The Winona State University soccer team’s record now stands at 2-5-1 after splitting their weekend games.

On Friday, Sept. 28, Winona State played Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota at 3 p.m. The game started off a bit rocky, as Northern State managed to score a goal within the first minute of the game. The shot, made against senior Jourdan Valkner, was shot from the left side by the Wolves’ Stephany Estrada. Within the next 15 minutes, the Warriors managed to get seven shots on goal but were saved by Northern State goalie Lexie Montoya. The Wolves also had three more shots during that time, which were stopped by Valkner.

The rest of first period became a constant battle for the ball, with eight player substitutions from Winona and four from Northern State, ending with the Wolves holding a 1-0 lead.

Second period started off with the Warriors growing antsy and gaining control of the ball. In the 55th minute, sophomore Georgette Topalis scored the tying goal, assisted by senior Addie Royer.

With a new boost of confidence, the Warriors surged through the field, fighting for the ball and continuously rotating players to keep players energized and on their toes. The strategy paid off, as in the 67th minute junior Alyssa Reynolds scored her first goal of the season from 24-yards out, bringing the Warriors in the lead 2-1.

Northern State would respond though, regaining control and Rosselli scored her second goal of the game for the Wolves.

Northern State followed it up with Rosselli scoring the third goal of the game in the 83rd minute, dribbled from the 15-yard mark. The Warriors would not be able to make the last shot of the game and ended up losing 2-3 in Aberdeen.

Sunday proved to be a complete turn of events for Winona, with the Warriors traveling to Moorhead, Minnesota to take on Minnesota State University-Moorhead.

The Warriors had a strong defensive game and ended up with their second win of the season in a 4-0 shutout game.

The first goal was scored by sophomore Melissa Greco on a penalty kick and, within the first period, Winona made 12 shots, while the Dragons only made five.

There were quite a few fouls called in the first period, with five on the Warriors and four on Moorhead, with a yellow card called on the Dragon’s Kylee Billings.

When the Warriors took the field for the second half and they managed to score three goals throughout the period. In the 54th minute, senior Abby Bohanski scored the second goal of the game for the Warriors, followed by junior Mariah Northrop in the 80th minute with

an assist from junior Alyssa Reynolds. In the 89th minute with her first goal of the season, sophomore Camryn Cadiz was able to put a cap on the game, with Winona winning 4-0 and capturing the team’s first win since Sept. 6.

Head coach, Matt Kellogg was elated as the girls pulled off their win against the Dragons.

“As a coaching staff, we know that we have the talent and ability to be a top team in this conference.  Back in the spring, we talked to the team and we set a goal of finishing top four in the conference and going to the NCAA tournament. If we finish top-four, we would get a first-round home game in the conference tournament, which can be a great advantage at that time of year. This is a great step towards achieving that goal,” Kellogg said in an earlier interview. “The attitude of this group has been fantastic so far, from the seniors down to the new freshmen. Everyone is working as hard as possible in training sessions and staying focused. The one thing we never have to question with this group is their work ethic and desire to win.”

The Warriors will play next Friday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. against Augustana University, and Sunday, Oct. 7 against Wayne State College at 1 p.m.