Midwestern State vs Northwestern Oklahoma State
Thursday, Sept 2 – 3 p.m.
Ranger Soccer Field (Alva, Okla.)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 1-0
Video | Live Stats
 
ALVA, Okla. -- Midwestern State's 2021 season is officially started with a match up against Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Okla. Kick off is slated for 3 p.m. at Ranger Soccer Field.

FIVE STORY LINES

1 | Sans a 1-0 loss to Central Oklahoma in spring 2021, the Mustangs have not lost any of their season openers in the last five years. MSU made back-to-back overtime wins in 2019 and 2018 against New Mexico Highlands. In 2017, the team outscored Regis (Colo.) 1-0 on Sept. 1. The two teams fought to a 2-2 tie in the previous 2016 season. The last time Midwestern State dropped their season opener was in 2015 when they went on to register an 8-7-3 overall record.

2 | In the 2020 season, the Mustangs biggest strength was scoring as a team as they had nine different scorers on the board throughout play. The squad does not have to rely on just one or two players to find the back of the net as six of the nine return for the 2021 season. From the forwards in Valentina Carvajal, Emma Baley and Kelly Cannistra, their were four goals registered. The previous midfield also delivered with Randi Heaton collecting one of her own. The defense got in on the action as well with Reece Wildt and Nicole Marsolek notching one each. Midwestern State recorded 127 shot attempts and landed 11 goals to average 1.10 goals per game. The team was just shy of a .500 shot on goal percent as they landed at .488 from 62 total shots on goal. 

3 | Senior Valentina Carvajal led the charge with two goals and two assists in the shortened spring season and notched a goal in the exhibition match against McMurry this year. Fellow seniors Kelly Cannistra (1 goal, 2 assists), Randi Heaton (1 goal) and Emma Baley also contributed from the midfield in the previous season. Junior Alyssa Salinas (1 assist) and Senna Garcia played significant minutes for MSU last year in the midfield while Marissa Resendez saw time in four matches before suffering a season-ending injury. Midwestern State's defense stood strong in 2020 with Reece Wildt (1 goal) and Emily Waters securing the back line. Alexandria Sandlin and Nicole Marsolek (1 goal) round out the back four from 2020 with Marsolek also gaining a goal against McMurry. In the net, Taylor Camp (2.02 GAA, 46 saves) commanded the spot for ten games while Alexis Jackson (0.0 GAA, 2 saves) gained play in one game.

4 | New faces will surely make a splash this year for MSU. Freshman midfielder Lexi Beck collected an assist in the team's preseason exhibition match versus McMurry and recorded two shots. Emilia Nunez played the full 90 for Midwestern State from the back line and recorded a shot on goal. Other freshmen standouts include Isabella Cruz and Makenna Gaenzle who both put up two shots for the Mustangs. Junior Transfer Lauren Freeman split time in the net with Camp for her first two saves for MSU.

5 | In 2020, the Rangers completed a 0-5-2 record and were seeded in seventh in the Great American Conference preseason poll for 2021. Northwestern Oklahoma State lost their All-GAC First Team goalkeeper and top scorer from last season. Clare Merrigan, the only other player on the 2020 score sheet, returns for the upcoming season. The team collected 8.6 shots per game while their opponents got in a 20.4 average. The team scored twice at Ouachita Baptist (3/20) for their two goals on the year. In his second season, head coach Alex Piekarski added nine freshmen for the 2021 season.

HEAD COACH RYAN SPENCE begins his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater. In the 2020 season, he led the Mustangs to the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. As a player, Spence helped the Mustangs dominate in his four years on the field. He earned All-American from 2008-11 and helped the team reach the Final Four in 2010. His center back prowess assisted in gaining 35 shutouts in his tenure. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, he gained his masters from MSU in 2014-15. From there, Spence moved on as assistant coach at Texas A&M International in 2016 and head coach at Eastern New Mexico in 2017 before coming back to Midwestern State in 2018.
 
SERIES WITH THE RANGERS
This will be the second ever meet up for the two teams. The first competition was back in 2008 with the Mustangs bagging out a 13-1 win over the Rangers. The home side had nine different scorers while the opposition's lone goal came from a penalty kick. Almost exactly 13 years later, they will meet again in Alva, Okla.