SIOUX FALLS—Following two home matches which resulted in a Concordia-St.Paul tie and a one goal loss to the NSIC preseason favorite Minnesota State, the University of Sioux Falls Soccer Team (4-7-1, 3-5-1 NSIC) will host Minot State (6-4-2, 4-4-1 NSIC) on Friday, Oct. 12 for a 5 p.m. match. USF will then finish up the weekend by hosting the University of Mary (3-6-2, 2-5-2 NSIC) on Sunday, Oct. 14 for a 1 p.m. match start time. Both contests will be held at the USF Sports Complex.

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Defense leads the Cougars to a strong performance against MSU
The USF defense held tough against the Mavericks as junior goalkeeper Brayden Paul accumulated a career-high 14 saves. Paul and the other members of the USF team have allowed only one goal in the last three games. MSU scored the game-winning goal in the 69^th minute as Brynn Desens scored on a cross from Dakota Wendell. The MSU goal ended a 275-minute stretch in which Paul and the USF defense had not allowed a goal.

USF tied for 10th in conference standings
With the most recent loss against Minnesota State, USF has gone 3-2-1 in their last 6 matches and moved into a tie for 10th in the NSIC with Wayne State at 3-5-1. The Cougars, which set a D2 program mark with five wins a year ago, have totaled four in 12 matches this season. Minot State, with a 4-4-1 NSIC record, currently is in a four team tie for sixth place in the conference standings with Northern State, Minnesota Duluth, and Winona State. At 2-5-2, the University of Mary currently sits 13^th in the conference standings, three spots behind USF.

Series Histories
            Minot State leads series 6-0-0
Searching for their first win in the series, USF will face Minot State for the seventh time since both universities joined NCAA Division II full time and the NSIC in 2012. The Cougars are 0-3 at home entering this weekend's game. Last season, Minot State earned a 4-0 victory, despite 11 total shots by the USF offense. Two seasons ago, Minot State won the conference and finished with a 16-3-1 record.

             University of Mary leads series 3-1-2
In the last three games against University of Mary the Cougars have earned five points with a thrilling overtime victory and a 2-2 draw two years ago, and a 1-1 draw last year. Despite the recent success against U-Mary, USF still trails the Marauders 1-3-2 in the series, which began when USF joined the NCAA Division II ranks and the NSIC in 2012. USF's first win over U-Mary came on Alexa D'Acunto's double-overtime game-winning goal. Alexandria Scott scored on a penalty to tie the game at 2-2. Last year, Lauren LaFavre netted the lone goal for USF while Morgan Perkins totaled 12 saves in the 1-1 draw.
Defense continues to improve
Over the past three games, the USF defense has only allowed one goal while going 1-1-1 during the stretch. Brayden continues to develop in her first season in goal as she moves into fifth in the conference with 70 total saves. Paul has also boosted her save percentage up to .814, which ranks 10^th in the NSIC. The USF defense has recorded three shutouts on the year, which is tied for eighth in the conference.

USF picked 12th in preseason poll
The University of Sioux Falls Soccer Team, which is coming off its best season at NCAA DII, has been picked to finish in a tie for 12th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), according to the 2018 NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released August 9. USF soccer had a program-DII-best 5-9-4 overall mark, and was 4-7-4 in the NSIC for 10th in the league in 2017. In the preseason poll, USF received 69 points and sits tied with Wayne State for 12th in the poll. The Cougars currently sit tied for 9th in the conference standings after eight games.
 
Head Coach Brittany Domino leads USF
Brittany Domino enters her fourth season as the head coach of the USF Soccer program in 2018. She has led USF to a 3-5 record, including 2-3 in league play. For the first time in the DII era, she has directed USF to consecutive league wins (MSUM, Northern State, Sept. 14 & 16). During Domino's tenure, the Cougars have built up their defense and added offseason signings to bolster their offensive attack, which set Division II program records for goals, points, assists and nearly every statistical category. In her third season at the helm of the USF Women's Soccer program, Domino reached unprecedented territory for USF in their Division II era, finishing with a 5-9-4 overall record, 4-7-4 in the NSIC during the 2017 campaign. The Cougars finished with program-bests of five wins overall, four wins in NSIC games, and 16 total points in league play, tying them for 10th place, their highest finish in six seasons as members of the league. In 2017, Sioux Falls again improved on both sides of the ball, breaking their previous Division II USF program records in both goals scored and goals allowed. The Cougar coaching staff also includes Assistant Coach Kyle Halfpop who has been with USF for two years, and Gabe Wortman.