HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech soccer team heads to Minnesota facing NSIC foes St. Cloud State Thursday and Minnesota Duluth Saturday to open the 2024 campaign.
Thursday's tilt is slated for an 8 p.m. start with Saturday's matinee against Minnesota Duluth scheduled for 2 p.m.
About St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State enters the year predicted to finish second in the NSIC—the highest ranking since the 2008 season, sophomore forward Linsey Trapino and sophomore defender Ana Spaine were tabbed NSIC Preseason Players to watch in the same release.Â
The Huskies had a decorated 2023 campaign earning its first-ever conference championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Head Coach Gretta Macdonald was named NSIC Coach of the Year, Trapino earned Freshman of the Year accolades and the team finished with a ledger of 14-5-2 overall and 10-2-2 in the NSIC.
SCSU returns four D2CCA All-Central Region players junior midfielder Brooke Quam (first team), senior defender Rheana Zerna (second team), junior forward Ellie Primerano (second team) and sophomore forward Linsey Trapino (third team).Â
Trapino scored seven goals and three assists for 17 points with four game-winning goals in 2023, leading all NSIC freshmen in points (17), goals (seven) and game-winning goals (four).
Spaine scored two goals and added two assists for six points while anchoring a Husky backline that recorded a 0.81 goals-against average and eight shutouts, both marks were just short of being school records.
About Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota Duluth soccer finished off the 2023 season with a 6-7-6 overall record and a 5-4-5 conference record after being eliminated in the opening round of the NSIC tournament by St. Cloud State. The Bulldogs were tabbed to finish eighth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with senior forward Anna Tobias and senior midfielder Baamlak Haugen being tabbed NSIC Preseason Players to Watch in the same release.
Tobias, a senior captain for the Bulldogs led the team with 45 total shots a season ago while also tallying 12 total points and five goals. She broke the NCAA DII record for the fastest hat trick, scoring three goals against Minnesota Crookston in just one minute and nine seconds on Sept. 17, 2023.
Haugen returns to the field after appearing in all 19 matches and playing a total of 1,171 minutes for the Bulldogs last season. She produced eight total shots and five on goal throughout 2023, all while being a steady presence for the Bulldog defense that held opponents to 1.47 goals per game last season.
Long-time head coach Greg Cane returns for his 30th season at the helm of the Bulldogs.
About Michigan Tech
It's a new start for Michigan Tech with Melissa Kuhar being named the third head coach in program history following the historic 2023 season showing the Black & Gold advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
A season ago, MTU went 8-5-7 overall and 7-2-5 in the GLIAC. The Huskies will have holes to fill losing four players from the NCAA Tournament squad, none bigger than GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year, Gracie VanLangevelde.
However, the Black & Gold have added four newcomers and two transfers to the core of 21 returners. Two All-Conference performers return for the Huskies in senior forward Julia Pietila (Second Team All-GLIAC Forward) and forward/midfielder Jordan Noble (All-GLIAC Honorable Mention).
Junior defender Emilie Clayton and sophomore forward/midfielder Brooke Green return as the top goal-scorers from last fall, accounting for three goals, respectively. The Huskies' assist leader from 2023, junior defender Grace Hoeppner is also back for the Black & Gold, contributing a season-high three assists and one goal.
