ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After going 3-1-2 over the previous six games, the College of Saint Benedict soccer team (4-4-2, 2-2-1 MIAC) will face a road test against Gustavus Adolphus College (5-5-,0 2-3-0 MIAC) in MIAC play at 3:30 p.m., on Saturday (Oct. 7) in St. Peter, Minn.
 
CSB, which had a 0-0 tie with previously No. 25 and currently Region IX No. 2 team Simpson, is ranked eighth in Region IX by the United Soccer Coaches. The Bennies sit 2-2-1 and fifth in league play, a half-game behind Augsburg (2-2-2).   
 
Facing Region IX
The College of Saint Benedict has played four teams in region IX. The Bennies fell to UW- Eau Claire (6th in region), 3-2, and No. 10 UW-Lacrosse (1st in the region), 1-0. CSB lost to St. Catherine's (5th in region), 2-0, while also playing to a 0-0 draw against Simpson (No. 2). The Bennies will play Carleton College (No. 4 in region) to finish the regular season on October 28.
 
 NCAA DIII Women's Rankings – Region IX | United Soccer Coaches
 
Gustavus-Adolphus Notes
After a 5-5 start overall, including 2-3 in the MIAC, Gustavus Adolphus currently sits seventh in league play. The Gusties are directed by Laura Burnett- Kurie who will be entering her 12th season. At Gustavus, she led the Gusties to a NCAA tournament berth in 2015 when GAC finished with an overall 13-7-1 and 8-3 in league play. GAC is led by Hannah Cisar who has four goals in 10 games played. Ellen Becken has recorded three goals in six games. Senior goalkeeper Claire Hemstock has a 2-3 record with 22 saves and a 2.72 GAA.
 
Series Notes
Against Gustavus Adolphus, CSB has won five straight games, including a 4-0 decision a year on Sept. 22, 2022, in St. Peter, Minn. The Bennies have a 19-17-4 overall series record, which includes a 12-13-1 mark at home and 7-4-3 in road games. CSB also owns an 18-16-4 conference record in the series. The Bennies, which lost, 7-0, in the first matchup on September 28, 1985, is 7-2-1 in past 10 games against the Gusties. 
 
Notes on CSB
In 2023, the Bennies have shown balance with goals from 10 players. Junior forward Alli Voss, who was All-MIAC and All-Region a year ago, leads CSB and ranks 18th in the MIAC with three goals on the season. Voss, who had goals in three straight matches this year, has 18 career goals. Voss leads CSB in scoring with seven points. She also has a team-high 24 shots. Addison Stephani has a goal and two assists. Senior Abby Willenbring, a  third team U.S. Soccer Scholar All-American, All-MIAC and All-Region honoree in 2022, is second on the team in shots with 17. Willenbring has played 808 minutes on the pitch this season. Goalkeeper Madisen Carter has split time with Annie Waters.  Carter has one shutout and 13 saves in three games played this season. She totals a 0.867 save percentage and an 0.83 goals against average. Waters has three shutouts and a 4-3-1 record with 22 saves in eight games. 
 
As a team, CSB has 12 goals and an average of 1.20 goals per game. The Bennies have recorded 144 shots and ranks fourth in league play for shots on goal with 77. CSB has a 77-to-49 edge in shots on goal and a 144-to-100 margin in shots against opponents. In corner kicks, the Bennies hold a 42-to-38 edge.
 
Quick season review- CSB Soccer
The Bennies, which have won three games by shutouts, opened the season 1-2 with all contests decided by a single goal. On Sept. 1-2, the Bennies split a pair of games as they dropped a 1-0 decision at 12th ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse before rebounding with a 2-1 win at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Then, against UW-Eau Claire, the Bennies rallied from a 2-0 deficit with goals from Erica Golenzer and Chloe Moore to draw even. UW-EC scored in the 88^th minute to edge past the Bennies.
 
In the opener, CSB lost to the nationally ranked Eagles in a contest that saw Hayley Slaski score the lone goal. CSB goalie Annie Waters had eight saves in facing 25 shots. CSB had five shots, including two on goal.
 
In game two, the Bennies opened up the scoring in the 34th minute from senior Lana Krautkremer, who recorded her sixth goal of her career off an assist from Addison Stephani. In the second half, the Bennies also received a goal from Ella Young, who had her fifth career goal at the 83:48 mark. UWSP scored with 85:17 left but CSB's defense stepped up as the Bennies recorded its second win of the season.
 
After trailing at halftime in game three against UW-Eau Claire, the Bennies rallied to tie the game late in the second half. First, the deficit was cut in half as senior Erica Golenzer tallied her eighth career goal with a shot to the low right side of the goal at the 54:22 mark. Then first-year Chloe Moore scored on a high right shot to the goal at 74:44 to draw even. The game-winning goal was by UW-EC's Kori Millis at the 87:46 mark of the second half.
 
In the MIAC opener on the road, CSB took a 2-1 loss at Macalester but had a goal from Olivia Miller, who scored off a corner kick with an assist to senior Abby Willenbring. Against the Scotts, CSB had a 14-to-8 shots edge, including 7-5 in shots in goals but came up a little short.
 
In the home MIAC opener on Sept. 16, the Bennies responded with two second half goals, including at 70:54 by Avery Soli, whose scoring play was the first of her career. At 73:11, Alli Voss, off an assist by Emma Young, scored her first goal of the season and give CSB a 2-0 lead. The Bennies had a 9-to-4 shots edge and 4-to-1 margin in corner kicks.
 
Saint Benedict made it two straight wins with a 3-0 decision over Wartburg in non conference play at home on Sept. 17. Voss played a key role in the win over the Knights with an assist and goal for three points. She has scored goals in consecutive games. Voss's assist to Grace Fitzgibbons allowed CSB to take a 1-0 lead at 59:42. Fitzgibbons scored her first goal of the season and second of her career. At 82.00, Voss scored her second of the season and 17^th of her career. Then, Sydney Burns finished off the scoring with a goal at 85:26 off an assist from Ella Young for the 3-0 decision.
 
On Sept. 24, CSB defeated Saint Mary's, 1-0, on Voss's game-winning goal at 76:16. With a goal from Addison Stephani with 1:06 to play in the first half, CSB had a 1-1 draw with Augsburg on Sept. 27. Then, the Bennies had a 0-0 draw against Simpson at the CSB Athletic Turf Field.
 
Kimble directs CSB Soccer
Head Coach Steve Kimble has directed CSB to 12 winning seasons in 14 years and a 144-80-29 record including 92-44-14 in the MIAC. The program has had 20 All-Region athletes, 34 All-MIAC honorees and 19 All-MIAC honorable mention selections during his tenure. A year ago, the Bennies had numerous honors, including five first-team All-MIAC performers for the first time in school history. It is a group that will lead this team again in 2023.