Rochester, MN-
Following nearly two years away from the pitch, Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) soccer programs are returning to action. MCAC Soccer competes at the NJCAA Division III level, and has three member colleges participating in women's soccer (Anoka-Ramsey, Lake Superior, and Rochester) and four member colleges competing in men's soccer (Anoka-Ramsey, Lake Superior, Minnesota West, and Riverland).
Read on for season previews of the MCAC soccer teams, and be sure to follow @MCACSports and @NJCAASoccer on Twitter for the latest in MCAC and NJCAA two-year college soccer news, rankings and season information.
For the MCAC Sports home page, click here, or go to https://mcacsports.org/sports/msoc/index for the men's soccer home page and https://mcacsports.org/sports/wsoc/index for the women's soccer home page.
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Minnesota College Athletic Conference2021 Women's Soccer Preview
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Anoka-Ramsey Community College |
Head Coach: Tim Notz, 1st year at Anoka-Ramsey Coaching Staff: Gustavo Durraty, Goalkeeper Coach 2019 Overall Record (last season of competition): 9-3-1; 5-0-1 in the MCAC; MCAC Champs, Region 13 Champs, Great Lakes District Runner-Up Top returning players: Sunny Pargo; Robbinsdale, MN Maddie Lindemoen; Maple Grove, MN Coach Notz on the Golden Rams' season: "Our goal is to work towards improvement every week and enjoy the process!" Notable information: The Anoka-Ramsey soccer program now has a separate coach for each of the women's and men's programs, allowing the head coach of each team to spend more time focused on their own program. |
Lake Superior College
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Head Coach: Caitlyn Wood, 2nd year at Lake Superior College Coaching Staff: N/A 2019 Overall Record (last season of competition): 3-10; 3-3 in the MCAC Top returning players: No returning players Top incoming players: Kady Pedroza; Fairmont, MN; Central Defender Coach Wood on the Ice Hawks' season: "After last year getting cancelled due to COVID, we're excited to be back on the pitch. We've got a good group of women this year and the season's off to a good start!" |
Rochester Community and Technical College
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Head Coach: Bryan Weiss, 3rd year at RCTC Coaching Staff: Alexa Hepner, Assistant Coach; Ashlyn Nysteun, Team Manager; Tyler Nelson, Athletic Trainer 2019 Overall Record (last season of competition): 7-6-2; 3-2-1 in the MCAC Top returning players: Fatima Sanchez-Hernandez; Banning, CA; Goalkeeper; 2019 NJCAA All-Region XIII team Jisselle Mayi; Houston, TX; Defender; 2019 NJCAA All Region XIII team Top incoming players: Addison Kinck; Big Lake, MN Mia Pierre; St. Charles, MN Amy Gonzalez; Smithfield, UT Haley Doyea; Anoka, MN Coach Weiss on the Yellowjackets' season: "There were a lot of positives in 2019. We scored 51 goals and only allowed 19. We had several players transfer on to play at NCAA and NAIA universities. We won a lot of individual awards, but we lost the NJCAA Region XIII Championship Game 0-1; and we didn't get to play in 2020. In 2021, we are focused on developing a young team and making a run in the NJCAA tournament rounds." 2019 student-athletes now playing at a 4-year college: Jaila Hill - Simpson College (CA) Mae Litschauer - Northwest Nazarene University (ID) Rachel Foster - Delta State University (MS) Sydney Vrieze - Bethany Lutheran College (MN) Makenzie Swanson Larson - Bethany Lutheran College (MN) Notable information: Kathryn Brainerd, who last played for RCTC in 2014, will be the starting goalkeeper for the University of Minnesota - Crookston this season. Since 2015, Brainerd has been serving in the US Navy. |
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Minnesota College Athletic Conference2021 Men's Soccer Preview
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Anoka-Ramsey Community College |
Head Coach: Qassim Ilmi, 1st year at Anoka-Ramsey Coaching Staff: None 2019 Overall Record (last season of competition): 9-6-1; 5-1 in the MCAC; MCAC Champions; Region 13 Champions Top returning players: None Top incoming players: Hamze Ali; Minneapolis, MN; Forward Hudeyfi Mohamed; St. Paul, MN; Forward Coach Ilmi on the Golden Rams' season: "We would like to finish above .500 and defend the conference and regional championships from 2019. Our program will feature a lot of true freshmen who are local. About 90% of the roster will be guys who played high school soccer in Minnesota." |
Lake Superior College
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Head Coach: Anthony Wood, 2nd year at Lake Superior College Coaching Staff: Nate Regas and Nick Braun 2019 Overall Record (last season of competition): 3-7-1; 1-4 in the MCAC Top returning players: Dru Senich; Cloquet, MN; Goalkeeper Carson Monnier; Hibbing, MN; Defense Vinicius Raggi; Brazil; Midfielder Top incoming players: Owen Wilcox; Duluth, MN; Forward Coach Wood on the Ice Hawks' season: "I feel we have a strong core. We're excited to have an opportunity to be on the field and competing again!" Notable information: Assistant coach Nate Regas played collegiately at Viterbo University, and assistant coach Nick Braun is a LSC alum and played at The College of St. Scholastica. |
Minnesota West Community and Technical College
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Head Coach: Jordan Balster, 1st year at Minnesota West Coaching Staff: None 2019 Overall Record (last season of competition): 2-5; 0-4 in the MCAC Top returning players: None Top incoming players: Giovanni Cano; California; Midfielder Julian Ramirez; Fukuoka, Japan; Midfielder Zachary Finnesgard; Rochester, MN; Midfielder Ricardo Rodriguez; Worthington, MN; Goalkeeper Bradley Soto; Worthington, MN; Defender Mariel Belliard; Dominican Republic; Forward Coach Balster on the Bluejay's season: "We hope to build a competitive team that will grow throughout the season. We expect it to be a challenge but are looking forward to those challenges and creating an image for our program." Notable information: Minnesota West is experiencing a lot of "new" this season. The soccer team will be playing in a new stadium on new turf with a new coach and all new players. |
Riverland Community College
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Head Coach: Frank Spaeth, 2nd year at Riverland Coaching Staff: Troy Cohrs, Mario Garcia, and Alex Evenson 2019 Overall Record (last season of competition): 10-4; 4-1 in the MCAC; 2nd place MCAC finish; Region 13 runner-up Top returning players: Roster is still being determined. Top incoming players: Several players from Austin, MN high school team, as well as a few players from Brazil, Rochester, and the Twin Cities. Coach Spaeth on the Blue Devils' season: "We gained a lot of momentum as a program during the 2019 season and we were really looking forward to 2020 when COVID-19 interrupted everything. Our goal is to regain our form from 2019 and continue growing and improving the program. We're excited to get back to playing soccer and we can't wait for the season to start." |
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.