NSIC Road Trip Up Next for St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Winners of its last five games, St. Cloud State Women's Soccer will hit the road for back-to-back conference contests this weekend when the Huskies face Augustana on Friday, Sept. 27 and Wayne State on Sunday, Sept. 29. Friday's game against the Vikings is slated for 4:00 p.m. CT, while Sunday's game against the Wildcats is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT. With a win on Friday, the Huskies could match its longest win streak from last season. With two wins, the Huskies could match its longest win streak in program history at seven, a mark it also recorded from Oct. 13- Nov. 2, 2011.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

Both matches will be streamed for free live on the NSIC Network with live stats available through SideArm Stats on SCSU's opponent's websites. Links to both coverage options at the St. Cloud State Women's Soccer schedule page.

SERIES HISTORY

SCSU will look to break a tie and take the advantage against Augustana, as the all-time series between the two schools currently sits at 11-11-6, while the Huskies hold a decisive 14-2-1 record against the Wildcats.

The Huskies snapped a nine-game winless stretch against the Vikings last season with a 2-1 win at Husky Stadium on Sept. 24, 2024. SCSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the game with a first half goal from redshirt senior midfielder Gracie Parsons (Omaha, Neb.) and an early second half goal from sophomore defender Grace Olson (West Des Moines, Iowa). SCSU's last win in Sioux Falls came more than a decade ago, a 1-0 win on Sept. 30, 2012.

SCSU has won three consecutive games against Wayne State by a combined scored of 4-0 and have not lost to the Wildcats since Oct. 23, 2016, a 3-1 setback in St. Cloud. The Huskies are a perfect 7-0 in Wayne, including a 1-0 win in its last trip on Oct. 16, 2022. Last season, the Huskies beat Wayne State 2-0 on Sept. 22, 2023 at Husky Stardium after goals from junior forward Ellie Primerano (Saint Joseph, Mich.) and senior forward Ariel Hawkey (Graham, Wash.).

PRIMERANO GETS PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOD

Ellie Primerano was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23 after scoring in both games of SCSU's weekend sweep over Minnesota Duluth (2-1, Sept. 20) and Bemidji State (2-1, Sept. 22). It marked the third time in her career she has earned the conference weekly honor after winning it twice as a sophomore in 2023.

Primerano scored two goals and added an assist for a five-point weekend, as she also extended her goal streak to three consecutive games and had the game-winning goal in Sunday's win over the Beavers. She helped extend SCSU's win streak to nine over UMD, while helping the Huskies beat the Beavers for the first time since Nov. 13, 2019. Her five-point weekend helped her become the 22^nd player in program history to reach 25 career points, as she now ranks 19^th all-time with 28 career points (8g/12a). Among NSIC leaders in 2024, she ranks first in game-winning goals (two), second in goals (four) and third in points per game (1.50).

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 early on in the season, recording a 5-1-0 mark through the first six games of the season. She recorded the first two shutouts of her career in SCSU's wins over Roosevelt (Sept. 13, 2-0) and UW-Parkside (Sept. 15, 1-0), as she played the full 90 minutes in both contests and made three saves against Parkside.

On the season, Orham is 5-1-0 with a 0.67 goals-against-average, .833 save percentage and two shutouts.

PICKING UP RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF

SCSU's two leading scorers from a season ago – sophomore Linsey Trapino (Verona, Wis.) and Ellie Primerano – have picked up right where they left off in 2023, finding the back of the net early and often for the Huskies. The two Huskies have combined for six of SCSU's nine scores on the season, with Primerano netting four and Trapino two.

The duo are two of 16 players in the NSIC to score multiple goals this season, while Primerano's four goals rank second in the conference overall. Primerano became the 22^nd player in program history to reach 25 career points, as she now ranks 19^th all-time with 28 career points (8g/12a). Trapino has six career game-winning goals in her career, a mark which ranks seventh in program history after just 27 games.

In 2023, the duo led the Huskies in scoring, as Trapino scored seven goals and three assists for 17 points in her NSIC Freshman of the Year campaign, while Primerano scored four goals and eight assists for 18 points in her sophomore season.

BANNER YEAR IN 2023

In 2023, the Huskies earned its first-ever conference championship by capturing the NSIC regular season title and advance to the NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in program history. SCSU went 14-5-2 and 10-2-2 in conference play and set program records for most wins in a season (14), most conference wins (10), longest unbeaten streak (nine) and most home wins (nine). Head Coach Gretta Macdonald was named the NSIC Coach of the Year and sophomore forward Linsey Trapino (Verona, Wis.) was named the NSIC Freshman of the Year, while SCSU had a league-high eight All-NSIC performers and five earn all-region honors.

All-Conference and All-Region honorees in 2023:
- Gretta Macdonald: NSIC Coach of the Year
- Grace Olson: All-NSIC Second Team
- Gracie Parsons: All-NSIC Second Team
- Ellie Primerano: All-NSIC First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Central Region Second Team, D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team
- Brooke Quam: All-NSIC First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Central Region First Team, D2CCA All-Central Region First Team
- Ana Spaine: All-NSIC First Team, D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team
- Jaylee Strickland: All-NSIC Second Team
- Linsey Trapino: All-NSIC Second Team, NSIC Freshman of the Year, United Soccer Coaches All-Central Region Second Team
- Rheana Zerna: All-NSIC First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Central Region Second Team