Mavericks win one, lose one this past weekend

The Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks took a road trip out to Michigan this weekend ending with mixed results. On Friday, the Mavs won a defensive match over Ferris State by the score of 1-0. Sunday resulted in a different outcome however, as the squad lost a tough one 2-0 against the No. 14 team in the country. Let’s dive right in to the action.

In game number one on the road trip, the Mavs faced off against Ferris State. Minnesota State came into the game with a record of 1-0 while the Bulldogs were 1-1. Early in the game proved difficult to get any type of momentum going on offense on either side as stellar defensive play got in the way of the offensive playmakers forcing difficult shots. The Mavericks broke through, however, and stayed persistent on offense leading to a goal in the 39th minute by sophomore Julia Mixon, the first of her young career.

Heading into the locker rooms at halftime, MNSU felt good about their chances. They not only had the 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard, but also held a 10-5 shots on goal advantage showing that the Mavs controlled the ball for most of the first half.

The second half was controlled by Ferris State. The Bulldogs pressed for a score for all 45 minutes of the second half. An 8-6 shot advantage was not enough though, as junior goalkeeper Taylor Livermore stayed true to her game and came away with a career-high seven saves. The stage was then set for the Mavs as they were then up 2-0 heading into the weekend finally against 14th-ranked Grand Valley State University.

The Mavericks held their own and were actually more of the aggressor in the first half. MNSU outshot GVSU 9-6 in the first and controlled the possession the whole half, much to the frustration of Lakers players. The Mavericks actually had an opportunity to get on the board early and did not quite capitalize, as junior midfielder Maddy Burandt took a good shot in the 16th minute, but the shot hit the crossbar and bounced away from the goal. That was the last legitimate opportunity for the Mavs as the Lakers controlled the game from there on out.

The Lakers came out in the second half with a vengeance. They outshot MNSU 9-6 and outscored them 2-0. The first goal came in the 73rd minute when Corey Sawall scored for the Lakers, followed by a goal nine minutes later by teammate Ava Cook pushing the lead to two goals with only minutes left.

GVSU won the game 2-0 but this game was big for the Lady Mavs. It showed that they can compete with top-25 squads as this match was tight throughout. Each team had 15 shots and eight shots on goal in the match.

Minnesota State’s next game is in Duluth, Minnesota where they will take on UMD on September 16th