No. 13 Maverick soccer keep the ball rolling

Minnesota State was victorious over Wayne State and Augustana this past weekend

The 10-1-1 Mavericks soccer team once again dominated their opponents last weekend by not allowing a single shot into the net. Minnesota State’s first adversary was Wayne State. The Mavs had to spend the beginning of their homecoming weekend on the road. The strain of traveling turned out to be worth it as the Mavericks defeated Wayne State 4-0. It was a “White Out” for Sunday’s game against Augustana. The ball must have been hidden well in the sea of white in the crowd because the Vikings were unable to score any points on the Mavericks.

Not much could be done to save the Wayne State (Neb.) Wildcats against the Mavericks. In the first half alone, the Mavs tallied more shots than the Wildcats would the entire game. Minnesota State peppered the net of Wayne State, recording seven shots in the first 25 minutes of the game including a header from senior Jenny Hoerter. Hoerter also missed a goal by hitting the crossbar on her next shot.

The Mavericks broke the scoreless tie with Wayne State at the 29:55 mark of the game. Senior midfielder Lexi Pszanka got the ball past the Wildcats keeper from 15 yards out for the Mavs’ first goal, assisted by sophomore Dakota Wendell. The first half ended with Pszanka’s goal being the lone score in the game.

Wayne State would prevent the Mavericks from scoring to begin the second half but the Wildcats were also unable to score for themselves. MNSU increased its lead after 23 minutes of second-half play. Juniors Morgan Cottew and Maddy Burandt both had goals within a minute of each other to take a 3-0 lead. Mavericks freshman Molly Riley would finish off the scoring for either team with a goal from eight yards away at 71:50. The Mavericks would win the game 4-0.

Coming home for homecoming on Sunday, Minnesota State soccer took on the Augustana Vikings in Mankato. Minnesota State’s defense didn’t get left behind in Nebraska after the Wayne State game. Augustana put up a better offensive fight than the Wildcats against the Mavericks, with 13 total shots compared to the five that Wayne State had. Nonetheless, the Mavericks prevented any goals from scoring for the Vikings and put up three on their side of the scoreboard.

Pszanka scored the team’s and the game’s first goal once again and goals from freshman Molly Sarafolean and a third from Hoester ended the game at 3-0 in Minnesota State’s favor. The one yellow card in this game was credited to the Vikings as the Mavericks played a clean and decisive game. The loss to the Mavericks was only the Vikings’ second NSIC loss and the Mavs remain undefeated in the conference with a record of 8-0-1.

MNSU’s two-game win streak after the successful weekend can increase to three on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. when Northern State arrives in Mankato. Minnesota State will be holding their “Breast Cancer Day” at the Pitch to raise awareness for those who suffer from the disease. The Northern State Wolves enter this game coming off of a win against University of Minnesota – Crookston after failing to secure a win in their previous six games. The Wolves didn’t perform as well as the Mavericks did against Augustana and Wayne State, losing the game to the Vikings then tying Wayne State 1-1.