MINOT, N.D.- Minot State Soccer will take their longest road trip of the season this weekend as they travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, to take on two non-conference opponents. First on Thursday night, they take on the host of the weekend, the 13^th-ranked Westminster College Griffins at 7 p.m. The team caps off their weekend taking on the Mavericks of Colorado Mesa University on Saturday with a kick-off at 11 a.m. Both games are Mountain Time.
 
Last Time Out: The Beavers started off the season on the wrong side of the dam as they fell to the Regis Rangers 3-1 at home. Junior Chloe Allan scored the lone goal of the night for the Beavers thanks in part to an assist by redshirt-freshman Tiffany Schennum, while Junior Maddie Kindred finished with four saves in net.
 
Top Returner: Senior Sofia Lewis is the all-time leading scorer in Minot State soccer history, tallying 42 goals with 13 assists throughout her career. She currently ranks 4^th all-time in the NSIC history in goals scored and 5^th all-time in the NSIC history in points accumulated (99).
 
Facing the No. 13 Griffins: The Beavers and Griffins have only played once in the history of both programs. They faced off in the 2010 Unaffiliated Dakota Athletic/Frontier/MCAC tournament in Helena, Mont., with the Griffins coming out on top 1-0 on Nov. 10, 2010, the Beavers inaugural season.
 
Scouting Westminster: The Griffins are currently 2-0 on the year after defeating the University of Hawaii at Hilo Vulcans 1-0 and the Hawaii Pacific University Sharks 2-0 in Hawaii. In exhibition play, they also defeated NCAA Division I Idaho State University 2-1 on the road. They finished their 2020 spring season with a 6-2-3 record, including a win against Division I Southern Utah University and a tie with the aforementioned Idaho State. They made it to the RMAC championship game where they fell to the Colorado State University at Pueblo Thunderwolves in a shootout, 5-4.

In two games, the Griffins have scored three goals with contributions from senior forward Aimee Kurfurst, junior forward Cassidy Orr, and freshman midfielder Elaina Pierce all reaching the back of the net for Westminster. Kurfurst currently leads Westminster in total shots with four so far on the young year. The Griffins are backstopped in goal by junior Kelsea Cracroft who has started both games and made two saves in net.
 
Facing the Mavericks: In the sole meeting between the Beavers and Mavericks, MSU came out victorious with a 2-1 victory on Sept. 1, 2011, in San Bernardino, Calif.
 
Scouting Colorado Mesa: The Mavericks also boast a 2-0 record to start the year. They hosted the Colorado Mesa Kickoff Weekend where they defeated the University of Texas at Permian Basin Falcons 5-1 and the Western Oregon University Wolves 2-1. They travel to Salt Lake City to first take on the 10^th-ranked Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks before taking the field against the Beavers. The Mavericks compiled a 5-4-1 record in their 2020 spring season and lost in the 1^st round of the RMAC tournament to the 25^th-ranked Colorado School of Mines Orediggers, 1-0.

In just two games, the Mavericks have flashed offensive potential scoring seven goals already. They are led in scoring by freshman forward Lila Dere who currently has three goals to go with seven shots. They have also received scores from sophomore midfielder Mikayla Eccher, freshman midfielder Adessa Correa, freshman midfielder Tatum Pfalmer, and freshman forward Addie Randel. Mesa has been backstopped by freshman Chloe Dody who has allowed one goal and has three saves so far this season in net.
 
Looking Ahead: Following the weekend road trip, the Beavers will head back on the road next weekend as they start their conference slate against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m., then wrap up the weekend at the Saint Cloud State University Huskies with a kickoff set for noon on Sunday, Sept. 19.