University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, October 24
Grand Forks, N.D. / Bronson Field
TBA
at
North Dakota
Women’s Soccer wraps up 2024 season with trip to North Dakota
10/23/2024 12:01:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Tommies play the 9th place Fighting Hawks and 1st place Bison
ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Thomas Women's Soccer (5-8-2 overall, 1-4-1 Summit League) heads into its final week of the 2024 season on the heels of its first conference win of the year against Kansas City. The Tommies face off with the last-place North Dakota Fighting Hawks (4-8-5 overall, 0-4-3 Summit League) on Thursday, October 24 and with the first place North Dakota State Bison (9-5-3 overall, 5-1-1 Summit League) on Sunday, October 27.
The Toms' 1-0 win over Kansas City flung them up two spots into seventh place in the Summit League standings with two games still to play. Lexi Huber scored her sixth of the season, a new single-season program record. The tally was also her fourth game-winning goal of the season which is also a single-season program record and currently leads the conference. The senior is also tied for 14th place in the country in game-winning goals. She has added game-winners against Marist, Siena, Viterbo, and now Kansas City.
St. Thomas is now a combined 6-22-4 in Summit League competition over the last four seasons. They have had much better luck against the North Dakota schools with a combined 2-2-2 record all-time (1-1-1 against each team). Last season when the Tommies played the Fighting Hawks and Bison at home, both games concluded in 0-0 scoreless ties.
The Purple are averaging 0.33 goals per game during Summit League action and allowing 1.0 goal per game defensively. North Dakota is 0-4-3 in conference competition and have been outscored 12-6. North Dakota State is 5-1-1 and in first place in the Summit, outscoring opponents 12-7.
The Toms have been riding the rollercoaster that is this 2024 season. They are currently 1-5-1 in their last seven games while being outscored 11-2. This seven-game stretch came after a 4-1 record in the five games previous.
North Dakota is one of the two schools beneath the Tommies in the standings and were the only team picked to finish lower than St. Thomas in the preseason coaches' poll. The fighting Hawks have not won a game since their 6-1 victory over Jamestown on September 10, they are 0-6-3 during that stretch. Sophomore, Kaylie Fowler from Liberty Hill, Texas leads the Fighting Hawks with five goals and 13 points, including three game-winning goals. She has added a goal in two of her last three games against Kansas City and South Dakota. In goal, it has been freshman Grace Miller with 16 starts. She has a 3-7-5 record with a 1.58 goals against average and .788 save percentage with one shutout and two combined shutouts. During conference play Miller has averaged 1.71 goals against with a .810 save percentage and one shutout against Denver.
The Toms are 1-1-1 against UND with a 1-0 win and 0-0 tie at home and a 1-0 loss in Grand Forks. Abby Brantner owns the only St. Thomas goal of all time against North Dakota. Olivia Rowe shutout the Fighting Hawks with three saves last season.
North Dakota State was picked to finish in seventh place by the coaches in the preseason poll but currently reside in first place with 16 points and a 5-1-1 record. The Bison are 5-1 in their last six games and are winners of their last two with a 1-0 win against South Dakota State and a 4-2 win over South Dakota. Freshman, Morgan Russmann has made an instant impact on the collegiate level, leading NDSU with nine goals and 21 points. She is the leading goal scorer in the conference by two goals and is tied for 38th in the entire country. Russmann has scored five goals in her last five games and is coming off a two-goal performance against South Dakota. Redshirt sophomore, Payton Mulberry, has taken the reigns in goal with a 7-4-3 record in 14 starts. She has a 0.98 goals against average, a .794 save percentage, and five shutouts.
The Toms are 1-1-1 against NDSU with a 3-2 win in Fargo during the 2022 season and a scoreless tie at South Field last season. Mariah Nguyen and Annika Eckroth each scored in the 3-2 victory in '22. Olivia Rowe had a career day against the Bison with a nine-save shutout in 2023.
Coming through on senior day
Nothing much better than winning on senior day after a long career comes to a close in front of family and friends at South Field. How about scoring a goal, completing a shutout, or playing all 90 minutes in that game?
Seniors, Lexi Huber, Kendell Ellis, Olivia Rowe, Abby Brantner and Ellie Tempero did just that. Those five were included in the group of 13 seniors honored before the game. Huber scored the game-winning goal in the 18thminute. Ellis and Rowe combined for the shutout, each played 45 minutes and made nine saves collectively. Brantner and Tempero played all 90 minutes on the back row to help the team along to the shutout against Kansas City.
Huber was the first senior to score a goal on senior day since the Tommies' move to Division I.
Tommies' Summit League ranks
March to the Summit
The Tommies were picked to finish eighth out of the nine teams in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll after their 1-5-2 conference record in 2023.
Last season's regular season conference champion Denver Pioneers were voted to the top of the poll edging out challenger South Dakota State by two points (61-59). The Purple finished with 15 votes, placing them between North Dakota State (24) and North Dakota (14).
Both Mariah Nguyen and Olivia Rowe were named Players to Watch by the conference office.
Nguyen led the Purple in goals (five), points (12), and shots on goal (13) last season while Olivia Rowe started every game between the posts in 2023 and earned five shutouts.
Nice to meet you
The Tommies head into the 2024 season with eight newcomers
Getting to Work
The Tommie Women's Soccer coaching staff welcomed a new face into the fold during the offseason with the addition of Jean Viardin.
Viardin holds a US Soccer Senior A license and has over 20 years of coaching experience at youth clubs, high school teams, the WPSL, and the UPSL.
Coach McGill said of Viardin, "We are incredibly excited to welcome Jean to our team! He brings his experience and knowledge to the program and will make an immediate impact in our games and training. He has a positive yet straightforward mindset and will help our players to develop and succeed both individually and as a whole."
Viardin also served as the General Manager for the National Women's Soccer League's FC Kansas City from 2016-2018. His most recent experience came as the Executive Director & Director of Coaching/Player Development at Maplebrook SC, where he has been since 2011.
Follow Along
For any and all information pertaining to the St. Thomas Women's Soccer team, follow along on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) at @TommieWSoccer.
The Toms' 1-0 win over Kansas City flung them up two spots into seventh place in the Summit League standings with two games still to play. Lexi Huber scored her sixth of the season, a new single-season program record. The tally was also her fourth game-winning goal of the season which is also a single-season program record and currently leads the conference. The senior is also tied for 14th place in the country in game-winning goals. She has added game-winners against Marist, Siena, Viterbo, and now Kansas City.
St. Thomas is now a combined 6-22-4 in Summit League competition over the last four seasons. They have had much better luck against the North Dakota schools with a combined 2-2-2 record all-time (1-1-1 against each team). Last season when the Tommies played the Fighting Hawks and Bison at home, both games concluded in 0-0 scoreless ties.
The Purple are averaging 0.33 goals per game during Summit League action and allowing 1.0 goal per game defensively. North Dakota is 0-4-3 in conference competition and have been outscored 12-6. North Dakota State is 5-1-1 and in first place in the Summit, outscoring opponents 12-7.
The Toms have been riding the rollercoaster that is this 2024 season. They are currently 1-5-1 in their last seven games while being outscored 11-2. This seven-game stretch came after a 4-1 record in the five games previous.
North Dakota is one of the two schools beneath the Tommies in the standings and were the only team picked to finish lower than St. Thomas in the preseason coaches' poll. The fighting Hawks have not won a game since their 6-1 victory over Jamestown on September 10, they are 0-6-3 during that stretch. Sophomore, Kaylie Fowler from Liberty Hill, Texas leads the Fighting Hawks with five goals and 13 points, including three game-winning goals. She has added a goal in two of her last three games against Kansas City and South Dakota. In goal, it has been freshman Grace Miller with 16 starts. She has a 3-7-5 record with a 1.58 goals against average and .788 save percentage with one shutout and two combined shutouts. During conference play Miller has averaged 1.71 goals against with a .810 save percentage and one shutout against Denver.
The Toms are 1-1-1 against UND with a 1-0 win and 0-0 tie at home and a 1-0 loss in Grand Forks. Abby Brantner owns the only St. Thomas goal of all time against North Dakota. Olivia Rowe shutout the Fighting Hawks with three saves last season.
North Dakota State was picked to finish in seventh place by the coaches in the preseason poll but currently reside in first place with 16 points and a 5-1-1 record. The Bison are 5-1 in their last six games and are winners of their last two with a 1-0 win against South Dakota State and a 4-2 win over South Dakota. Freshman, Morgan Russmann has made an instant impact on the collegiate level, leading NDSU with nine goals and 21 points. She is the leading goal scorer in the conference by two goals and is tied for 38th in the entire country. Russmann has scored five goals in her last five games and is coming off a two-goal performance against South Dakota. Redshirt sophomore, Payton Mulberry, has taken the reigns in goal with a 7-4-3 record in 14 starts. She has a 0.98 goals against average, a .794 save percentage, and five shutouts.
The Toms are 1-1-1 against NDSU with a 3-2 win in Fargo during the 2022 season and a scoreless tie at South Field last season. Mariah Nguyen and Annika Eckroth each scored in the 3-2 victory in '22. Olivia Rowe had a career day against the Bison with a nine-save shutout in 2023.
Coming through on senior day
Nothing much better than winning on senior day after a long career comes to a close in front of family and friends at South Field. How about scoring a goal, completing a shutout, or playing all 90 minutes in that game?
Seniors, Lexi Huber, Kendell Ellis, Olivia Rowe, Abby Brantner and Ellie Tempero did just that. Those five were included in the group of 13 seniors honored before the game. Huber scored the game-winning goal in the 18thminute. Ellis and Rowe combined for the shutout, each played 45 minutes and made nine saves collectively. Brantner and Tempero played all 90 minutes on the back row to help the team along to the shutout against Kansas City.
Huber was the first senior to score a goal on senior day since the Tommies' move to Division I.
Tommies' Summit League ranks
- Sophia Barjesteh – 10th in shots-on-goal - 14
- Lexi Huber – T-3rd in goals – 6
- Lexi Huber – T-1st in game-winning goals – 4
- Lexi Huber – T-7th in points - 13
March to the Summit
The Tommies were picked to finish eighth out of the nine teams in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll after their 1-5-2 conference record in 2023.
Last season's regular season conference champion Denver Pioneers were voted to the top of the poll edging out challenger South Dakota State by two points (61-59). The Purple finished with 15 votes, placing them between North Dakota State (24) and North Dakota (14).
Both Mariah Nguyen and Olivia Rowe were named Players to Watch by the conference office.
Nguyen led the Purple in goals (five), points (12), and shots on goal (13) last season while Olivia Rowe started every game between the posts in 2023 and earned five shutouts.
Nice to meet you
The Tommies head into the 2024 season with eight newcomers
- #3 – Melina Knowles – Freshman – Plymouth, Wis.
- #4 – Kayden Scrima – Freshman – Waukesha, Wis.
- #6 – Juliet Carlson – Freshman – Minnetonka, Minn.
- #14 – Alexandra Amini – Freshman – Pewaukee, Wis.
- #19 – Brooke Nygaard – Freshman – Eagan, Minn.
- #20 – Sophia Barjesteh – Junior – Woodbury, Minn.
- #27 – Annie Mulcahy – Freshman – Saint Paul, Minn.
- #29 – Izzy McEwan – Freshman – Minneapolis, Minn.
Getting to Work
The Tommie Women's Soccer coaching staff welcomed a new face into the fold during the offseason with the addition of Jean Viardin.
Viardin holds a US Soccer Senior A license and has over 20 years of coaching experience at youth clubs, high school teams, the WPSL, and the UPSL.
Coach McGill said of Viardin, "We are incredibly excited to welcome Jean to our team! He brings his experience and knowledge to the program and will make an immediate impact in our games and training. He has a positive yet straightforward mindset and will help our players to develop and succeed both individually and as a whole."
Viardin also served as the General Manager for the National Women's Soccer League's FC Kansas City from 2016-2018. His most recent experience came as the Executive Director & Director of Coaching/Player Development at Maplebrook SC, where he has been since 2011.
Follow Along
For any and all information pertaining to the St. Thomas Women's Soccer team, follow along on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) at @TommieWSoccer.
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/ Women's SoccerWomen's Soccer
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