University of St. Thomas Athletics
Sunday, October 6
St. Paul, Minn.
TBA
vs
South Dakota State
Photo by: Abby Bondi
Women's Soccer homestand wraps with South Dakota State
10/4/2024 9:21:00 AM | Women's Soccer
The Tommies look for their first conference win of season against first place Jackrabbits
ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Thomas women's soccer (4-5-2 overall, 0-1-1 Summit League) looks to bounce back from a slow start to conference play after a scoreless tie with South Dakota (2-6-3 overall, 0-1-1 Summit League) and 1-0 loss to Oral Roberts (6-5-2 overall, 1-0-1 Summit League) on home turf. The Tommies matchup with the first place South Dakota State Jackrabbits (9-2-1 overall, 2-0-0 Summit League) for the third and final game of their homestand on Sunday, October 6 at 1:00 p.m.
The Toms have been riding the rollercoaster that is this 2024 season. They are currently 0-2-1 in their last three games while being outscored 6-0 without a goal in 342 minutes of play since Camryn Rintoul scored against Western Illinois on September 13. That 2-0 win against the Leathernecks capped a 4-1 record in five games where the Tommies outscored their opponents 13-4.
The Purple came up short in Summit League play last season. They earned five points and were at the bottom of the table with a 1-5-2 conference record. Their lone conference win came on the road against last Sunday's opponent, Oral Roberts. This season, they have earned one conference point through two games with six contests remaining on the schedule.
Next up on that schedule is South Dakota State who won 13 games last season and are just one win away from another double-digit win season under eighth-year bench boss, Brock Thompson. His overall record as head coach of the Jackrabbits it 93-24-20 and he has never lost to the Tommies. The Jackrabbits are led on the offensive end by sophomore Katelyn Beulke, a Hugo, Minn. native. She has tallied five goals and three assists for 13 points through 12 games played. She is currently on a three-game point streak and has seven points in her last five games played. Time has been split evenly in goal between sophomore, Emma Knack, an Isanti, Minn. native, and freshman, Stephanie Leckwold. Both have combined for the Summit League's lowest goals against per game of 0.67.
South Dakota State is undefeated in three games against St. Thomas and have outscored the Tommies 9-2. The previously mentioned Katelyn Beulke scored a goal in their 3-0 victory last season in Brookings, S.D. at Fishback Soccer Park.
The Jackrabbits have won five games in a row, including two against Summit League opponents Omaha and Kansas City. SDSU has outscored their opponents 14-4 during this stretch of play. Their recent form has propelled them into 137 in the RPI behind only Oral Roberts (135) and Denver (68). The Tommies come in at rank 292 in the most recent RPI ranking.
Home Gameday Need to Know
Where to Watch
The Tommies' game against the Marquette Golden Eagles can be view with a subscription to FloSports. Click HERE to watch.
Fans can also follow along via the live stats HERE.
All St. Thomas Women's Soccer home games and away Summit League contests can be viewed on the Summit League Network with a Midco Sports Plus subscription.
Live stats for all St. Thomas home games can be viewed on Tommiesports.com with links available on the Tommie Women's Soccer team's schedule page.
Ellis in goal
Senior, Kendell Ellis, made her first start of the season and first start since in nearly two years against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. The Billings, Mont. Native stopped six of the seven shots she faced in a losing effort. Sunday's game was just the seventh of her career.
First half scoring
The Tommies have been scoring early and often during the 2024 season and it has led to a strong run of non-conference results with little to show through two conference games. 12 of the Purple's 16 goals have come before the halftime whistle (they scored just 17 goals all of last season). They have allowed 19 goals this year, only seven of those were given up in the first half.
When scoring first this season, the Purple are 4-0-1. They are 0-5-0 when conceding the game's first goal.
As previously mentioned, the Tommies scored just 17 goals in 15 games last season and were led by Mariah Nguyen who scored five while starting in every game. Lexi Huber has already scored five goals with 11 games down and six to play.
Five goals in one season is currently the St. Thomas Division I program record set by Nguyen in 2021, matched by Nguyen in 2022, and now matched by Huber in 2024.
The Tommies have scored 68 goals since making the move to Division I in 2021. Of those 68 goals, Mariah Nguyen (10) and Lexi Huber (12) have scored nearly 1/3 of them (32.3%).
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 have been riding the rollercoaster that is this 2024 season. They are currently 0-2-1 in their last three games while being outscored 6-0 without a goal in 342 minutes of play since Camryn Rintoul scored against Western Illinois on September 13. That 2-0 win against the Leathernecks capped a 4-1 record in five games where the Tommies outscored their opponents 13-4.
The Purple came up short in Summit League play last season. They earned five points and were at the bottom of the table with a 1-5-2 conference record. Their lone conference win came on the road against last Sunday's opponent, Oral Roberts. This season, they have earned one conference point through two games with six contests remaining on the schedule.
Next up on that schedule is South Dakota State who won 13 games last season and are just one win away from another double-digit win season under eighth-year bench boss, Brock Thompson. His overall record as head coach of the Jackrabbits it 93-24-20 and he has never lost to the Tommies. The Jackrabbits are led on the offensive end by sophomore Katelyn Beulke, a Hugo, Minn. native. She has tallied five goals and three assists for 13 points through 12 games played. She is currently on a three-game point streak and has seven points in her last five games played. Time has been split evenly in goal between sophomore, Emma Knack, an Isanti, Minn. native, and freshman, Stephanie Leckwold. Both have combined for the Summit League's lowest goals against per game of 0.67.
South Dakota State is undefeated in three games against St. Thomas and have outscored the Tommies 9-2. The previously mentioned Katelyn Beulke scored a goal in their 3-0 victory last season in Brookings, S.D. at Fishback Soccer Park.
The Jackrabbits have won five games in a row, including two against Summit League opponents Omaha and Kansas City. SDSU has outscored their opponents 14-4 during this stretch of play. Their recent form has propelled them into 137 in the RPI behind only Oral Roberts (135) and Denver (68). The Tommies come in at rank 292 in the most recent RPI ranking.
Home Gameday Need to Know
- Admission to Tommie Women's Soccer is free all season long.
- Visitor parking is available in the Anderson Parking Facility on South Campus.
- When navigating to the stadium from the Anderson Parking Facility please follow the posted signs directing you to the entrance.
- There will be no concessions available for the 2024 season.
Where to Watch
The Tommies' game against the Marquette Golden Eagles can be view with a subscription to FloSports. Click HERE to watch.
Fans can also follow along via the live stats HERE.
All St. Thomas Women's Soccer home games and away Summit League contests can be viewed on the Summit League Network with a Midco Sports Plus subscription.
Live stats for all St. Thomas home games can be viewed on Tommiesports.com with links available on the Tommie Women's Soccer team's schedule page.
Ellis in goal
Senior, Kendell Ellis, made her first start of the season and first start since in nearly two years against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. The Billings, Mont. Native stopped six of the seven shots she faced in a losing effort. Sunday's game was just the seventh of her career.
First half scoring
The Tommies have been scoring early and often during the 2024 season and it has led to a strong run of non-conference results with little to show through two conference games. 12 of the Purple's 16 goals have come before the halftime whistle (they scored just 17 goals all of last season). They have allowed 19 goals this year, only seven of those were given up in the first half.
When scoring first this season, the Purple are 4-0-1. They are 0-5-0 when conceding the game's first goal.
As previously mentioned, the Tommies scored just 17 goals in 15 games last season and were led by Mariah Nguyen who scored five while starting in every game. Lexi Huber has already scored five goals with 11 games down and six to play.
Five goals in one season is currently the St. Thomas Division I program record set by Nguyen in 2021, matched by Nguyen in 2022, and now matched by Huber in 2024.
The Tommies have scored 68 goals since making the move to Division I in 2021. Of those 68 goals, Mariah Nguyen (10) and Lexi Huber (12) have scored nearly 1/3 of them (32.3%).
Tommies' Summit League ranks
- Sophia Barjesteh – 9th in shots - 23
- Lexi Huber – T-1st in goals – 5
- Lexi Huber – T-1st in game-winning goals - 3
- Molly Knoblauch – T-8th in assists – 3
- Lexi Huber – T-2nd in points – 11
- Olivia Rowe – 3rd in shutouts per game - .400
- Olivia Rowe – T-1st in shutouts - 4
- Olivia Rowe - 6th in saves per game – 3.60
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.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
D/M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's SoccerWomen's Soccer
Sunday, October 09
Women's Soccer vs. North Dakota State
Sunday, October 31
Women's Soccer vs. North Dakota
Friday, October 29
Women's Soccer vs. Western Illinois
Sunday, October 17
