Women's Soccer | 6/24/2026 10:53:00 AM

CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston soccer program has officially announced their 2026 schedule. The Golden Eagles will play an 18-game schedule. Minnesota Crookston has 15 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games and three non-conference tilts. The Golden Eagles are slated for eight games at the Minnesota Crookston Soccer Field, and 10 on the road.

Minnesota Crookston opens their slate Thursday, August 27 at 7 p.m. M.T., at Montana State University Billings. The Golden Eagles and Yellowjackets will meet for the first time since 2009. Montana State Billings is 3-0 in the series. The Yellowjackets went 3-15 during the 2025 season.

The Golden Eagles remain on the road to face Black Hills State University Saturday, August 29 at 11 a.m., in Spearfish, S.D. The Yellowjackets won last season's match-up 4-1. The two squads tied 0-0 in 2024 in Speafish.

Minnesota Crookston wraps up their non-conference slate with an NSIC opponent at home, hosting MSU Moorhead in the first bout of the Highway 75 Rivalry Rock series for the 2026 season. The Golden Eagles swept their Highway 75 Rivalry Rock games in 2025. They will play at 3 p.m., Monday, August 31 at the Minnesota Crookston Soccer Field. Since the Highway 75 Rivalry Rock rivalry officially was played for the trophy in 2013, the series is knotted 6-6-2. In the last five years, the teams have gone 2-2-1.

The Golden Eagles commence conference play Friday, September 11 at 4 p.m. against Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Vikings went 11-5-3 in 2025. 

Minnesota Crookston remains on the road to face Wayne State College Sunday, September 13 at 1 p.m., in Wayne, Neb. The Golden Eagles played the Wildcats close in 2025 with a 1-0 loss in Crookston. Wayne State went 6-8-4 during the 2025 slate.

The Golden Eagles play their first conference home game Friday, September 18 at 3 p.m., versus Southwest Minnesota State University. Minnesota Crookston had a close contest with the Mustangs in 2025, falling 1-0. The Mustangs posted a 3-15 mark last season.

Minnesota Crookston remains at the Minnesota Crookston Soccer Field to host the University of Sioux Falls Sunday, September 20 at 1 p.m. USF has a first-year head coach in Andy Janssen, who is no stranger to the conference, serving as an assistant coach at Bemidji State from 2010-16. The Cougars won last season 4-0 in Sioux Falls. Minnesota Crookston won in 2024 with a 2-1 victory in Sioux Falls.

The Golden Eagles trek to Aberdeen, S.D. to face Northern State University Friday, September 25 at 6 p.m. Minnesota Crookston earned a 0-0 draw with the Wolves in 2025, their first point earned against Northern State since 2015. The Wolves went 6-9-4 last season.

Minnesota Crookston faces the University of Jamestown Sunday, September 27 in Jamestown, N.D., at 12 p.m. The Golden Eagles played it close in 2025, but fell 1-0 in Crookston. The Jimmies went 2-13-2 last season.

The Golden Eagles begin a three-game set of home games Friday, October 2 against Concordia-St. Paul at 3 p.m., in Crookston. Minnesota Crookston played it tight in 2025, with a 1-0 loss in St. Paul to the Golden Bears. Concordia-St. Paul went 12-3-5 in 2025. 

Minnesota Crookston remains at home to face Winona State University Sunday, October 4 at 1 p.m., in Crookston. The Golden Eagles lost a close one, 2-1 to the Warriors in 2025 in Winona. Winona State posted a 7-6-4 mark in 2025. 

The Golden Eagles host Bemidji State for their Homecoming game Friday, October 9 at 3 p.m., in Crookston. Bemidji State went 14-3-4 a season ago.

Minnesota Crookston returns to the road for three games in a row. They face Minnesota Duluth Sunday, October 11 at 1 p.m. The Golden Eagles have been close against the Bulldogs in their last two meetings, falling 1-0 in both tilts. UMD went 6-8-4 in 2025.

The Golden Eagles face St. Cloud State University Friday, October 16 at 5 p.m., in St. Cloud, Minn. Minnesota Crookston played a tight game with the Huskies in 2025, falling 1-0 in Crookston. St. Cloud State went 16-3-5 in 2025, and they have new leadership in 2026 with Maggie Sherman taking over after previously serving as an assistant coach at the University of South Dakota. The Huskies lost in the Central Region Championship game a season ago. 

Minnesota Crookston concludes their road excursion Sunday, October 18 at 1 p.m., against Minnesota State University. The Mavericks posted an 18-1-4 mark in 2025, after losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Golden Eagles return home to face the University of Mary Friday, October 23 at 3 p.m. Minnesota Crookston tied UMary 1-1 in 2025, with their first positive result against the Marauders since 2018. UMary went 8-7-4 last season.

Minnesota Crookston faces Minot State University in their final home tilt of 2026, Sunday, October 25 at 1 p.m. The Beavers won 2-0 in 2025 and they are under new leadership in 2025 with former assistant coach Adam Daley leading the program in 2026. 

The Golden Eagles conclude the regular season with the second leg of the Highway 75 Rivalry Rock series, as they face MSU Moorhead Thursday, October 29 at 1 p.m., at the Fargo Parks Sports Center in Fargo, N.D. 

Minnesota Crookston went 2-13-3 in 2025 in their first season under Head Coach Danny Burstein, for their best record since 2022. The Golden Eagles look to make the next step as a program in 2026. Minnesota Crookston has a strong core intact for 2026 with nine starters returning, including All-NSIC Second Team player Emmah Burnes (Sr., MF, Tulare, Calif.), a staple in the central midfield. They also return 2025 leading scorer Elise Lefers (Jr., MF/F, Brookings, S.D.) and netminder Payton King (So., GK, Fairfield, Calif.), who posted three shutouts and a 1.41 goals against average in nine starts.