University of St. Thomas Athletics
Sunday, September 3
St. Paul, Minn. / Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium
7:00 p.m. Central
at
Minnesota
Photo by: Patrick Hart
Women's Soccer battles with crosstown opponent Minnesota for the first time
8/31/2023 11:05:00 AM | Women's Soccer
ST. PAUL, MINN. -- St. Thomas Women's Soccer (2-1-1) takes their three-game unbeaten streak into the teeth of their first Power 5 opponent in school history on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.
The Tommies will match up with the Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1-0) who play the Georgia Bulldogs on the road Aug. 31.
If you will not be making the trip to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium with the team, be sure to follow along for live streams and stats through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/wsoc/schedule – and on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWSoccer.
Week Two Defense
The Tommies played two games during week two of the season and did not allow a single goal in 180 minutes of play. They defeated the Portland State Vikings 4-0 and finished with a scoreless tie against the Wolves of Western Oregon.
Overall, the Toms' defense has allowed just one goal in 2023 and currently leads the Summit League with a goals against average of 0.25. The team save percentage of .950 also leads the conference while making the third most saves (19).
Game One Recap
The Tommies fired off four shots in the opening 16 minutes, but the Portland State defense bent without breaking and held the visiting Toms scoreless. The game stayed that way throughout the entirety of the first half.
It took not more than a minute and thirty seconds after the halftime break for the Tommies to be granted a golden opportunity to break the stalemate. Camryn Rintoul was sent in to take a penalty kick and for the second time in her career she delivered from that spot.
The offensive onslaught did not cease and two and a half minutes later Abby Brantner took a beautifully placed ball from Sofia Caballero and deposited it into the back of the net.
It would be over twenty minutes until the Tommies could get another by the opposing goalkeeper but once Lexi Huber got the third goal through in the 72nd minute Abby Hoiska's first career goal in the 75th was not far behind.
The Tommies outshot the Vikings 18-12, but Portland State put more on goal (9) than the Toms (8) and had more corner kick opportunities (3-2).
Game Two Recap
St. Thomas controlled the ball for much of both halves, but the physical and defensive minded Western Oregon side took advantage of their home-field and battled the Tommies to a 0-0 tie.
The Purple's offense outshot the Wolves of Western Oregon 12-5, they put 10 shots on goal to the Wolves' three and had more chances from the corner (4-2).
The Wolves' physical style of play was on display as the home team was whistled for 17 fouls to the Tommies' 11. In all, six yellow cards were dealt out two going to the Purple (Cedar Jorgenson and Mariah Nguyen).
Spreading the Love
Eight different Tommie players have scored a goal in the first four games of the season. That matches their 2021 season and is just four short of their mark in 2022 (12 different players).
The team is tied for second in the Summit League with 11 goals but they lead the conference in goal diversity. South Dakota State's 14 goals have come off the boot of seven different players along with Oral Roberts' seven goals.
Tommies who have scored in 2023: Mariah Nguyen (3), Abby Brantner (2), Lexi Huber (1), Abby Hoiska (1), Emma Fournier (1), CJ Fredkove (1), Lissa Mizutani (1), and Camryn Rintoul (1).
Rowe the Boat
Junior goalkeeper, Olivia Rowe's back-to-back clean sheets were enough to earn her the TicketSmarter Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week.
Rowe has not allowed a goal in 305 minutes, stretching back to the first game of the season against Northern Iowa. She has made 18 saves during that stretch, more than five Summit League teams' entire season marks.
Heading into week three action she leads the conference with a .263 goals against average and a .950 save percentage. Her 19 saves are tied for second-most and her 4.75 saves per game are good for fourth best. She is also tied for the conference lead with two shutouts in four games.
Rowe was the second Tommie in two weeks to start the 2023 season to be selected the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. She joins Mariah Nguyen this season and is now the fourth Tommie player to be given the honor after Mckenna Lehman in 2022 and Olivia Graupmann in 2021.
Scouting the Golden Gophers
The Gophers are helmed by third year head coach Erin Chastain. Chastain led her team to an 8-8-3 overall record and a 4-4-2 B1G record in 2022. She and her team have gotten off to a great start with a 3-1-0 record with 2+ goal margins over victory in all three wins. Their one loss came at the hands of Milwaukee on the road, 1-0.
Minnesota has outshot their opponents 34 to 6 and have they allowed just two goals to their 11 goals scored. They are averaging 2.75 goals per game and 0.50 goals allowed per game.
Offensively they have been led by Megan Nemec (3G, 1A, 7P), Sophia Boman (2G, 2A, 6P), and Izzy Brown (2G, 0A, 4P).
Nemec, Boman, Abi Frandsen, Jordy Rothwell, Kate Childers, Megan Plaschko, and Elizabeth Overberg have played 300+ minutes in 4 games (>83% of all available minutes). Overberg currently leads the way with 354 minutes meaning she has had just six minutes of rest in four games.
Megan Plaschko has made all four starts in goal for a 3-1 record. She has allowed two goals (one penalty kick against Niagara), and she has made four saves.
Seven goals should do it
The Tommies' seven goal outburst against Niagara on Aug. 19 was the first time in the Division I era that the team scored more than three goals in a single game, a feat they had done four times before. They are 4-0 in such games: 3-0 vs. Wyoming in 2021, 3-0 at Northern Iowa, 3-0 at Green Bay, and 3-2 at North Dakota State in 2022.
The last time the Toms' scored seven goals was back in the Division III era during the 2018 season when they defeated Northland College 7-0. That season the team ultimately finished with a 19-2-1 record and lost in the second round of the NCAA playoffs in penalties to UW-La Crosse.
Just under one week later the team defeated Portland State 4-0. The win brought their record in games where they score at least three goals to 5-0.
Picking up right where she left off
After scoring her first career hat trick, Mariah Nguyen was selected as the first TicketSmarter Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week in 2023.
She scored three goals in the Toms' 7-0 victory over the Niagara Purple Eagles.
Her hat trick was the first for the Tommies since Mallory DeBoom scored three goals in a 5-0 win over Augsburg in 2018.
She was named the Summit League's Newcomer of the Year and was selected to the 11-player All-Newcomer Team in 2022.
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.
The Tommies will match up with the Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1-0) who play the Georgia Bulldogs on the road Aug. 31.
If you will not be making the trip to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium with the team, be sure to follow along for live streams and stats through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/wsoc/schedule – and on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWSoccer.
Week Two Defense
The Tommies played two games during week two of the season and did not allow a single goal in 180 minutes of play. They defeated the Portland State Vikings 4-0 and finished with a scoreless tie against the Wolves of Western Oregon.
Overall, the Toms' defense has allowed just one goal in 2023 and currently leads the Summit League with a goals against average of 0.25. The team save percentage of .950 also leads the conference while making the third most saves (19).
Game One Recap
The Tommies fired off four shots in the opening 16 minutes, but the Portland State defense bent without breaking and held the visiting Toms scoreless. The game stayed that way throughout the entirety of the first half.
It took not more than a minute and thirty seconds after the halftime break for the Tommies to be granted a golden opportunity to break the stalemate. Camryn Rintoul was sent in to take a penalty kick and for the second time in her career she delivered from that spot.
The offensive onslaught did not cease and two and a half minutes later Abby Brantner took a beautifully placed ball from Sofia Caballero and deposited it into the back of the net.
It would be over twenty minutes until the Tommies could get another by the opposing goalkeeper but once Lexi Huber got the third goal through in the 72nd minute Abby Hoiska's first career goal in the 75th was not far behind.
The Tommies outshot the Vikings 18-12, but Portland State put more on goal (9) than the Toms (8) and had more corner kick opportunities (3-2).
Game Two Recap
St. Thomas controlled the ball for much of both halves, but the physical and defensive minded Western Oregon side took advantage of their home-field and battled the Tommies to a 0-0 tie.
The Purple's offense outshot the Wolves of Western Oregon 12-5, they put 10 shots on goal to the Wolves' three and had more chances from the corner (4-2).
The Wolves' physical style of play was on display as the home team was whistled for 17 fouls to the Tommies' 11. In all, six yellow cards were dealt out two going to the Purple (Cedar Jorgenson and Mariah Nguyen).
Spreading the Love
Eight different Tommie players have scored a goal in the first four games of the season. That matches their 2021 season and is just four short of their mark in 2022 (12 different players).
The team is tied for second in the Summit League with 11 goals but they lead the conference in goal diversity. South Dakota State's 14 goals have come off the boot of seven different players along with Oral Roberts' seven goals.
Tommies who have scored in 2023: Mariah Nguyen (3), Abby Brantner (2), Lexi Huber (1), Abby Hoiska (1), Emma Fournier (1), CJ Fredkove (1), Lissa Mizutani (1), and Camryn Rintoul (1).
Rowe the Boat
Junior goalkeeper, Olivia Rowe's back-to-back clean sheets were enough to earn her the TicketSmarter Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week.
Rowe has not allowed a goal in 305 minutes, stretching back to the first game of the season against Northern Iowa. She has made 18 saves during that stretch, more than five Summit League teams' entire season marks.
Heading into week three action she leads the conference with a .263 goals against average and a .950 save percentage. Her 19 saves are tied for second-most and her 4.75 saves per game are good for fourth best. She is also tied for the conference lead with two shutouts in four games.
Rowe was the second Tommie in two weeks to start the 2023 season to be selected the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. She joins Mariah Nguyen this season and is now the fourth Tommie player to be given the honor after Mckenna Lehman in 2022 and Olivia Graupmann in 2021.
Scouting the Golden Gophers
The Gophers are helmed by third year head coach Erin Chastain. Chastain led her team to an 8-8-3 overall record and a 4-4-2 B1G record in 2022. She and her team have gotten off to a great start with a 3-1-0 record with 2+ goal margins over victory in all three wins. Their one loss came at the hands of Milwaukee on the road, 1-0.
Minnesota has outshot their opponents 34 to 6 and have they allowed just two goals to their 11 goals scored. They are averaging 2.75 goals per game and 0.50 goals allowed per game.
Offensively they have been led by Megan Nemec (3G, 1A, 7P), Sophia Boman (2G, 2A, 6P), and Izzy Brown (2G, 0A, 4P).
Nemec, Boman, Abi Frandsen, Jordy Rothwell, Kate Childers, Megan Plaschko, and Elizabeth Overberg have played 300+ minutes in 4 games (>83% of all available minutes). Overberg currently leads the way with 354 minutes meaning she has had just six minutes of rest in four games.
Megan Plaschko has made all four starts in goal for a 3-1 record. She has allowed two goals (one penalty kick against Niagara), and she has made four saves.
Seven goals should do it
The Tommies' seven goal outburst against Niagara on Aug. 19 was the first time in the Division I era that the team scored more than three goals in a single game, a feat they had done four times before. They are 4-0 in such games: 3-0 vs. Wyoming in 2021, 3-0 at Northern Iowa, 3-0 at Green Bay, and 3-2 at North Dakota State in 2022.
The last time the Toms' scored seven goals was back in the Division III era during the 2018 season when they defeated Northland College 7-0. That season the team ultimately finished with a 19-2-1 record and lost in the second round of the NCAA playoffs in penalties to UW-La Crosse.
Just under one week later the team defeated Portland State 4-0. The win brought their record in games where they score at least three goals to 5-0.
Picking up right where she left off
After scoring her first career hat trick, Mariah Nguyen was selected as the first TicketSmarter Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week in 2023.
She scored three goals in the Toms' 7-0 victory over the Niagara Purple Eagles.
Her hat trick was the first for the Tommies since Mallory DeBoom scored three goals in a 5-0 win over Augsburg in 2018.
She was named the Summit League's Newcomer of the Year and was selected to the 11-player All-Newcomer Team in 2022.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerWomen's Soccer
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