SIOUX FALLS— In the final weekend of the regular season, the University of Sioux Falls Soccer Team (4-10-2, 3-8-2 NSIC) will play home and away matches as the Cougars look to match or surpass the win total of a year ago.
 
On Friday, Oct. 26 at the USF Sports Complex, USF will conclude its home schedule by hosting Upper Iowa (3-11-2, 2-9-2 NSIC) at 1 p.m. USF will then turn around and travel to face Winona State (6-7-1, 6-6-1 NSIC) on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m., in Winona, Minn.
 
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Defense continues to shine in loss to Minnesota Duluth
Another strong defensive performance was not enough as USF fell to UMD, 1-0, on Sunday, Oct. 21. Junior goalkeeper Brayden Paul posted another strong outing, making seven saves on UMD's eight shots on goal.
 
Defenders Emma Trittin, Erin O'Tool, and Becca Schmitz have anchored the USF defense all season and have limited opposing offenses to 1.56 goals per game.
 
USF is 0-4-2 over the past six matches since a 1-0 win over Minnesota Crookston. But, USF has allowed just five total goals as the team's defense has been solid.
 
 
USF Currently 12^th in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings
With Sunday afternoon's one goal loss to UMD, USF has fallen to a conference record of 3-8-2, which ranks 12^th in the NSIC standings. The Cougars are currently three spots ahead of Upper Iowa  at 2-9-2, and two spots behind Winona State  at 6-6-2 and eighth place in the league.
 
Series Histories
                Upper Iowa leads series 6-0-0
USF is not only looking for their first win against Upper Iowa, but they are looking to avenge a trio of one-goal losses from the past three seasons. Upper Iowa is an undefeated 6-0 against the Cougars in their six-year series history and they have a 3-0 record when visiting USF. In the last three years, USF has dropped one-goal matches as they have lost 1-0 in 2015 and 2017 and  2-1 in 2016. In last season's match, Upper Iowa capitalized on an early USF miscue when Birgit Rjinders took a misplayed ball and scored from the middle of the box just two minutes into the game. For the remainder of the first half, USF accrued a 6-4 advantage in shots and a 3-2 edge in shots on goal but were unable to tie the match
 
                    Winona State leads series 5-1-0
With a 3-1 victory last season, USF recorded their first win over the Warriors since the two programs began competing in 2012. With two one-goal losses to WSU the two years prior, USF finally broke their winless streak against WSU behind three unanswered goals in the second half in last season's matchup. In 2016, USF held an edge in shots (11-9) and shots on goal (6-3), but a 17th-minute goal proved to be the difference for WSU. USF is 0-3 against the Warriors in Winona.
 
USF picked 12th in preseason poll
USF was 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 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 tied with Wayne State for 12th in the poll.
 
Head Coach Brittany Domino leads USF
Brittany Domino is in her fourth season as head coach of the USF Soccer program in 2018. She has led USF to a 4-10-2 record, including 3-8-2 in league play. For the first time in the DII era, she 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.