SIOUX FALLS - After tallying a point in their season-opening road trip, University of Sioux Falls returns home for their conference opener then heads to the road to close out their nonconference schedule. USF (0-1-1, 0-0-0 NSIC) welcome Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, Sept. 9, for each team's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener at 6 p.m. Then to close the weekend, the Cougars travel to Maryville, Mo. to face Northwest Missouri State on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m.in USF's final nonconference game of the season
 
How to follow this weekend's games
Live stats for all USF home soccer games are available HERE
Video for Friday's game and all of USF's home games can be streamed HERE
Live stats for USF's game against Northwest Missouri State are available HERE
 
Keeping up with the Cougars

• Follow the USF Soccer team and all of USF Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube with the USF Athletics Social Media Directory.

 
Second Leg

• The Cougars embark on their first NSIC road trip of the season next weekend
• USF will face Northern State on Saturday, Sept. 17 then travel to play MSU Moorhead on Sunday, Sept. 18

 
Series Histories

• USF trails 4-0 in the all-time series against NSIC travel partner Southwest Minnesota State
• The Cougars dropped a 2-0 decision at home last year and again welcome SMSU this year to the USF Sports Complex
• Sioux Falls is 0-2 against the Mustangs in games at home and all four contests have been in NSIC regular season competition
• Against Northwest Missouri State, USF is 0-1 since the Cougars joined NCAA Division II in 2012
• NWMSU secured a 1-0 victory in overtime last year, scoring in the 92nd minute to defeat the Cougars at the USF Sports Complex

 
Perkins stands tall in goal to lead Cougars to draw against William Jewell

• Sophomore goalie Morgan Perkins posted 14 saves in USF's season opener against William Jewell, helping them to a 1-1 draw with the Cardinals
• Lola Weiss scored in the 11th minute, her fourth career goal, off a Lauren LaFavre assist to give USF a 1-0 lead
• Perkins helped maintain that lead, but WJC broke through with a goal in the 61st minute
• USF held off the William Jewell charge and earned a point with a draw in two overtimes despite playing the final 16 minutes a player down due to a red card

 
Perkins and Campbell picked as players to watch

• Sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Perkins and freshman forward Carley Campbell were chosen as USF's players to watch in the NSIC preseason release
• Perkins returns as in 2016 after starting all 17 games last season to finish with a 2-14-1 record
•  A native of Liberty, Mo., Perkins  made 127 saves and posted a 2.59 goals against average in 2015
• Campbell enters her freshman season from Monument, Colo. where she played at Palmer Ridge High School
• She led her high school squad to consecutive state playoff appearances while she scored 10 goals and added 10 assists in her junior and senior seasons

 
Cougars show improvement in first year under Goosen

• Shoring up the defense was key for the Cougars as head coach Brittany Goosen took over in 2015
• USF allowed 46 goals in 2015, 15 fewer than the previous year
• Sioux Falls allowed seven fewer shots on goal than the previous year, while their opponents recorded more total shots
• USF's goal keepers finished with a .753 save percentage, and increase from .684 the previous year
• The Cougars played fewer game in 2015 but managed to record 82 shots on goal, more than the previous season

 
Sioux Falls returns five goal scorers from 2015

• All but one Cougar goal scorer returns for 2016, combining for eight of the team's nine goals last season
• Lola Weiss, Alexandria Scott and Chessa Novotny all found the back of the net twice in 2015
• Alexa D'Acunto and Brooke Jensen each scored once last season, notching the two gamewinners for the Cougars
• Weiss and Jensen ranked 1-2 on the team with 29 and 26 total shots, respectively, while Novotny led with 15 shots on goal
• Jensen and Jackie Montes both logged two assists and Montes was fourth on the team with 20 total shots, behind Novotny's 23.

 
Goosen continues building process in second season as head coach

• USF Soccer head coach Brittany Goosen enters her second season at the helm of the program
• She owns a 2-15-2 overall record at USF
• Goosen equaled the team's previous win total with a  2-14-1 record in her first season as a head coach
• The Olathe, Kan. native held coaching positions at Missouri-Kansas City as an assistant in 2014 and at Emporia State as a graduate assistant from 2012-13
• Goosen played four years at the University of Nebraska, starting at as a center back from 2007-2011