SIOUX FALLS—After winning three of their last four games, the University of Sioux Falls Soccer Team (4-6-0, 3-4-0 NSIC) will host a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches starting with Concordia-St.Paul (6-1-2, 3-1-2 NSIC) on Friday, Oct. 5 for a 1 p.m. match. They will then face Minnesota State (7-1-1, 5-0-1 NSIC) at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7. Both contests will be held at the USF Sports Complex.
 
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Cougars finished last weekend strong
A goal off of the foot of junior midfielder McKayla Philippi in the second minute of the match proved to be the difference as USF soccer continued a recent hot streak with a 1-0 decision over Minnesota Crookston. On Sunday, the USF offense started out strong and continued to attack the UMC defense throughout the match by posting 18 total shots, 10 of which were on goal. Junior Lindsey Power led the Cougar offense with three total shots. Philippi, who recorded the lone goal of the match at 2:24, totaled one shot, which slid by the goal keeper for her second goal of the season. Senior forward Chessa Novotny registered two total shots and assisted on USF's goal.
 
USF tied for eighth in conference standings
With the most recent victory over Minnesota Crookston, USF has won three of four matches and moved into a tie for eighth in the NSIC with Southwest Minnesota State at 3-4. The Cougars, which set a D2 program mark with five wins a year ago, have totaled four in 10 matches this season. Minnesota State, who was the preseason favorite in the NSIC, is currently ranked third with a 5-0-1, conference record. St.Cloud State is currently sitting in sixth place, two spots above the Cougars.
 
Series Histories
            St. Cloud State – SCSU Leads 3-2-1
In the seventh matchup between the two programs, USF looks to even the series back up with Saturday's match. SCSU broke the tie last season with a 1-0 victory. St. Cloud State owns the aggregate lead with a 8-4 edge in total goals scored over the previous six games. The Cougars are 1-1 on the road against St. Cloud State with the 2014 victory coming on the foot of Jackie Montes's 88th minute winner. In 2016, Lauren LaFavre set up Lola Weiss for the game-winning goal in the third minute as USF held on to defeat SCSU 1-0. Most recently, SCSU came away with the 1-0 victory after out shooting the Cougars 17 shots to three. USF is 2-0-1 against St.Cloud State at home.
 
              Minnesota State  - MSU leads series 6-0-0
Sioux Falls looks to continue to close the gap against perennial NSIC and national power Minnesota State. The Cougars also look for their first point against the Mavericks, who hold a 6-0-0 series lead over USF. MSU is unranked entering Sunday's game, the first time they haven't held a top-25 ranking before facing USF. At home, USF is 0-3 against Minnesota State and all six meetings have come in NSIC regular season play. USF faced MSU earlier this year in a preseason exhibition match where the Cougars lost, 4-0.

Cougar offense continues to be a major strength
Throughout the season, USF has shown the ability to take chances and pressure opposing defenses with their high volume of shots. The Cougars have totaled 143 shots on the season, which ranks sixth in the NSIC, one shot behind Winona State (144) for fifth. Junior midfielder Lauren LaFavre leads the USF attack with 27 total attacks on the year, which also ranks her 11^th in the conference. Sophomore midfielder Lindsey Power has 23 shots, two goals, and three assists. Freshman standout Aundria Vargas has continued her impressive first year campaign by recording 23 total shots and two goals.
 
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.