THIS WEEK
After spending the last two weekends on the road, the University of Mary soccer team returns to Bismarck, ND, for Homecoming 2025 and a pair of home games. First up is Senior Day on Friday, October 10, when the Marauders host Wayne State College at 4 pm. Homecoming wraps up Sunday, October 12, when the Marauders face Augustana in a 1 pm match on Family and Faculty Appreciation Day.
 
All UMary home games are played at the MDU Resources Community Bowl in Bismarck, ND.
 
THE RECORDS
UMary is 2-4-3 overall and 0-3-3 (3 points) in NSIC play in 2025… Wayne State is 4-1-4 overall and 3-1-2 (11 pts) in the NSIC… Augustana is 6-1-2 overall and 4-1-1 (13 pts) in the NSIC.
 
SENIOR DAY
The Marauders will honor their seven seniors on Friday, October 10. Twenty minutes prior to kickoff at 3:40 pm, UMary will recognize MaLiah Burke (Minot, ND), Olivia Gardner (Winona, MN), Rachel Gensch (Rocklin, CA), Kira Hockley (Yeovil, England), Allison Lepp (Minot, ND), Rio Spruenken (Krefeld, NRW, Germany), and Tara Young (Weston Super Mare, England) for their contributions to the program. Burke, Gardner, Hockley, Spruenken and Young played four seasons for the Marauders. Both Lepp and Gensch are in year two at UMary.
 
Over the course of the last three seasons with this year still to play out, UMary seniors have:

• posted winning seasons overall and conference play in each of their first three years
• won at least 10 games
• advanced to the NSIC tournament each season
• advanced to the NSIC tournament championship game in 2023 and the NSIC semifinals in 2024
• have a combined record the last four seasons (2022-current) of 33-21-14 and 22-16-12 in NSIC play

 
LAST WEEKEND
Playing on the road the Marauders dropped a 1-0 decision at Bemidji State before claiming a 2-2 draw at Minnesota Duluth… In two home games, Wayne State tied Concordia-St. Paul 2-2 before losing 2-1 to Winona State… Also at home Augie beat Winona State 4-1 and lost 2-0 to CSP.
 
OPPO RESEARCH
Wayne State is tied for 4^th in the NSIC with 11 points. The Wildcats are third in the NSIC in both scoring (1.8 goals/game) and in defense (0.67 goals allowed/game). Paige Pemberton leads WSC in goals with three. Alexa Hoffstetter has three clean sheets and an .897 save percentage… Augustana is third in the NSIC standings with 13 points. The Vikings lead the NSIC in scoring (2.33 goals/game) and are tied for third in goals allowed/game (0.67). Taya Baker is saving 86.7% of the shots she is facing and has four shutouts. Madelyn White paces the NSIC with nine goals and Ally Hamski owns four.
 
HISTORY LESSON
Since 2009 the Marauders are 9-4-2 against Wayne State... Since 2009 the Marauders are 4-10-1 against the Vikings, including a 3-4-1 record at home. UMary snapped a 10-game winless streak against Augie last season with a 1-0 home win.

FOLLOW LIVE
Links to live stats and video are available at www.goumary.com/coverage
 
HOMESTAND
After four straight road games, the Marauders are back home to play three straight at the Bowl. UMary hosts Wayne State and Augustana this weekend before playing the University of Jamestown on Friday, October 18, in the first-ever NSIC game between the two programs. This is the first season the Jimmies have competed in the Northern Sun.
 
WEEK FOUR REWIND
Despite a dominant night on the stat sheet, the Marauders dropped a 1-0 decision at Bemidji State. UMary held a 10-1 edge in shots in the second half. For the game the Marauders held the advantage in shots (14-5), shots on frame (9-2) and corner kicks (7-3). BSU was also whistled for 15 fouls to nine for UMary… Dina Polanco and Chloe Brand both scored goals on direct kicks as UMary earned a 2-2 draw at the University of Minnesota Duluth. On a day that featured 20 MPH winds with gusts of 36 mph and a downpour during Brand's goal, the Marauders held the edge in shots (9-5) and shots on frame (6-3)
 
DYNAMIC DINA
Freshman midfielder Dina (pronounced DEE nah) Polanco leads the Marauders and is second in the Northern Sun in goals scored with five in nine games… Polanco had three goals in her first three collegiate games, all by different methods. The native of Guatemala scored her first career goal on a free kick in a 2-0 win over MSU Billings. In a 4-0 win at Washburn, Polanco blasted home a shot during the run of play for the opening goal of the day. Shortly after she drew a foul to earn a penalty kick opportunity which she converted for her second goal of the day and third of the season.
 
GOALS BY GENSCH
Rachel Gensch is second on the Marauders in goals scored with two in six games. Over the course of 17 games in her UMary career, the senior forward has five goals and five assists.
 
CLEAN UP ON AISLE NUMBER ONE
Kadyn Dilger has started seven games in goal for the Marauders this season and owns three shutouts after making a pair of appearances for UMary as a freshman in 2024. Dilger posted clean sheets in a 2-0 win over MSU Billings, a 4-0 victory at Washburn and a 0-0 draw at Winona State.  The sophomore is 4^th in the NSIC in shutouts and 6^th in goals against average (1.00).  
 
SEVEN HEAVEN
The Marauders have qualified for postseason play seven straight seasons and eight times total under the helm of head coach Sarah Cook. The seven straight NSIC tournament appearances ties the longest streak in program history when UMary qualified for the postseason its first seven years in the league (2006-2012).
 
EIGHT
After recording a record of 11-4-4 overall in 2024, the Marauders posted double digit wins for the third straight year and own winning record in six of eight seasons and finished with a .500 or better record for the eighth straight season.


DEBUTS
Nine Marauders made their UMary debuts against MSU Billings: Maggie Bono, Chloe Brand, Theresa English, Lauren LaFountain, Addison Massey, Mia Melton, Dina Polanco, Emmy Strobel and Hanna Sutter. Newcomers Polanco, Sutter and Brand have all earned starts… Sophomore goalkeeper Kadyn Dilger made her first collegiate start after appearing in two games for the Marauders last season… Freshman goalkeeper Wiktoria Slupianek made her first two college starts against Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.

102
Marauders head coach Sarah Cook earned her 100^th victory at UMary in the Marauders 2-1 overtime win at St. Cloud State University in the 2024 NSIC quarterfinals and now owns 102 wins. A member of the Marauders Hall of Fame after earning All-American honors three times as a scholar-athlete, Cook is in her 14^th season after taking over leadership of the program prior to the 2012 season. She is the program record-holder for career coaching wins.
 
EXPERIENCE
The Marauders return 18 players from last year's squad, including 11 who earned at least one start throughout the year and six who made 14 or more. Returners with seven or more starts last season include seniors Tara Young (3 years as a starter), MaLiah Burke (2), Rio Spruenken (3), Olivia Gardner (3), Allison Lepp (1), Kira Hockley (1) and Rachel Gensch (1) and junior Kadyn Sharpe (2).
 
CLASS BREAKDOWN
9 seniors/graduates
7 juniors
5 sophomores
9 freshmen
 
ALL-NSIC RETURNERS
The Marauders return four of their six All-Northern Sun players from last season: Sr. D Allison Lepp (1^st team 2024), Sr. F Maliah Burke (2^ne team 2024), Sr. F Olivia Gardner (2nd team 2023, 2^nd team 2024) and Sr. M Rio Spruenken (2^nd team 2022, 2^nd team 2024).

31^st SEASON OF MARAUDERS SOCCER
This is the 31^st season of University of Mary women's soccer. The Marauders took to the pitch for the first time in 1995.
  
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