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All notes courtesy of SMSU athletics communications.
THIS WEEK
The Southwest Minnesota State University women’s soccer team (2-12-3, 2-10-2 NSIC) closes out the 2026 season on Thursday, Oct. 29, traveling to Sioux Falls, S.D., to face the University of Sioux Falls at 3 p.m.
The match will be the final contest of the season for the Mustangs, who look to finish the year with a victory against their NSIC rival.
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS
The Mustangs went 0-2 at home last weekend, falling 1-0 to Concordia-St. Paul on Friday before dropping a 2-0 decision to Winona State on Sunday.
Against Concordia-St. Paul, the Golden Bears scored the lone goal of the match in the 20th minute. SMSU recorded four shots, while freshman goalkeeper Madelyn Cory made eight saves.
The Mustangs then faced Winona State in their final home match of the season. The Warriors scored twice in the first half to earn the 2-0 victory. SMSU finished with 10 shots, including six on goal, while Cory recorded nine saves.
2026 OUTLOOK
SMSU head coach Clay Glasgow, entering his fifth season, returned 13 letter winners from 2025 and features seven seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen.
Junior forward Jada Backes leads the Mustangs offensively with two goals and two assists. Backes scored twice in SMSU’s 2-0 victory over MSU Moorhead on Sept. 20 and leads the team in shots on goal.
Senior forward Karla Paredes-Nino has scored twice this season, including both goals in SMSU’s 2-2 draw against Jamestown on Oct. 4.
Senior defenders Illjana Arbaugh and Abigail Schmidt have each scored once this season. The Mustangs’ backline of Arbaugh, Sophia Sonnek, Janae Kayser and Jayna Benson has provided veteran leadership throughout the season.
Freshman goalkeeper Madelyn Cory has started nine matches and made 69 saves. Sophomore goalkeeper Kennady Krebs has also contributed in net, making 42 saves in eight starts.
HEAD COACH CLAY GLASGOW
Clay Glasgow is in his fifth season as head coach and has a record of 16-59-13 overall, including 15-48-9 in NSIC play. He was hired as the sixth head coach in program history on Feb. 25, 2022.
Glasgow came to SMSU after spending eight seasons (2014-21) as head women’s soccer coach at Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.), recording a mark of 49-86-5.
During his last two seasons at DWU, the Tigers amassed back-to-back winning seasons and qualified for the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament both seasons.
SERIES HISTORY -- SIOUX FALLS
The Mustangs will face Sioux Falls for the 21st time in program history on Thursday.
SMSU holds an 11-8-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Mustangs won the most recent meeting between the teams, earning a 2-1 victory in Marshall on Nov. 6, 2025.
SMSU has won six of the last 10 meetings with the Cougars.
Coach Glasgow holds a 2-2 record against USF.
SCOUTING SIOUX FALLS
Sioux Falls enters the season finale with a 5-7-5 overall record and a 3-6-5 mark in NSIC play. The Cougars most recently split their home matches, defeating Winona State 1-0 on Friday, Oct. 23, before falling 7-0 to Concordia-St. Paul on Sunday.
The Cougars earned a 1-0 victory over Winona State behind a goal from the team’s leading scorer Chloe Wilson. Sioux Falls was unable to carry that momentum into Sunday’s match against Concordia-St. Paul, which scored seven times.
Junior forward Addison Van Zee is one of the Cougars’ leading offensive threats. Van Zee earned All-NSIC Second Team honors in 2025. She leads Sioux Falls in shots this season with 38, including 17 on goal.
Midfielder Lily Dahler leads the Cougars with three assists this season, helping create opportunities for the Sioux Falls attack.
The Cougars have used three goalkeepers throughout the season, combining for 76 saves.
Head coach Andy Janssen leads the Cougars in his first season at USF.
SMSU PICKED 13TH IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL
SMSU was selected 13th in the 16-team NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
NSIC regular season and tournament champion Minnesota State was selected as the favorite to win the conference again, receiving 13 first-place votes and 223 points.
Concordia-St. Paul finished second with 204 points and three first-place votes, followed by Bemidji State with 193 points, Augustana with 174 points and St. Cloud State with 164 points.
SMSU’s 13th-place selection came with 46 points.
Junior forward Jada Backes and senior defender Sophia Sonnek were both named Players to Watch in the preseason poll.
MUSTANG HISTORY
SMSU is in its 31st season of soccer in 2026 and 30th season of competition (2020 was canceled).
The Mustangs have compiled an all-time record of 170-337-42, including 124-203-28 in NSIC games.
SMSU has made 14 NSIC tournaments and played in the region championship of the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
SMSU has recorded four winning seasons in program history, with the last coming in 2019.