Crookston, Minn. — It's the final weekend of the regular season for the University of Minnesota Crookston women's soccer team, as they host Northern State University Friday afternoon, and head to Moorhead for a Sunday afternoon match with the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons.
 
The Golden Eagles will look to rebound from losses last weekend at the hands of Augustana University, and Wayne State College.
 
Offensively, Minnesota Crookston has three girls that each have one goal on the season. Vanessa Shelton (So. Tacoma, Wash.), Lindsey Daml (Jr. North Pole Alaska) and Jessica Withrow (Gardnerville, Nev.) have put the ball in the back of the net once each on the year, and have been offensive threats for head coach Joe Alianiello and his squad.
 
This is the last weekend wearing the maroon and gold for two Golden Eagle seniors, Jessica Scott (Sr. Post Falls, Idaho) and Aimee Silva (Sr. Yakima, Wash.). Both girls have been key components in the soccer program, and have helped the Golden Eagles with transition seasons.
 
Youth is up and down the roster for Minnesota Crookston, with seven freshman on the squad. Two of the freshman that have made strides throughout the year has been defender Mataya Mierzejewski (Fr. Woodbury, Minn.) and midfielder Tyler Goodwin (Covina, Calif.). The freshman duo has started in a combined 31 out of the 32 games for Minnesota Crookston, and has made strides throughout the season.
 
A Look at the Wolves
When: Friday, Oct. 26, 2:00 pm
Where: Crookston, Minn. UMC Soccer Field
Opponent: Northern State University
https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab
The Wolves come into the weekend with a record of 8-7-1 overall, and 6-6-1 in NSIC play. NSU split last weekend with a 1-0 loss to nationally ranked Minnesota State University-Mankato, and a 1-0 win over Concordia University, St. Paul.
 
Steve Kehm has been in Aberdeen as the head man for the Wolves literally from the start. Since 1998, Kehm has a record of 190-162-37 and is in his 20^th season at Northern State.
 
Darian Leschewski leads Northern State with five goals and 11 points in 16 games. Shianne Rosselli and Stephany Estrada are second on the team in goals, with four apiece. Rosselli and Leschewski each have 11 points, while Estrada is also in double digits in points, with 10. Emily Reiten is also a force offensively, as she has three goals, and seven points on the season.
 
Jessica Otto has gotten majority of the starts in net for her squad this season. She has made 96 saves on the year, and has a goals against average of just 1.11. Otto has recorded three shutouts in her 12 starts.
 
This weekend is big for the Wolves. Northern State sits in eighth place in the NSIC, and are tied with Minnesota-Duluth, and Winona State with 19 points in conference play. The Wolves are just two points behind CSP, and one point behind the University of Mary.
 
A Look at the Dragons
When: Sunday, Oct. 28, 1:00pm
Where: Moorhead, Minn., Nemzek Soccer Field
Opponent: Minnesota State University Moorhead
https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab
The Dragons come into the final weekend of the regular season with a record of 3-12 overall, and 3-10 in NSIC play. MSUM was swept last weekend at the hands of Concordia University, St. Paul, and Minnesota State University-Mankato.
 
Christie Kopietz is in her second season as the head coach of MSUM. Golden Eagle fans will remember Kopietz (formerly Chappell) for her time donning the maroon and gold at Minnesota Crookston. Kopietz, who graduated in 2006, is the school's all-time leader in goals scored with 25, and points with 62. She was also named to the All-NSIC team twice in her tenure as a Golden Eagle.
 
Carly Jo Gamrath and Tomoni Nishihara lead the Dragons in goals with two apiece. Gamrath leads the team in points with six, while Nishihara is second in points with four. Jessica Dallman, Kylee Billings and Jennifer Barnes are threats offensively with two points each for the trio.
 
Kayleigh Sedlacek has started in 13 games for MSUM. Sedlacek has a goals against average of 1.43, and has a win-loss record of 3-8.