ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After two consecutive second place finishes in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the College of Saint Benedict soccer team (0-0) will strive to take the next step as they attempt to earn the program's sixth MIAC title in school history in 2023.

As the 2023 season opens, the Bennies face a difficult early schedule including NCAA DIII No. 13^th ranked UW-LaCrosse (0-0) on the road at 3 p.m., on Friday Sept. 1, which advanced to the third round of the NCAA playoffs a year ago. Then, the Bennies, which return nine starters from a year ago, travel to UW-Stevens Point (0-0) on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 10 a.m. The game was originally set for 1 p.m., but moved up to 10 a.m., due to weather conditions and temperature, which could surpass 100 degrees. The Pointers will open their season on Friday, Sept. 1 against St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn.

Click here for the complete CSB Soccer schedule for 2023. 

Both games will be available on live stats and video --

UW - Lacrosse - Watch - Live Stats
UW - Stevens Point - Watch - Live Stats

A year ago, the Bennies, which return nine starters, finished 12-5-2, including 8-2-1 in the MIAC for second place. The Bennies will look to secure their 27^th winning season since 1984 and strive to win 12 or more games for a 21^st time. CSB's last title was in 2013 when Head Coach Steve Kimble directed the team to a 16-3-1 record overall and 9-2 in league play. CSB also had titles in 2011, 2003, 2002 and 1991. Over the past three full seasons, the Bennies have had 11 wins or more, included two runner-up finishes and a fourth-place finish in the talented MIAC. All-time CSB has accumulated 403 wins, including 235 in league play (based on available records).

Series Records
Against UW-Lacrosse, CSB has a 5-0-1 record, including a 3-1 win in St. Joseph, Minn., on August 31, 2019. The series began in 1988 with a 2-1 CSB win over UW-Lacrosse in St. Joseph.

Against UW-Stevens Point, CSB trails, 2-7-2 with the last matchup a 3-2 loss by the Bennies on Nov. 7, 2007. CSB has lost four straight to UW-Stevens Point with the last win 1-0 in St. Paul, Minn., on Sept. 13, 1998. In the first matchup, the Bennies dropped a 2-0 decision at St. Joseph, Minn., on Sept. 27, 1992.

Opponent Breakdown –
UW-LaCrosse ranked No. 13 in DIII

US Soccer DIII national rankings

UW Lacrosse soccer (0-0) has qualified for five of the last seven NCAA Division III Championships, and has been projected to win the 2023 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title. UW-Lacrosse entered the season ranked 13^th in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Preseason Poll. It is a squad that returns 25 members of its team including 10 starters from a team that was 21-2-1 a year ago, including 7-0 in winning the WIAC. They also captured the tournament title and advanced to the third round of the NCAA DIII Championships. They set a school record with 21 wins, one more than the 20 in 2017.

Head Coach Jason Murphy is 118-38-21 (.726) overall and 43-8-6 (.807) in WIAC play at UW-La Crosse with 43 all-conference selections earned in his first nine seasons.  He has 159 career wins. UW-Lacrosse returns seven All-WIAC selections in 2023, including the league's Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year last season. Senior forward Ainsley Allan was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in goals (15), points (32), shots (86) and shots on goal (46) while starting all 24 games. Junior defender Alexis McMahon was the WIAC Defensive Player of the Year for a team that had a school record 14 shutouts and 0.67 goals against average.

UW-Stevens Point
UW-Stevens Point finished 7-9-4 a year ago with a 3-2-2 record in WIAC play. It was a team that averaged 1.15 goals per game and scored 23 while allowing 30 or 1.50 per game. Leading the way this year will be Gina Wasniewski and Class Klitzke, who both scored three goals with two assists for the 2022 squad.

The team is coached by Dawn Crow, a four-time national champion at Division I powerhouse North Carolina and former U.S. National Team player, who enters her ninth season as the women's soccer coach at UW-Stevens Point. As a player she led UNC to a 97-1-1 record. In 2023, Crow coached the U19 National ODP team with games played in England and at the Dallas Cup in March and April. She also was a participant in the United Soccer Coaches 2022-23 cohort of the Coach Credentialing Program. In fall of 2022, Crow coached WIAC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Miranda Nieman, who led the league in saves and had three shutouts in league matches.

Previewing CSB
CSB is a team that has plenty of experience and leaders who have led this program to significant success. In addition, the team has added a group of talented first-year performers, led by Anna Jones and Avery Soli.

A year ago, CSB earned the No. 2 seed in the MIAC tourney and ranked as high as sixth in the NCAA DIII regional rankings. In the past two seasons, CSB has compiled a record of 16-3-4 in league play with a 23-6-4 overall record.

Kimble has directed CSB to 12 winning seasons in 14 years and 140 wins. In addition, 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.

CSB, which has now had at least one all-conference honoree for 32 straight years, has had four or more earn league honors in a season 16 times. The Bennies had four student-athletes named to the College Communicators Academic All-District Team for the first team. In addition, the Bennies had two-all region honorees plus a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region and Scholar All-American (Abby Willenbring)

Named CSB Defender of the Year, junior Abby Willenbring was named CSB's third-ever United Soccer Coaches Scholar-All-American. She was also a USC Scholar-All Region honoree and named first team All-Region by the USC while earning All-MIAC honors. She started all 19 matches and accumulated 1,204:23 minutes while recording three goals and two assists for eight points. Willenbring had 23 shots with 12 on goal. In addition, she had a game-winning shot and now has two in her career. In 42 career matches, she has made 41 starts with 3,000:43 minutes. Willenbring, a junior accounting major from Lino Lakes, Minn., has totaled five goals and five assists for 15 points while registering 50 shots and 27 on goal.

Junior Alli Voss had a special season in her second year with the program in 2023. Voss, who was named CSB's "Offensive Player of the Year," was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team and first team All-MIAC. A business major from Edina, Minn., she was tied for the league lead with 27 points and tied for the league lead with 12 goals in her 19 matches. Voss, who played in 1,226:34 minutes in 2022, led the MIAC and ranked 15th in NCAA DIII with six game-winning kicks for a .316 average. In addition, she was fourth in the MIAC in shots on goal with 33 (1.74/game) while ranking 10^th in shots with 46. Voss was first in the MIAC and 14th in DIII in shot accuracy at .717. In her career, Voss, who has scored two goals in a game three times, has made 33 starts in her career and has 15 career goals with six assists and 36 points. She has 51 shots on goals and 79 shots.

Senior Caralyn Conners was selected CSB's "Midfielder of the Year. " Named All-MIAC and to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, Conners, a nursing major from Lake Elmo, Minn, started in all 19 matches and played 1,075.60 minutes while tallying six goals and four assists for 16 points in 2022. She had 23 shots, including 17 on goal, and had a game-winning score. Conners ranked ninth in the league in goals, and 10^th in assists. In her career, she has played in 35 matches, making 25 starts, played 1847.23 minutes, with eight goals, seven assists, 23 points, and 42 shots, including 29 on goal.

Lana Krautkremer, a senior nursing major from New Elm, Minn., was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team in 2022. She played 19 games with eight starts in 2022. She had three goals scored with two assists and eight points. She finished with 15 shots on goal. In her career, she has started nine matches with 43 games played for 1,443:51 minutes. Krautkremer has five career goals, and two assists for 12 points. She has made 43 shots with 22 on goals and had a game-winning kick in her career.

Goalie Annie Waters, who made nine starts in 18 games a year ago, has 16 starts in her career, playing 1,434.50 minutes. A junior from Lakeville, Minn., Water has allowed just 14 goals for an impressive 0.88 goals against average in her career. With 31 saves a year ago, she now has 80 on her career with a .851 save percentage. Waters had a 6-2 record a year ago and is 12-5 in her career. She had a career high seven saves at Central (Iowa) on Sept. 19, 2021.
 
Ella Young, a senior defender from Hudson, Wis., made 19 starts a year ago, accumulating a goal and an assist with three points. She had six shots on goal and 15 shots. In her career Young has 39 starts in 43 games, playing 3,183:12 minutes. She has four career goals and two assists for 10 points. She has scored a goal in a game four times.

Lindsay Mueller, a senior defender from Plymouth, Minn., had eight starts in 19 games in 2022 with 17 career starts in 43 games. She recorded her first career goal a year ago vs St. Scholastica on Oct. 25, 2022. She has four career points with 11 shots and eight shots on goal.

Olivia Miller, a junior defender from Eagan, Minn., made 14 starts in 17 games a year ago and now has 32 starts in her two-years at CSB. She has a goal and two points with nine shots in her career. She scored her only goal vs. Augsburg on Oct. 2, 2021.

Another returning starter is midfielder Erica Golenzer, who has made 22 career starts in 43 games. A year ago, the senior midfielder from Eden Prairie, Minn., started in all 19 games, scoring three goals with an assist for seven points. She has seven career goals with two assists and 16 total points. Golenzer has 30 career shots on goal and had two goals against Minnesota-Morris on Sept. 1, 2021.

Sydney Burns, a junior forward from Eagan, Minn., has made 16 career starts with 37 career games played. A year ago, she had eight starts in 19 games with a goal and three assists for five points. She now has five career goals and seven assists with 17 points.  She has made 40 shots and placed 22 shots on goal.

In her first season, Addison Stephani had three starts in 19 games. A sophomore forward from Blaine, Minn., she totaled four goals with three assists for 11 points in 2023. Stephani, who has 24 shots and 17 shots on goal, scored a goal in four games a year ago.

Mary Blaska, a sophomore from Vadnais Heights, Minn., had five starts in playing 19 games as a first-year standout. She had one assist.

Grace Fitzgibbons, who had one start and played 15 games, totaled a goal with three assists for five points in her first season. She is a sophomore from Minneapolis, Minn.

Sophomore Ellie Piette, a forward from Oconomowoc, Wis., played 10 games a year ago with her first career goal in the 7-1 CSB win over Northwestern. Emily Cavanaugh, a sophomore midfielder from Edina, Minn., had a goal, two shots and played 19 games a year ago.

Regan Melz, a sophomore defender from Excelsior, Minn., played 19 games with one assist.

Ellie Wohnoutka, a junior midfielder from Rosemount, Minn., started 14 games a year ago and had her first career goal at Northwestern-St. Paul as CSB won 7-1. She also had an assist and tallied nine shots. She has 26 career starts and three career assists.

Junior midfielder Natalie Parnell of Mendota Heights and goalkeeper Madisen Carter, a sophomore from Billings, Mont., also saw action for CSB a year ago.