St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer Prepared for NCAA Tournament Match with Minnesota State

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Soccer (11-3-5, 8-1-5 NSIC) is set to make its second NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend when the No. 7-seeded Huskies face No. 2-seed Minnesota State (14-1-6, 11-0-3) in the NCAA Central Region first round on Friday, Nov. 22. The game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. CT at The Pitch in Mankato.

It will be the second of two first round matchups on Friday, as No. 3-seed Missouri Western and No. 6-seed Concordia-St. Paul will kick off at 10:00 a.m. CT. The regional second round game is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1:00 p.m. CT.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

Friday's game will be streamed for free live on the NSIC Network with live stats available through SideArm Stats on Minnesota State's website. Links to both coverage options at the St. Cloud State Women's Soccer schedule page.

SERIES HISTORY

SCSU is 8-26-4 all-time against Minnesota State. Earlier this season, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in Mankato on Oct. 6, with sophomore forward Linsey Trapino (Verona, Wis.) finding the back of the net in the 39^th minute. The Mavericks won both the NSIC regular season and tournament championships this season.

DANCING AGAIN

SCSU's second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance is also its second consecutive trip to the big dance, building off a 2023 campaign that proved to be one of the best seasons in program history as the Huskies captured its first-ever conference championship and set program-bests for wins and conference wins. This season, the Huskies have set a new program record for unbeaten streak at 11, surpassing its previous streaks of nine unbeaten games in the 1995, 2011 and 2023 seasons. SCSU reached 10 wins for the second consecutive season and seventh season overall. It marks the first time since 2010-11 that they have recorded back-to-back season with 10+ wins. After a setback on Sept. 27, SCSU finished the season 6-1-5 and earned the No. 4-seed in the NSIC Tournament.

ALL-NSIC HONORS

SCSU had six student-athletes earn all-NSIC recognition, which is tied for the second-most in program history, matching its mark from 2019 while only trailing it's eight all-conference honorees in 2023. Junior forward Ellie Primerano (St. Joseph, Mich.) and sophomore defender Ana Spaine (West Des Moines, Iowa) were named to the first team for the second consecutive season, marking the 19^th and 20^th first team selections in program history. The pair are also just the third and fourth Huskies in program history to earn multiple first team selections.

NSIC Second Team honors went to freshman defender Izzy Halunen (Woodbury, Minn.), sophomore midfielder Grace Olson (West Des Moines, Iowa), junior midfielder Brooke Quam (Lakeville, Minn.) and sophomore forward Linsey Trapino (Verona, Wis.).

Primerano has continued her stellar collegiate career with an impressive junior campaign, earning her second All-NSIC first team honor and third all-conference honor overall. She is the fifth Husky to earn three or more all-conference honors and the first since Kelli Santo Paulo did so from 2016-18. On the field, Primerano scored seven goals and three assists for 17 points with three game-winning goals. Her three game-winning scores ranks second in the NSIC, while her seven goals and 17 points both rank fourth. Earlier this season, she became the 22^nd Husky in program history to reach 25 career points and now ranks 12^th all-time with 36 points (11g/14a).

Spaine once again anchored the Huskies backline that was a force all season, as she earned her second first team selection in as many seasons donning the black and red. She has played in and started all 19 games for the Huskies this season, recording one assist against MSUM (Oct. 18). She averaged 88.7 minutes per game on the pitch, played a full slate in 16 of 19 games and played on the SCSU backline which was top-five in the NSIC in goals allowed per game, recorded seven shutouts and held its opponents to zero shots on goal three times.

Trapino, the 2023 NSIC Freshman of the Year, had another stellar season on the pitch in 2024 to earn her second all-conference honor. She had five goals and 13 points with three game-winning goals, ranking in the NSIC's top-15 in each category. Quam netted her second career all-conference honor after producing two goals and three assists for seven points with a game-winning goal against Southwest Minnesota State (Oct. 25). Olson earned all-conference honors for the second time after scoring three goals and three assists for nine points. She had her first career two-goal game against Wayne State (Sept. 29), netting the game-winner as well. Halunen shined on the backline in her debut campaign as a Husky, scoring a goal and an assist for three points. She played in and started all 19 games, averaging 87.5 minutes per game while playing a full slate in 16 of 19 games.

ORHAM EXCELLING IN NET

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Meriel Orham (St. Michael, Minn.) has made the most of her opportunity in the net for the Huskies this season, playing every game this season and recording an 11-3-5 mark on the pitch. She has recorded seven shutouts this season against Roosevelt (Sept. 13), Parkside (three saves, Sept. 15), Wayne State (four saves, Sept. 29), Concordia-St. Paul (three saves, Oct. 4), MSU Moorhead (Oct. 18), SMSU (four saves, Oct. 25) and Minnesota Crookston (Nov. 7).

On the season, Orham is 11-3-5 with a 0.68 goals-against-average, .817 save percentage and seven shutouts. Her GAA would set a new program season record, while her seven shutouts and 11 wins currently rank fifth and fourth, respectively, among all Huskies.

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.

St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer Prepared for NCAA Tournament Match with Minnesota State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Izzy Halunen

Grace Olson

Meriel Orham

Ellie Primerano

Brooke Quam

Ana Spaine

Linsey Trapino

Saint Cloud State University Athletics