University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, August 17
St. Paul, Minn.
4:00 p.m. Central
vs
Northern Iowa
Photo by: @julienyungphoto
Game Notes -- Women's Soccer opens 2023 with two home matchups against Northern Iowa and Niagara
8/16/2023 2:04:00 PM | Women's Soccer
St. Paul, Minn. -- St. Thomas Women's Soccer is ready to roll in season three of the Division I era. Coach Sheila McGill's Tommies are home Thursday Aug. 17 to face Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. and Saturday Aug. 19 to square off with Niagara at 11 a.m.
The game is set for South Field on the Tommies' St. Paul campus. Tickets are available online and at the gate. Parking is available next to the field or in the Grand and Cretin Parking facility (exit to the west on the first floor).
If you can't make it to the St. Thomas campus, you can follow the game through live stats and live video.
Purple Progress
Head coach Sheila McGill's Tommies finished 6-8-3 in 2022, a two-win improvement from their inaugural season in Division I soccer.
The Toms played rematches against nine teams they lost to, one they defeated, and one they tied in 2021 (1-9-1). They finished with a 5-4-1 record against those 11 in 2022. They will match up with all 11 in 2023 (Northern Iowa, Drake, Marquette, South Dakota, Denver, North Dakota State, Kansas City, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State, North Dakota, and Omaha).
St. Thomas made considerable statistical improvements from 2021 to 2022 and it looks to make another stride forward in 2023. The Tommies improved in goals per game (0.76 to 1.29), goals allowed per game (1.47 to 1.35), shots allowed per game (12.4 to 10.5), shot percentage (5.4% to 10.9%), and number of players to score a goal (8 to 12).
She just knows how to Nguyen
Tommie rising-junior forward Mariah Nguyen was named the Summit League's Newcomer of the Year and was selected to the 11-player All-Newcomer Team.
A transfer from Bemidji State, Nguyen appeared in all nine Summit League matches for the Toms and led the team in goals (five), points (14), and shots on goal (14). She tied for eighth in league play with eight points, and in all games, she was tied for fifth place in scoring among league players.
The Andover, Minn., native was a big piece of the Toms improvement from 4-12-1 in 2021 to a 6-8-3 record in 2022.
St. Thomas in the Polls
The Tommies were picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll after their 2-6-1 conference record in 2022.
The regular-season conference champion Denver Pioneers were voted to the top of the poll edging out challenger South Dakota State by three points (62 to 59). The Purple finished with 19 votes placing them between North Dakota (20 points) and Kansas City (11 points).
Both Mariah Nguyen and Camryn Rintoul were named Players to Watch by the conference office.
Rintoul played in all 17 matches making 16 starts covering 1,469 minutes in 2022. She scored three goals and added one assist for seven points, recording 37 shots with eight on goal.
Scouting the Panthers
The Panthers of Northern Iowa led by seven-year head coach Bruce Erickson finished 2022 with a 6-6-8 record overall and a 2-2-6 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
They jumped out to a hot start last season with a four-game unbeaten streak that was upended by four straight losses to South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Iowa, and Valparaiso.
Northern Iowa returns all four of their top scorers from 2022 – Lauren Heinsch (12 points), Sydney Burskey (9), Ashley Harrington (6), and Allison Whitaker (6). The Panther's primary goaltender, Caitlin Richards out of Elmhurst, Ill. also returns for her senior season after making 81 saves in goal to a 1.26 goals against average.
The Tommies and Panthers have met twice before, first a 0-0 two-overtime tie at South Field in 2021 and then a 3-0 St. Thomas victory on the road in 2022. Returners, Abby Brantner and Lexi Huber each scored in the win. Mariah Nguyen, Annika Eckroth, and Jasmine Gates each added assists on the day.
Scouting the Purple Eagles
Niagara had a successful 2022 campaign and finished with an 11-8-1 overall record and a 6-3-1 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. 25-year head coach Peter Veltri is at the helm for another season in New York.
The top end of the team will look a bit different in 2023 as they lost two of their top-three points-scorers from last season – Annie Ibey (20 points) and Amanda Cripps (8 points). They did hold onto Emma Bough who scored 14 points during her sophomore season.
In goal, they return both of their primary goaltenders who shared the load in '22, Felicia Grufman and Agnes Stenlund. Grufman finished with a stifling 0.93 goals against average while Stenlund contributed a respectable 1.47 goals against average.
The matchup with the Tommies will be the first game against a current Summit League school since the 2008 season when the Purple Eagles took down North Dakota 2-0.
The Returners
The Tommies return 22 players to their 30-player roster in 2023.
Fresh Faces
Coach McGill's coaching staff has brought in eight new players to fill in the 2023 roster.
The game is set for South Field on the Tommies' St. Paul campus. Tickets are available online and at the gate. Parking is available next to the field or in the Grand and Cretin Parking facility (exit to the west on the first floor).
If you can't make it to the St. Thomas campus, you can follow the game through live stats and live video.
Purple Progress
Head coach Sheila McGill's Tommies finished 6-8-3 in 2022, a two-win improvement from their inaugural season in Division I soccer.
The Toms played rematches against nine teams they lost to, one they defeated, and one they tied in 2021 (1-9-1). They finished with a 5-4-1 record against those 11 in 2022. They will match up with all 11 in 2023 (Northern Iowa, Drake, Marquette, South Dakota, Denver, North Dakota State, Kansas City, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State, North Dakota, and Omaha).
St. Thomas made considerable statistical improvements from 2021 to 2022 and it looks to make another stride forward in 2023. The Tommies improved in goals per game (0.76 to 1.29), goals allowed per game (1.47 to 1.35), shots allowed per game (12.4 to 10.5), shot percentage (5.4% to 10.9%), and number of players to score a goal (8 to 12).
She just knows how to Nguyen
Tommie rising-junior forward Mariah Nguyen was named the Summit League's Newcomer of the Year and was selected to the 11-player All-Newcomer Team.
A transfer from Bemidji State, Nguyen appeared in all nine Summit League matches for the Toms and led the team in goals (five), points (14), and shots on goal (14). She tied for eighth in league play with eight points, and in all games, she was tied for fifth place in scoring among league players.
The Andover, Minn., native was a big piece of the Toms improvement from 4-12-1 in 2021 to a 6-8-3 record in 2022.
St. Thomas in the Polls
The Tommies were picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll after their 2-6-1 conference record in 2022.
The regular-season conference champion Denver Pioneers were voted to the top of the poll edging out challenger South Dakota State by three points (62 to 59). The Purple finished with 19 votes placing them between North Dakota (20 points) and Kansas City (11 points).
Both Mariah Nguyen and Camryn Rintoul were named Players to Watch by the conference office.
Rintoul played in all 17 matches making 16 starts covering 1,469 minutes in 2022. She scored three goals and added one assist for seven points, recording 37 shots with eight on goal.
Scouting the Panthers
The Panthers of Northern Iowa led by seven-year head coach Bruce Erickson finished 2022 with a 6-6-8 record overall and a 2-2-6 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
They jumped out to a hot start last season with a four-game unbeaten streak that was upended by four straight losses to South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Iowa, and Valparaiso.
Northern Iowa returns all four of their top scorers from 2022 – Lauren Heinsch (12 points), Sydney Burskey (9), Ashley Harrington (6), and Allison Whitaker (6). The Panther's primary goaltender, Caitlin Richards out of Elmhurst, Ill. also returns for her senior season after making 81 saves in goal to a 1.26 goals against average.
The Tommies and Panthers have met twice before, first a 0-0 two-overtime tie at South Field in 2021 and then a 3-0 St. Thomas victory on the road in 2022. Returners, Abby Brantner and Lexi Huber each scored in the win. Mariah Nguyen, Annika Eckroth, and Jasmine Gates each added assists on the day.
Scouting the Purple Eagles
Niagara had a successful 2022 campaign and finished with an 11-8-1 overall record and a 6-3-1 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. 25-year head coach Peter Veltri is at the helm for another season in New York.
The top end of the team will look a bit different in 2023 as they lost two of their top-three points-scorers from last season – Annie Ibey (20 points) and Amanda Cripps (8 points). They did hold onto Emma Bough who scored 14 points during her sophomore season.
In goal, they return both of their primary goaltenders who shared the load in '22, Felicia Grufman and Agnes Stenlund. Grufman finished with a stifling 0.93 goals against average while Stenlund contributed a respectable 1.47 goals against average.
The matchup with the Tommies will be the first game against a current Summit League school since the 2008 season when the Purple Eagles took down North Dakota 2-0.
The Returners
The Tommies return 22 players to their 30-player roster in 2023.
- #0 Kendell Ellis, junior from Billings, Mont.
- #00 Olivia Graupmann, senior from Excelsior, Minn.
- #1 Annie Bantner, junior from McHenry, Ill.
- #6 CJ Fredkove, sophomore from Afton, Minn.
- #7 Ella Bryant, sophomore from Shakopee, Minn.
- #8 Sofia Caballero, junior from Maple Grove, Minn.
- #9 Bella Meier, redshirt-freshman from Hastings, Minn.
- #10 Emma Fournier, junior from Maple Grove, Minn.
- #11 Abby Brantner, junior from Medina, Minn.
- #12 Tori Crivello, sophomore from Brookfield, Wis.
- #14 Anna Koepke, sophomore from Coon Rapids, Minn.
- #15 Arianna Sanchez, junior from Castle Rock, Colo.
- #16 Lexi Huber, junior from Lakeland, Minn.
- #17 Jasmine Gates, fifth-year from Maple Grove, Minn.
- #18 Lissa Mizutani, junior from Excelsior, Minn.
- #21 McKenna Lehman, sophomore from Lakeville, Minn.
- #22 Ellie Tempero, junior from Omaha, Neb.
- #23 Mariah Nguyen, junior from Andover, Minn.
- #24 Molly Knoblauch, sophomore from Coon Rapids, Minn.
- #25 Camryn Rintoul, junior from Apple Valley, Minn.
- #26 Annika Eckroth, junior from Edina, Minn.
- #28 Tatum Trettl, redshirt freshman from Shoreview, Minn.
Fresh Faces
Coach McGill's coaching staff has brought in eight new players to fill in the 2023 roster.
- #2 Sofia Englund, freshman from Whitefish Bay, Wis.
- #4 Karlie Greenthal, freshman from Muskego, Wis.
- #5 Sydney Kubes, sophomore from Lino Lakes, Minn.
- #13 Abby Hoiska, freshman from Minnetonka, Minn.
- #19 Cedar Jorgenson, freshman from Andover, Minn.
- #20 Kendall Quall, freshman from Maple Grove, Minn.
- #27 Emily Pikarski, freshman from Chicago, Ill.
- #31 Olivia Rowe, junior from Ramsey, Minn.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerWomen's Soccer
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