The Muskies try again for their first-ever win over the Spartans, a quest that dates back to the teams' first-ever meeting in 2002, a 2-0 Aurora win. Lakeland has been close multiple times in recent years, including a scoreless tie the last time the teams met at Taylor Field two years ago on Oct. 5, 2024 as Ingrid Steinbock made 10 saves in a match that included multiple opportunities for both teams but no goals on the board. The Spartans won last year's matchup 4-0 at home, scoring twice in each half. The Muskies picked up their first-ever tie with Aurora with a 0-0 draw Oct. 13, 2018. Erin Tomlinson made nine saves in the match for the shutout for Lakeland.

Lakeland last time out: Lost at Wisconsin Lutheran 6-0 Wednesday
The Muskies lost their second straight in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play as the Warriors scored three times in the first half and added three more in the second half. A 4 1/2 minute stretch was the culprit in the first half, as WLC scored three times between the 11th and 16th minutes. Lakeland steadied from there until Lutheran scored again just over 10 minutes out of halftime, and then added two more goals over the course of the remainder of the match. Wisconsin Lutheran finished with a 32-2 advantage in shot attempts, with Mikayla Belasco and Malaya Sperber recording the two shots for the Muskies. Ingrid Steinbock made 13 saves, her sixth match this season with double-digit saves.

Aurora last time out: Lost at Concordia Chicago 1-0 WednesdayThe Spartans also were defeated in a shutout their last time out, falling to the Cougars on the road in River Forest, Ill., in a NACC match. Concordia scored the match's lone goal in the 55th minute and held the lead the rest of the way. Aurora was outshot 12-3 for the match, including 9-0 in the scoreless first half. Leila Connor made seven saves in goal for the Spartans, while Chelsey Johnson generated the lone shot on goal.

Aurora has had a tough season with its lone win a 1-0 victory over Greenville (Ill.) on Sept. 5, one of the team's two goals on the season. The Spartans have been shut out seven times, but aren't in a much different position than this time last year, when they came into the match with Lakeland with a 1-9 record. Aurora went on to finish 4-2-1 in its final seven matches to qualify for the NACC Tournament.

Still among the leaders: Lakeland has been shutout its last two matches, but Malaya Sperber still ranks among the NACC leaders in all three major offensive categories. Sperber's five assists is tied for third-most in the conference, and her five goals is tied for seventh-best in the league. Her 15 points overall also rank 11th in the NACC, and her two game-winning goals is tied for third in the conference. A big part of the Muskies forward's scoring game in Lakeland's 10-1 win over Alverno, when she piled up three goals and five assists. Sperber enters Saturday's match with 17 goals and seven assists in her career. Her goals total is tied for 14th in school history and her points is 16th all-time at Lakeland.