Lakeland and Mount Mary are longtime foes dating back to 1994, the Muskies' second year sponsoring women's soccer. The Muskies have dominated the series of late, winning 15 of the last 17 matchups including four straight. Lakeland rolled to a 9-0 win on the road in Milwaukee last year on Sept. 25, 2023, as Alondra Reyes scored four goals and twin sister Marlen Reyes added three goals. This marks the teams' first meeting at Lakeland since Sept. 13, 2017, a 5-0 Muskies' win. The Blue Angels' last win over Lakeland came Sept. 18, 2016, with a 2-0 victory. The Muskies have dominated the series of late, but Mount Mary won the first six meetings all-time, including the first, a 2-1 victory at Lakeland Sept. 22, 1994.

Lakeland last time out: Lost at Lawrence 6-3 Sunday
The Muskies unveiled a potent offense but couldn't slow down the Vikings in the second half in their season opener. The teams were tied 2-2 at halftime but Lawrence scored four times in the second half, including the match's final two goals inside the last 20 minutes to put the game away. Freshman Malaya Sperber debuted with two goals and an assist and Chloe Bartlett also added a goal. Ingrid Steinbock (nine saves) and Emilie Runkel (three) combined to make 12 saves.

About the Muskies: Lakeland returns an experienced team this year with nine starters back for third-year head coach Heather Robare. Alondra and Marlen Reyes both returned for a fifth season after their freshman year was abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the two combined for 18 goals last year. Sperber also is a 23-year old freshman in her first year of college who was an honorable mention all-state selection at Grafton High School. Lakeland is looking to continue its improvement after upping its win total each of the first two years under Coach Robare. The Muskies posted a 6-12 record last year, tied for the program's most wins in a season since winning 10 games in 2008, also the last time Lakeland posted a winning overall record. The Muskies' three NACC wins also were their most since 2011.

Mount Mary last time out: Lost at Cornell (Iowa) 11-0 Saturday
The Blue Angels fell hard in their season opener on the road in Mount Vernon, Iowa. The Rams scored seven times in the first half and added four more in the second half. Cornell dominated play with a 50-0 advantage in shots and a 26-0 lead in shots on goal. Brianna Brown made 15 saves in goal for Mount Mary.

The Blue Angels finished 4-11 a year ago competing as an NCAA Division III independent, including victories over Alverno, Eureka and two over Andrews (Mich.) University. Mount Mary played four games against Lakeland and its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference brethren, posting a 1-3 record, and this year the Blue Angels again play four games against NACC opponents. Mount Mary returns two of its top three scorers from last year (Sam Reyes and Amanda Antonio) and has a net coach this year in first-year head coach Peter Knebel.