MATCHUPS: Minot State will host two NSIC opponents for its first conference games of the season on Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18. In the homecoming matchups the Beavers will first take on the Augustana Vikings on Saturday at 11 a.m. then play the Wayne State Wildcats on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games are presented by Too Dark Motorsports.
RECORDS: The Beavers started their season with a 1-1 non-conference showing. The Vikings sits at 1-2-1 with three non-conference games and a tie with Wayne State. After their tie with Augustana the Wildcats hold a 3-0-1 record.
COACHES CORNER:
Jason Spain is in his seventh season as head coach of the women's soccer program at Minot State. Spain has done impressive work in his five seasons with the team, sporting a highly successful 68-39-12 record. Last season, Spain led the Beavers to their fourth-consecutive birth in the NSIC postseason tournament. In 2012, the Beavers won the NSIC tournament and claimed the automatic bid into the NCAA Division II tournament. In 2015, Spain took his team to its second NCAA Division II tournament appearance and coached his team to the first NCAA postseason win in MSU's Division II history. Brandon Barkus is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Augustana soccer program. With back-to-back second place regular season finishes in the NSIC Barkus will be looking to win his first regular season championship after winning the program's first conference tournament championship in 2015. With a win over Harding in the NCAA Division II tournament he earned his 100th career victory as the leader of the Vikings. Bruce Erickson is in his second season as the coach of Wayne State. In his first season with the Wildcats, Erickson led his team to a 4-11-3 record with a 4-10-1 conference record. The four wins in NSIC play were the most recorded by Wayne State since 2010. Erickson came to WSC from Creighton after becoming a well-respected coach in the Missouri Valley Conference where he won Coach of the Year honors in 2002 and 2010 while winning four-straight conference championships between 2002-05.
RANKINGS: Neither Minot State nor any of this week's competitors were ranked in the September 13 NSCAA Coaches poll. The Beavers received votes in the preseason while the Vikings received votes in the first week.
NOTING THE BEAVERS: Minot State started its season off hot with a 4-0 win against Black Hills State at home. The Beavers followed that game with a 2-1 loss to Fort Hays State in an overtime game on a neutral pitch in Sioux Falls, S.D. All five goals and three assists recorded in 2016 for MSU so far have been from seniors, including seven points scored from last season's points leader,
Ninfa Ramirez.
NOTING THE VIKINGS: With its recent tie against Wayne State, Augustana sits tied for fifth place in the NSIC standings. Through four games, the Vikings have allowed six goals having yet to shutout an opponent while being shutout themselves twice. The Vikings have, however, taken the same amount of shots on goal as their opponents with both marks standing at 28. Between its seven goals scored only three have come off of assists.
NOTING THE WILDCATS: Wayne State has begun its season with a 3-0-1 record, just one win away from reaching its win total from a year ago. Outscoring their opponents seven to two, the Wildcats have shutout two teams so far this season. All of the WSC goals this season have come from three players including leader Carys Hund. Hund, a sophomore, has scored a team-high three goals this season.
SERIES HISTORY: Minot State is 2-4 against Augustana and 4-0 against Wayne State. The Beavers have been playing the Vikings since 2011 and the Wildcats since 2012.
LAST TIME OUT: The Beavers lost twice to the Vikings last season twice in two matches that ended 2-1 in favor of Augustana. One of those matches was played in the NSIC Tournament knocking the Beavers out of contention for winning a conference title. The Beavers defeated the Wildcats in double overtime in 2015 with a goal by
Ninfa Ramirez at the 106-minute mark.
Dalia Tapia assisted on the game-winning goal.
NINJA STRIKE: The Northern Sun Conference's returning scoring leader from last season,
Ninfa Ramirez, scored seven points in the Beavers first two games this season. Ramirez, who totaled 36 points in 2015, scored three goals and assisted on another to lead MSU again this season. Those seven points are the most Ramirez, who goes by 'Ninja', has scored in two back-to-back games in her career at Minot State. Those seven points moved Ramirez from the No. 4 all-time scoring leader at MSU to No. 2 all-time.
DEFENSIVE PROWESS: With just two returning starters on the defensive side of the ball the Beavers have had a good start on that end so far in 2016. Allowing just one shot on goal in the season opener, Minot State picked up from its NSIC fourth-ranked defense from last season. New addition
Yesenia Piceno leads MSU in minutes played with 177. All of the defensive starters, five of them in total, are in the top six in minutes played on the team. In game two, despite losing 2-1, the defense still held strong against a physical attack from Fort Hays State holding them scoreless for the first 85 minutes.
PAIR OF FIRSTS: In the season-opening game against Black Hills State seniors
Brianna Ramsey and
Ryann Rafferty did something neither had yet to accomplish. Both have made impacts at Minot State combining for a total of 100 games played, but they have not made many offensive impacts as defensive players. On Thursday, Ramsey recorded an assist, resulting in her first point as a Beaver, while Rafferty scored her first home goal. The goal marks the third time Rafferty has scored while at MSU, but is her first time on the board since a freshman.
CHASING RECORDS: Seniors
Ninfa Ramirez and
Chloe Melton are currently in the top 10 in career points, goals and assists and will be moving up the ranks this season. Sophomore
Ashley Franco is already in the top 10 in assists after just one season with the team. Ramirez also has just one season of experience with Minot State. Junior
Maritssa Perez is also in the top 10 for career assists.
KEEPER QUESTIONS: Minot State needed to replace starting goalkeeper
Celene Johnson who logged nearly every minute in 2015.
Leila Torres was the Beavers back up last season totaling 359 minutes. Torres make six saves and allowed just one goal in 2015, going 1-0-0. Torres and redshirt freshman
Erin Rafferty have emerged as MSU's top two in fall camp and coach
Jason Spain has played them both equally in the first two games so far this season. Torres, who was credited with the win in game one has faced six shots and recorded three saves while Rafferty, who was credited with the loss in game two has faced 24 shots making seven saves.
CHALLENGING COMPETITION: Head coach
Jason Spain has not shied away from the fact that year after year he likes scheduling tough non-conference opponents to begin his team's season. This year has been no different as Fort Hays State now sits at 3-0 after going 11-8-1 last season which included a win over No. 1 Central Missouri.
BY THE NUMBERS
3: Yellow cards given out in the two games these teams played in 2015.
26: Corner kicks totaled in the first two games. The Beavers have taken 12, while allowing opponents 14.
