In the wake of last year’s standout season, Minot State has garnered the attention of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) programs and earned their place in the discussion as a viable championship contender after the release of the 2022 NSIC Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll on Thursday.

Picked to finish sixth in the conference by NSIC coaches, the Beavers enter the new season with a heavy dose of confidence after a stellar 2021 campaign in which they posted an 11-6-2 overall record.

During a stretch from mid-September through mid-October, Minot State amassed a nine-game winning streak, eight of the wins against NSIC opponents, that eventually culminated in a 10-3-2 record in conference play and a fourth-place finish in the regular season standings.

As well, thanks to their dominant regular season play, the Beavers even had the opportunity to host a first-round NSIC Tournament match.

This season, leading the charge on to the pitch for MSU are returning senior All-NSIC players Chloe Allan and Maddie Kindred. In addition to their All-NSIC honors, both Allan and Kindred have been named as 2022 NSIC Players to Watch.

Anchoring the Minot State defense at goalkeeper, Kindred enters her third year in the program at No. 2 all-time in shutouts with 12, in addition to being named the 2022 Minot State Defensive Player to Watch.

Hailing from Soldotna, Alaska, Kindred set a single-season school record last year with 10 shutouts while on the field for every minute of play throughout all 19 games on the schedule.

Complimenting the award-winning defensive capabilities of Kindred is the Barnard Castle, United Kingdom native Allan, who is poised to spearhead Minot State’s offense.

Joining the Beavers from across the pond last fall, Allan was second on the team with six goals and begins the upcoming season as the Beavers’ Offensive Player to Watch.

Topping the 2022 NSIC Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches Poll is Minnesota State, who collected 217 points and eight first-place votes. Bemidji State, last season’s regular-season champs, comes in at the No. 2 spot with 210 points and five first-place votes.

Complete rankings for the poll, which are based on total points formulated from the votes of all sixteen NSIC women’s soccer coaches, are as follows: 1. Minnesota State (217); 2. Bemidji State (210); 3. Augustana (199); 4. Concordia, St. Paul (178); 5. Mary (159); 6. Minot State (146); 7. St. Cloud State (145); 8. Northern State (141); 9. Winona State (101); 10. Wayne State (95); 11. Minnesota Duluth (89); 12. Sioux Falls (67); 13. Southwest Minnesota State (63); 14. Upper Iowa (61); 15. MSU Moorhead (30); 16. Minnesota Crookston (19).