minnesota State and Jamestown. 

Coach Speak...Head coach Scott Forster had this to say about his 2026 outfit: "Moving on from a large graduating class last year, there are 14 new faces arriving in Moorhead. A lot rides on the new freshmen to get settled and start contributing," said Forster, who embarks on his third season as head coach in 2026. "There's a huge upside to come from these players joining the returning core with a new energy that will push the Dragons to be more competitive in the Northern Sun. Team togetherness and determination is at an all-time high."

Scott Forster is in his third season as MSUM's head soccer coach.