St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer Meets Winona State on Sunday

Sunday, October 29

Winona, Minn.

1:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Winona State

St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer Meets Winona State on Sunday

10/26/2023 11:21:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Huskies have three-point lead in NSIC standings with two games remaining

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Soccer (12-3-1, 9-2-1 NSIC) will head to Winona for its penultimate regular season game of the season, as it meets up with Winona State (2-7-5, 1-6-4 NSIC) on Sunday, Oct. 29. The match is schedule to start at 1:00 p.m. CT as the Huskies continue to seek their first conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

Both games will be streamed for free live on the NSIC Network. Live stats will be available through SideArm Stats on Winona State's website, with links to both coverage options at the St. Cloud State Women's Soccer schedule page.

SERIES HISTORY

SCSU enters the weekend with an 7-20-2 mark all-time against Winona State, but have won each of the last three matchups dating back to Oct. 20, 2019. Last season, the Huskies won 2-0 on Sept. 16, 2022 at Husky Stadium, with former Husky Megan Kirby scoring both goals.

REGIONAL RANKINGS

The first NCAA Central Region rankings were released on Wednesday, with St. Cloud State listed as one of 10 teams vying for eight spots in the NCAA Central Region Tournament. The Huskies were one of five NSIC teams, joining Augustana, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State and Northern State under consideration in the central rankings.

The Huskies seem to be in-line for their first NCAA Tournament berth in program history, as they have already surpassed its win total and conference win total from a season ago and have many other program records in sight with two regular season games remaining. St. Cloud State currently ranks first in the NSIC standings with 28 points (9-2-1) and will close its regular season on the road against Winona State (Oct. 29) and Minnesota Crookston (Nov. 2).

Below are the 10 teams ranked in the first set of regional rankings, listed in alphabetical order with Division-II record and in-region record in parathesis.

Augustana (8-4-3, 8-4-3)
Central Missouri (12-3-1, 12-3-1)
Emporia State (7-5-4, 7-3-4)
Fort Hays State (10-2-3, 10-2-3)
Minnesota Duluth (6-5-5, 6-5-5)
Minnesota State Mankato (9-2-5, 9-2-5)
Northern State (6-3-5, 6-3-5)
Northwest Missouri State (7-4-5, 7-4-5)
St. Cloud State (12-3-1)
Washburn (14-1-1, 14-1-1)

The NSIC, the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC) make up the 34-team NCAA Central Region. The top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA region tournament. The two top-seeded teams in each region shall be offered the opportunity to host, provided minimum site selection criteria are met and a bid has been submitted. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the MIAA, GAC and NSIC postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots awarded on an at-large basis.

The NCAA Women's Soccer selection show will be streamed online on Monday, Nov. 13 at NCAA.com at 5:30 p.m. (CT). The first/second round matches of the regional tournament will take place on campus on November 16-19 while third/quarterfinal rounds will be contested at campus sites on November 30-December 3. The 2023 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Semifinal and Championship will take place on December 7 & 9 at Sportsplex at Matthews in Matthews, North Carolina; hosted by Wingate University.

HISTORIC SEASON IN PROGRESS

St. Cloud State is in the midst of an historic season as the Huskies have already surpassed their win total (seven) and their conference wins (six) from a season ago. Through 16 games, the Huskies currently sit at 12-3-1 and 9-2-1 in the NSIC and sit atop the conference standings with 25 points, one ahead of Minnesota State (24 points) and five ahead of Bemidji State (20 points). A conference championship is well within reach and would be the first conference title of any kind in program history. With the regular season winding down, the Huskies first trip to the NCAA Tournament seems very likely.
The Huskies matched a program record for unbeaten streak at nine with its run of 8-0-1 between Sept. 22 and Oct. 20. With two regular season games remaining, below is a list of program records that could be set in 2023.

Win percentage – Current: .781 (12-3-1) / Record: .700 (13-5-2, 1995)
Most victories – Current: 12 / Record: 13 (1995)
Most conference victories (NSIC) – Current: 9 / Record: 10 (2019)
Unbeaten streak – 9 / Record: 9 (set twice, most recently 2011)
Best GAA – Current: 0.79 / Record: 0.78 (2009)
Fewest Goals Allowed – Current: 11 / Record: 15 (2014)
Most Home Wins – Current: 7 / Record: 7 (2009)

With the Huskies 2-1 win over Concordia-St. Paul on Oct. 2, the Huskies improved to 7-2-1 on the season, setting a program record for the best 10-game start in program history, surpassing its mark of 7-3-0 in the 1995 season. SCSU also improved to 4-1-1 in NSIC play, its best start to a conference season since a 4-0-2 mark in 2016. With each win, SCSU continues to set new highs. The Huskies 3-1-0 start to conference play is its best start to a conference season since starting 3-1-0 in 2010. The win over Augustana on Sept. 24 was SCSU's first since 2013.

With a 2-1 win over Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State improved to 4-1-0 on the season, marking its best five-game start to a season since 2000 when it reached the same mark. SCSU's pair of wins over UMD extended its win streak to seven over the Bulldogs dating back to Sept. 9, 2018. During that seven-game win streak, SCSU has outscored UMD, 17-4.

The season-opening victory marked the 13^th time in program history SCSU has opened its season with a victory and the first since a 3-0 win over Northern Michigan on Sept. 1 to open the 2017 season.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR CAMPAIGN

Freshman Linsey Trapino has come on strong in the second half of the season for the Huskies and is currently making a bid for NSIC Freshman of the Year. Over her last six games, Trapino has scored 10 points with four goals and two assists, taking the team lead for points with 14 points (six goals / two assists). Trapino leads all NSIC freshmen in both goals (six) and points (14) in 2023.

She was named the was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9 after she scored or assisted on each of SCSU's three goals in victories over Minot State (1-0, Oct. 6) and Mary (2-1, Oct. 8) and take over the top spot in the conference standings.

STRICKLAND STIFLES IN GOAL

Freshman goalkeeper Jaylee Strickland (Columbus, Ohio) has made the most of her opportunity in the net for the Huskies, as she has played every minute in net for the Huskies this season, registering a 11-3-1 record with six shutouts. Through 15 games, she has produced a 0.80 goals-against-average and an .815 save percentage. In the NSIC, she ranks third in goals against average (0.80), fourth in shutouts (six) and save percentage (.815). The freshman goalkeeper will enter the program's top-10 list for goalkeeper seasons in program history, as her 0.80 GAA currently ranks second, her six shutouts rank sixth and her .815 S% ranks 10^th.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Soccer, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.