THIS WEEK
The University of Mary opens the 2025 Northern Sun Women's Soccer Tournament at NSIC champion and 2^nd ranked Minnesota State University on Monday, November 10. Game time in the NSIC quarterfinal match between the Marauders and the Mavericks is set for 1 pm at The Pitch in Mankato, MN.
 
THE RECORDS
UMary is 8-6-4 overall and finished the Northern Sun season 6-5-4 (22 points/7^th place tie). The Marauders are seeded 8^th in the NSIC tournament… Minnesota State is 15-1-2 overall and 13-1-2 (40 points/1^st place) in the NSIC to earn the #1 seed.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Links to live stats and video are available at www.goumary.com/coverage
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders closed the regular season with a 2-1 loss at Minot State. The Beavers scored the opening two goals in the first 27 minutes before Olivia Gardner scored her 10^th counter of the season in the 33^rd minute. UMary held the advantage in both shots (13-4) and shots on frame (10-4)… Minnesota State suffered a 1-0 loss at home to St. Cloud State. The Huskies earned a share of 2^nd place and the #3 seed with the win. It was the Mavericks only loss in NSIC play.  
 
ON THE RUN
The Marauders are 6-3-4 in their last 13 games and have outscored the opposition 32-12.
 
ON THE LINE
The NSIC tournament champion earns a berth in the NCAA tournament.
 
GREAT 8
The Marauders have qualified for postseason play eight straight seasons and nine times total under the helm of head coach Sarah Cook. The eight straight NSIC tournament appearances is the longest streak in program history, exceeding the Marauders run of seven straight tournament appearances in UMary's first seven years in the league (2006-2012).
 
FINE NINE
UMary owns a winning record in seven of the last nine seasons and finished with a .500 or better record for the ninth straight season.


NSIC TOURNAMENT BRACKET 2025
Monday, November 10
#8 UMary at #1 Minnesota State 1 pm
#6 Augustana at #3 St. Cloud State 1 pm
#7 Northern State at #2 Bemidji State 5 pm
#5 Concordia-St. Paul at Minot State 5 pm
 
Friday, November 14
Semifinals at site of top remaining seed following 1^st round
 
Sunday, November 16
Championship game at site of top remaining seed following 1^st round
 
OPPO RESEARCH
Minnesota State, back-to-back NSIC regular season champions, lost just once during the conference season. Seven Mavericks have scored three or more goals with Marin Johnson and Mia Rustin with five each. Johnson has a team-high 13 points. Lauren McAlpine owns 15 shutouts this season with a 0.28 goals against average. The Mavericks have allowed five goals in 18 games while scoring 38.
 
HISTORY LESSON-UMARY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
The Marauders are 1-16-3 all-time against the Mavericks, including a mark of 1-6-0 in Bismarck, ND, and 0-10-3 in Mankato, MN. All three draws have been in playoff games in Mankato with the Mavericks advancing on penalties both times (0-0 in 2009 with MSU advancing 3-2 on PKs, 1-1 in 2019 with MSU advancing 6-5 on PKs and 0-0 in 2024 with MSU advancing 5-3 on PKs)… UMary is 0-2-3 in playoff games at MSU... UMary's lone win was a 2019 2-1 home victory over #4 Minnesota State. It was the highest-ranked team UMary has defeated. Hannah Richter scored both goals for the Marauders and Madisyn Waltman made eight saves.
 
NSIC TOURNAMENT RESULTS
The Marauders are 11-9-4 all-time in the NSIC tournament. UMary won the tournament its first two times in the league (2006, 2007). In the three draws the Marauders have advanced once, edging Bemidji State in 2018 in a shootout on penalty kicks.
 
2006   
W | 1-0 at Northern State (quarterfinals)
W | 1-0 v Concordia-St. Paul (semifinals at Winona, MN)
W | 1-0 at Winona State (championship game at Winona, MN)
 
2007   
W | 1-0 v Bemidji State (quarterfinals at Bismarck, ND)
W | 1-0 v Southwest Minnesota State (semifinals at Aberdeen, SD)
W | 1-0 v MSU Moorhead (championship game at Aberdeen, SD)
 
2008   
W | 1-0 at University of Minnesota Duluth (quarterfinals)
 L | 0-1 in OT at Winona State (semifinals)
 
2009   
T | 0-0 in 2 OT at Minnesota State (quarterfinals, MSU advances 3-2 on penalty kicks)
 
2010   
L | 0-1 at Minnesota Duluth (quarterfinals)
 
2011   
L | 1-2 at St. Cloud State (quarterfinals)
 
2012   
L | 1-2 at Minot State (quarterfinals)
 
2017   
W | 1-0 at Minot State (quarterfinals)
L | 0-6 at Minnesota State (semifinals)
 
2018   
T | 0-0 in 2OT at Bemidji State (quarterfinals, UMary advances 8-7 on penalty kicks)
L | 1-3 v Minot State (semifinals at Mankato, MN)
 
2019   
T | 1-1 at Minnesota State University (quarterfinals, MSU advances 6-5 on penalty kicks) 
 
2020 (No tournament due to pandemic)
 
2021   
L | 0-1 at Minnesota State (quarterfinals)
 
2022   
L | 0-1 at Bemidji State (quarterfinals)
 
2023
W | 1-0 at Northern State (quarterfinals)
W | 1-0 vs. Concordia-St. Paul (semifinals in St. Cloud, MN)
L | 0-2 vs. Bemidji State (championship game in St. Cloud, MN)
 
2024
W | 2-1 at #4 St. Cloud State OT (quarterfinals)
T | 0-0 at Minnesota State University (semifinals, MSU advances 5-3 on penalty kicks) 
 
SCORING SPLURGE
Averaging 2.2 goals/game, the Marauders are the top-scoring team in the NSIC this season with 39 goals.  
 
39 AND COUNTING
The Marauders tied the program's NCAA era record for goals in a season with 39. The goal total matches the 39 scored by UMary in 2007 when the Marauders advanced to the NCAA tournament. The 2007 goal total occurred in 23 games. The Marauders have played 18 games so far this year.
 
GARDNER GOES GANGBUSTERS
All-Northern Sun forward Olivia Gardner has broken out in a big way. The Winona, MN, native has scored nine goals with an assist in her last nine games, including two-game winners in back-to-back road wins over USF and SMSU. Gardner started her scoring binge with three two-goal games in the span of four matches, posting a brace against Wayne State, Jamestown and Northern State… Gardner leads the Marauders in goals this season (10) and is 3^rd in the NSIC. Twice a 2^nd team all-conference selection, the senior quad-captain has 25 goals in her career and seven assists for 57 points… Gardner is the first UMary player to reach 10 goals in a season since Alex Bachman-Williams had 13 counters in 2011.
 
BOMBASTIC BURKE
Senior forward MaLiah Burke is on a scoring binge. The All-NSIC performer has points in five of her last six games, posting two goals – both in a win over MSU Moorhead – and five assists. She provided the helper on the tying goal against Minnesota Crookston in her final home game when she found her sister Maicee in front of the net for a goal to give UMary a 1-1 draw… Burke leads UMary with five assists this season. Twice she has delivered assists on the game-winning goal (UJ, SMSU)… This is the fourth straight season the Marauders captain has posted at least four assists. The forward from Minot, ND, now has 11 goals and 17 assists from 39 points in 72 career games.
 
 
 
 
OFFENSE+DEFENSE=SUCCESS
The Marauders rank 1^st in the NSIC in goals scored/game (2.2) and 6^th in goals allowed per game (1.00)… UMary's scoring margin of 1.17 goals/game is 5^th in the conference… UMary is 5^th in shutouts with eight. 
 
DYNAMIC DINA
Freshman midfielder Dina (pronounced DEE nah) Polanco is second on the Marauders in goals with eight and is 7^th in the Northern Sun… 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… She had her first 2-goal game against Jamestown, scoring on a header and a penalty kick… Polanco has two game-winning goals… With 19 points (8 goals 3 assist) Polanco is 5^th in the NSIC in points/game (1.19) and 7^th in total points.
 
GOALS BY GENSCH
Rachel Gensch is third on the Marauders in goals scored with three in 15 games. Over the course of 26 games in her UMary career, the senior forward has six goals and seven assists for 19 points.
 
CLEAN UP ON AISLE NUMBER ONE
Kadyn Dilger has started 16 games in goal for the Marauders this season and owns eight shutouts. After making a pair of appearances for UMary as a freshman in 2024, Dilger has moved into the starting role this season and has posted clean sheets in a 2-0 win over MSU Billings, a 4-0 victory at Washburn, a 0-0 draw at Winona State, a 7-0 win over Wayne State, a 2-0 win over Augie, a 5-0 win over Jamestown, a 4-0 win at SMSU and a 4-0 win over MSU Moorhead.  The sophomore is 3^rd in the NSIC in shutouts and 6^th in goals against average (0.938). 
 
YOUNG BREAKS THROUGH
Senior defender and team captain Tara Young posted her first collegiate goal in the Marauders 5-0 win over Jamestown. A 4-year starter, Young's goal came in her 70^th career game. She had picked up her first two assists of the season in the previous two games. It only took Young three more games to double her career number for goals when she scored again at SMSU. 
 
SEVEN GOALS TIES UMARY NCAA RECORD
The Marauders scored seven goals against Wayne State College ties UMary's NCAA era record for goals in a game. The mark was established in UMary's 7-0 win over Minnesota Crookston on October 14, 2019, in a game delayed three days due to a fall snowstorm.
 
DILGER SELECTED NSIC GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK OCT 13
After posting two clean sheets on Homecoming Weekend, University of Mary soccer goalkeeper Kadyn Dilger was named the Northern Sun's Goalkeeper of the Week. It is her first career selection for the weekly honor. Dilger, a sophomore, played all 180 minutes for the Marauders this past weekend as UMary secured its first two conference wins. She secured the one save she was asked to make in a one-sided 7-0 win over Wayne State on Friday to start her weekend. On Sunday, Dilger went on to shutout the Augustana Vikings in a 2-0 victory. Augustana came into the game as the highest scoring team in the NSIC. In that victory, the Marauders faced immense pressure in the first half with heavy winds blowing towards Dilger's net. The sophomore stood tall, making four saves and withstanding a barrage of offense that featured seven corner kicks… Dilger currently has five shutouts to her name this season in her first year as the primary goalkeeper for the Marauders. That places her third in the Northern Sun's leaderboard in that category while missing two games earlier this season. Dilger is the first UMary goalie to win the award since Molly Fischer did so last year on Sept. 23. She is the youngest athlete to claim NSIC Goalkeeper of the Week for the Marauders.
 
GARDNER NAMED NSIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
A pair of game-winning goals earned Olivia Gardner Northern Sun Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors. In a game deadlocked at 2-2 with time running out, Gardner used a spectacular finish to score in the 85th minute of a 3-2 win at the University of Sioux Falls on Friday.
The two-time All-Northern Sun forward then scored the opening goal on a header just 4:15 into the Marauders 4-0 win at Southwest Minnesota State University on Sunday. A UMary team captain, the senior from Winona, MN, has scored eight goals in the last six games, and at least one goal in five of the six matches. She ranks 3rd in the NSIC with nine goals on the season. She is 4th in game-winning goals (3) and 5th in points (18)… This is the second time Gardner has earned NSIC weekly honors. She was previously recognized the final week of the 2023 regular season after scoring goals in a pair of road wins, including a 1-0 victory.
 
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.

108
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 108 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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