Vets to help replace Vetter
The squad has high expectations for themselves and also has expectations from the outside as they have been picked to finish first in the NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
The Mavs come into the new season off the back of a 14-2-6 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament in the 2022 season.
The Minnesota State Women’s Soccer team was back on the field Saturday for an exhibition as they faced Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats defeated the Mavericks 2-0 at The Pitch.
One of the major stories from last season’s team was former Minnesota State midfielder Jenny Vetter. Vetter started all 22 games for the Mavericks as she scored 12 goals and contributed with 4 assists. She ended her time at Minnesota State ranked third in career goals with 57 and points with 132. Over the course of her Maverick career, Vetter was named All-NSIC First Team three times and the College Sports Communicators Academic All-American Player of the Year last fall. Furthermore, Vetter was named a Third-Team All-American by the United States Coaches Association, making her the first Maverick to gain status within the group.
During the summer, Vetter signed a professional contract with the Racing Power Football Club. The football club is a member of the Portugal National Women’s Soccer Linga BPI.
With a ton of production going with Vetter’s departure, head coach Brian Bahl will look to his seniors to help maintain the team’s high standard.
“We have a great senior class. Some of those are fifth-years, some of those are regular fourth-year seniors. We’re going to lean on them a lot, they’ve been around the program obviously for a long time and they’ve all been in different roles. There’s a lot of really cool stories in that group,” Bahl said.
Some of those players have endured difficult experiences during their time at MSU, such as overcoming injuries and the first few years of not playing.
“Now they find themselves in a little bit of a different position where it’s their opportunity to step up and lead us and do some big things on the field. I’m really confident from what I’ve seen so far they’re going to do a great job,” Bahl said.
Senior Allie Williams is already embracing her role as a leader on this year’s squad during the first few practices.
“It’s been so far so good, they just always come and bring the energy and I just love getting to teach them, help them, get used to how we play and just helping them, raise them up so that they can just carry on the legacy that we have and the traditions that we have here, so it’s just really important to us,” Williams said.
The Mavs will have to make sure they are ready for the start of the season as they have a tough schedule this time round and will get the chance to see what kind of team they are early in the season.
“We always want to schedule tough. This is probably the toughest non-conference slate we’ve ever had. Just kind of crazy that it lines up with maybe one of the youngest teams that we’ve ever had,” Bahl said.
Bahl wants his team to face some adversity and see how they respond. An area where they potentially could have some of that adversity that he is looking for might be in the goal-scoring department.
“We don’t have a lot of goalscoring returning from last year’s team, so we need to find a way to do that,” Bahl said.
“Our goals every year are hopefully we seal up a conference regular season championship, and keep building on the history of being in the NCAA tournament, and keep pushing for an opportunity to go after a national title,” Bahl said.
The Mavericks have two more exhibitions before they kick off their season Aug. 31 against Oklahoma Baptist.
Header Photo: Losing Vetter hurts, but this team is built on their depth and energy. The Mavs have a bright future even without their former star player. (File Photo)
Write to Mohamed Warsame at mohamed.warsame@mnsu.edu