Friday, August 28
Marquette, Mich.
2:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
at
Northern Michigan
No. 16 St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer Set to Open 2026 Season with Michigan Road Trip
8/27/2026 3:19:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Huskies open 2026 slate with Northern Michigan on Friday, Michigan Tech on Sunday
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 16 St. Cloud State Women's Soccer (0-0, 0-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) will open its 2026 season with a pair of nonconference matchups against familiar opponents. The Huskies will play Northern Michigan in Marquette on Friday before heading to Houghton to face Michigan Tech on Sunday. It marks the 11th consecutive season that the Huskies have opened the season with the same two opponents, although this marks the second straight season the Huskies have opened away from St. Cloud.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Game 1 at Northern Michigan – Friday, Aug. 28 / 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET) / Watch ($ - FloCollege) / Live Stats
Game 2 at Michigan Tech – Sunday, Aug. 30 / 11:00 a.m. CT (12:00 p.m. ET) / Watch ($ - FloCollege) / Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
SCSU will play the Wildcats and MTU Huskies for the 11th consecutive season and will look to make ground in the all-time series against their GLIAC opponents. In 12 matches against Michigan Tech, the Huskies are 3-6-2, and in 16 matches against Northern Michigan, SCSU is 7-8-1. SCSU opened the 2025 season with a 1-1 draw against Northern Michigan on Sept. 5, 2025, before earning its first win of the season in a 1-0 victory over Michigan Tech on Sept. 7, 2025.
LET'S GO POLLING
After finishing the 2025 ranked in the top-25, SCSU will open the 2026 season also ranked among the nation's best, checking in at No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Division II National Coaches Poll. Last season, the Huskies were on the verge of cracking the top-25 all season before making an NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16 and then cracking the top-25 in the final poll.
Neither of the Huskies opponents this weekend were ranked in the 2026 preseason poll.
NSIC PRESEASON POLL, ATHLETES TO WATCH
SCSU was selected to finish fifth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll while senior forward Linsey Trapino (Verona, Wis.) and junior defender Izzy Halunen (Woodbury, Minn.) were named the preseason players to watch by the NSIC.
Led by first-year head coach Maggie Sherman, the Huskies look to continue its impressive three-year stretch of advancing to the NCAA Tournament, its first three ever national tournament appearances. Last season, the Huskies set program records for program records for wins (16) and conference wins (11) while reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
"I am excited for the opportunity to build on the success this team has already achieved," said Sherman. "Having had a short window to work with the team this past spring, I was quickly impressed by the group's willingness to learn, embrace new ideas, and apply them both in training and in games. Their eagerness to learn and absorb new information helped us develop a strong team mentality and laid a great foundation heading into the fall. We are excited to build on that foundation, continue growing together, and hit the ground running as we compete at a high level."
Trapino continued her stellar collegiate career with another impressive junior campaign in 2025, earning All-NSIC Second Team and USC All-Central Region Third Team honors. She led the Huskies in goals and points with eight goals and six assists for 22 points. She also added a three game-winning goals and a team-high 48 shots on goal. Her three game-winning goals and 22 points both rank among the program's top-10 in a single season, while her career marks of 10 game-winning goals, 52 points, 20 goals and 12 assists all rank top-10 in program history.
"Linsey is primed for a standout year," said Sherman. "She has worked to become a leader both on and off the field. She knows when her teammates look for her guidance and she is able to understand what they need. We are a lucky group to have her as a member of our program."
Halunen earned All-NSIC Second Team honors for the second consecutive season in her sophomore campaign a year ago, while also serving as team captain and earning NSIC All-Academic and CSC Academic All-District honors. She played in and starting all 24 games, recording one assist while playing a full slate in 23 of 24 games and average 91.3 minutes per game on the pitch. She helped anchor a backline which held its opponents to 0.57 goals per game and set program records for fewest goals allowed (14), best GAA (0.57) and most shutouts (12).
"Izzy is the backbone of this team," said Sherman. "She has a unique understanding of who she is as a player, person and teammate. Her teammates look to her to in all aspects of the team environment. Her leadership is unrivaled and brings a special relationship to each member of this team."
START OF A NEW ERA
Head Coach Maggie Sherman was announced as the seventh head coach in program history in February while Sean Steele joined the program as an assistant coach in May. Sherman joined the Huskies after five season at D-I South Dakota, while Steel brings 20+ years of collegiate coaching experience across multiple levels, including the past 12 seasons with Division-I Fresno State.
Sherman worked primarily with the goalkeepers as an assistant coach with South Dakota for three seasons (2021-23) before being promoted to associate head coach in March 2024 where she worked with both goalkeepers and field players for two seasons (2024-25). The Coyotes won a program-best 10 games in 2021 and advanced to the Summit League Tournament four times in five seasons with Sherman on staff, with 15 earning all-conference honors and three earning all-region honors. Under Sherman's guidance, two goalkeepers earned All-Summit League honors with Emma Harkleroad earning 2021 second team honors and Cambell Fischer earning 2024 honorable mention honors. Sherman coached Harkleroad's final season at South Dakota, as she closed her career by leading the nation with an 88.9 percent save percentage in 2021 and set the Coyote program record for career goals-against-average at 0.94.
Sherman spent the 2020-21 season at Southern Utah where she helped the Thunderbirds finish 5-3-1 in a COVID spring season while ranking second in the Big Sky Conference in save percentage (.833) and third in season saves (45). Prior to collegiate coaching, Sherman spent five years as a high school head coach, leading both the boys (2018-19) and girls (2016-20) teams at Eagle Valley High School in Colorado. She's also spent time coaching club teams in both Colorado and Utah.
The Vail, Colorado native was a member of the inaugural D-I team at Colorado State in 2013. She played two seasons as a goalkeeper for the Rams (2013-14) and recorded the first win in program history. She made a team-high 59 saves in 2013 and was named to the Academic All-Mountain West team.
Sherman graduated from Colorado State in 2015 with her Bachelor of Science in health and exercise science with a concentration in health promotion and a business administration minor. She earned a master's degree in soccer coaching from Ohio in 2020. She holds certifications from the United Soccer Coaches in 2017 (Advanced National Diploma) and 2020 (Goalkeeper Level 1), and the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2022 (C License).
Steele has spent the past 12 seasons on staff at Fresno State, serving as assistant coach from 2014-20 and an associate head coach from 2020-26. With the Bulldogs, Steele led all training session design and implementation, served as the recruiting coordinator and oversaw all staff and team operations. He helped Fresno State enjoy its best Mountain West run in recent history, reaching five MW Tournaments in an eight-year span while posting its best regular season finish in program history with a 2021 second place finish. In Steele's tenure, the Bulldogs had 23 all-conference performers and 229 academic All-Mountain West honorees.
While in California, Steele spent two seasons (2016-17) with the Fresno Fuego FC while they competed in the Premier Development League (PDL). He focused on U.S. Open Cup preparation, prepping opposition scouting reports and match-review for the coaching staff.
Prior to his time with Fresno State, Steele spent three seasons (2011-13) as the head coach of both the men's and women's programs at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln. He led the men's team to a winning record for the first time in four seasons in 2012 and coached two AD3I Players of the Year, while the women's team enjoyed its highest winning percentage in 12 seasons and had eight all-conference selections in 2013.
Steele first began coaching at the collegiate level at his alma mater, D-III UW Oshkosh, where he was an assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs for five seasons from 2006-10. Both programs experienced a winning record in his five seasons on staff, including an impressive 69-19-12 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances (2007, 2010) on the men's side, while the women reached the national tournament in 2006. He also spent time with the Oshkosh United Soccer Club (2006-09) and the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association (2006-11).
In addition to his two-plus decade experience as a coach, Steele played collegiately for UWO from 1997-99, helping the Titans to a 40-15-2 record and an appearance in the 1999 NCAA D-III Tournament. He holds two degrees from UWO, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology in 1999 and a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership in 2009. Steele has completed five licenses from the USSF and USC, earning his National "B" License and National Youth License from the former and his Regional Goalkeeper Diploma, State Goalkeeper Diploma and College Coach Professional Certificate from the latter.
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.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Game 1 at Northern Michigan – Friday, Aug. 28 / 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET) / Watch ($ - FloCollege) / Live Stats
Game 2 at Michigan Tech – Sunday, Aug. 30 / 11:00 a.m. CT (12:00 p.m. ET) / Watch ($ - FloCollege) / Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
SCSU will play the Wildcats and MTU Huskies for the 11th consecutive season and will look to make ground in the all-time series against their GLIAC opponents. In 12 matches against Michigan Tech, the Huskies are 3-6-2, and in 16 matches against Northern Michigan, SCSU is 7-8-1. SCSU opened the 2025 season with a 1-1 draw against Northern Michigan on Sept. 5, 2025, before earning its first win of the season in a 1-0 victory over Michigan Tech on Sept. 7, 2025.
LET'S GO POLLING
After finishing the 2025 ranked in the top-25, SCSU will open the 2026 season also ranked among the nation's best, checking in at No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Division II National Coaches Poll. Last season, the Huskies were on the verge of cracking the top-25 all season before making an NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16 and then cracking the top-25 in the final poll.
Neither of the Huskies opponents this weekend were ranked in the 2026 preseason poll.
NSIC PRESEASON POLL, ATHLETES TO WATCH
SCSU was selected to finish fifth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll while senior forward Linsey Trapino (Verona, Wis.) and junior defender Izzy Halunen (Woodbury, Minn.) were named the preseason players to watch by the NSIC.
Led by first-year head coach Maggie Sherman, the Huskies look to continue its impressive three-year stretch of advancing to the NCAA Tournament, its first three ever national tournament appearances. Last season, the Huskies set program records for program records for wins (16) and conference wins (11) while reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
"I am excited for the opportunity to build on the success this team has already achieved," said Sherman. "Having had a short window to work with the team this past spring, I was quickly impressed by the group's willingness to learn, embrace new ideas, and apply them both in training and in games. Their eagerness to learn and absorb new information helped us develop a strong team mentality and laid a great foundation heading into the fall. We are excited to build on that foundation, continue growing together, and hit the ground running as we compete at a high level."
Trapino continued her stellar collegiate career with another impressive junior campaign in 2025, earning All-NSIC Second Team and USC All-Central Region Third Team honors. She led the Huskies in goals and points with eight goals and six assists for 22 points. She also added a three game-winning goals and a team-high 48 shots on goal. Her three game-winning goals and 22 points both rank among the program's top-10 in a single season, while her career marks of 10 game-winning goals, 52 points, 20 goals and 12 assists all rank top-10 in program history.
"Linsey is primed for a standout year," said Sherman. "She has worked to become a leader both on and off the field. She knows when her teammates look for her guidance and she is able to understand what they need. We are a lucky group to have her as a member of our program."
Halunen earned All-NSIC Second Team honors for the second consecutive season in her sophomore campaign a year ago, while also serving as team captain and earning NSIC All-Academic and CSC Academic All-District honors. She played in and starting all 24 games, recording one assist while playing a full slate in 23 of 24 games and average 91.3 minutes per game on the pitch. She helped anchor a backline which held its opponents to 0.57 goals per game and set program records for fewest goals allowed (14), best GAA (0.57) and most shutouts (12).
"Izzy is the backbone of this team," said Sherman. "She has a unique understanding of who she is as a player, person and teammate. Her teammates look to her to in all aspects of the team environment. Her leadership is unrivaled and brings a special relationship to each member of this team."
START OF A NEW ERA
Head Coach Maggie Sherman was announced as the seventh head coach in program history in February while Sean Steele joined the program as an assistant coach in May. Sherman joined the Huskies after five season at D-I South Dakota, while Steel brings 20+ years of collegiate coaching experience across multiple levels, including the past 12 seasons with Division-I Fresno State.
Sherman worked primarily with the goalkeepers as an assistant coach with South Dakota for three seasons (2021-23) before being promoted to associate head coach in March 2024 where she worked with both goalkeepers and field players for two seasons (2024-25). The Coyotes won a program-best 10 games in 2021 and advanced to the Summit League Tournament four times in five seasons with Sherman on staff, with 15 earning all-conference honors and three earning all-region honors. Under Sherman's guidance, two goalkeepers earned All-Summit League honors with Emma Harkleroad earning 2021 second team honors and Cambell Fischer earning 2024 honorable mention honors. Sherman coached Harkleroad's final season at South Dakota, as she closed her career by leading the nation with an 88.9 percent save percentage in 2021 and set the Coyote program record for career goals-against-average at 0.94.
Sherman spent the 2020-21 season at Southern Utah where she helped the Thunderbirds finish 5-3-1 in a COVID spring season while ranking second in the Big Sky Conference in save percentage (.833) and third in season saves (45). Prior to collegiate coaching, Sherman spent five years as a high school head coach, leading both the boys (2018-19) and girls (2016-20) teams at Eagle Valley High School in Colorado. She's also spent time coaching club teams in both Colorado and Utah.
The Vail, Colorado native was a member of the inaugural D-I team at Colorado State in 2013. She played two seasons as a goalkeeper for the Rams (2013-14) and recorded the first win in program history. She made a team-high 59 saves in 2013 and was named to the Academic All-Mountain West team.
Sherman graduated from Colorado State in 2015 with her Bachelor of Science in health and exercise science with a concentration in health promotion and a business administration minor. She earned a master's degree in soccer coaching from Ohio in 2020. She holds certifications from the United Soccer Coaches in 2017 (Advanced National Diploma) and 2020 (Goalkeeper Level 1), and the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2022 (C License).
Steele has spent the past 12 seasons on staff at Fresno State, serving as assistant coach from 2014-20 and an associate head coach from 2020-26. With the Bulldogs, Steele led all training session design and implementation, served as the recruiting coordinator and oversaw all staff and team operations. He helped Fresno State enjoy its best Mountain West run in recent history, reaching five MW Tournaments in an eight-year span while posting its best regular season finish in program history with a 2021 second place finish. In Steele's tenure, the Bulldogs had 23 all-conference performers and 229 academic All-Mountain West honorees.
While in California, Steele spent two seasons (2016-17) with the Fresno Fuego FC while they competed in the Premier Development League (PDL). He focused on U.S. Open Cup preparation, prepping opposition scouting reports and match-review for the coaching staff.
Prior to his time with Fresno State, Steele spent three seasons (2011-13) as the head coach of both the men's and women's programs at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln. He led the men's team to a winning record for the first time in four seasons in 2012 and coached two AD3I Players of the Year, while the women's team enjoyed its highest winning percentage in 12 seasons and had eight all-conference selections in 2013.
Steele first began coaching at the collegiate level at his alma mater, D-III UW Oshkosh, where he was an assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs for five seasons from 2006-10. Both programs experienced a winning record in his five seasons on staff, including an impressive 69-19-12 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances (2007, 2010) on the men's side, while the women reached the national tournament in 2006. He also spent time with the Oshkosh United Soccer Club (2006-09) and the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association (2006-11).
In addition to his two-plus decade experience as a coach, Steele played collegiately for UWO from 1997-99, helping the Titans to a 40-15-2 record and an appearance in the 1999 NCAA D-III Tournament. He holds two degrees from UWO, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology in 1999 and a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership in 2009. Steele has completed five licenses from the USSF and USC, earning his National "B" License and National Youth License from the former and his Regional Goalkeeper Diploma, State Goalkeeper Diploma and College Coach Professional Certificate from the latter.
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.
Players Mentioned
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's SoccerMonday, December 01
Tuesday, September 30
Wednesday, September 04
Friday, September 01
