SALT LAKE CITY  —  On the heels of a 2-0 trans-Pacific trip to open the year, 13th-ranked Westminster women's soccer (2-0) gets set to host its first matches of 2021 beginning with Thursday's nightcap at Dumke Field against Minot State (0-1) at 7 p.m.  The Griffins will have one day of rest before facing another non-conference test against No. 10 Northwest Nazarene (2-0) on Saturday beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Game Info:
- With the local temperatures forecasted to be near triple digits on Thursday and well into the 90s on Saturday, fans are encouraged to bring plenty of water, sunscreen and take shelter from the extreme heat if necessary.
- Admission for Thursday's matches will be FREE for all attendees.
- Visit westminstergriffins.com for all of the most recent match updates.

Scouting the Griffins:
- After beginning the year unranked, Westminster moved all the way up to No. 13 in the nation after a 2-0 start to the season in Hawai'i last weekend.
- The Griffins opened the season with a one-goal win over the University of Hawai'i at Hilo last Thursday.
- Freshman midfielder, Elaina Pierce, scored her first-career goal in the 76^th minute of the Griffins' season opener against Hawai'i at Hilo.
- Kelsea Cracroft played all 90 minutes in net vs. Hawai'i Hilo for her first clean sheet of the season.
- Westminster defeated Hawai'i Pacific University, 2-0, in its second game of the season last Sunday.
- Cassidy Orr grabbed her first goal of the season in the 25th minute vs. Hawai'i Pacific while Aimee Kurfurst also scored her first of the season to help the Griffins secure the two-goal win.
- The win gives Westminster its first 2-0 start to a season since 2016.  The Griffins went 10-4-3 that season with a 6-3-3 conference mark in just their second season competing in the RMAC.
- Naomi Kehl saw her first of action on the season, preserving the Westminster shutout during the second half of its game at Hawai'i Pacific.  Kehl made three saves in her first five minutes in net to help the Griffins improve to 2-0 on the young season.

Scouting the Opponents:
    Minot State
- Westminster won the only previous meeting between the two teams, earning in a 1-0 victory on a neutral field back in November of 2010 in Helena, Mont.
- The Beavers dropped their season opener last Friday, falling to Regis, 3-1, at home.
- Junior, Chloe Allan, scored the Beavers' lone goal, which was assisted by redshirt-freshman, Tiffany Schennum, last Friday.
- Junior keeper, Maddie Kindred, had four saves in her first start of the fall season.
- Minot State's Fall 2021 roster is highlighted by the program's all-time leading scorer, Sofia Lewis.

    #10 Northwest Nazarene
- 10th-ranked Northwest Nazarene opened the season with a pair of one-goal victories over Chaminade University and the College of Idaho.
- The Nighthawks held both of their opponents out of the scoring column as junior goalkeeper from West Jordan High School, Alexis Montoya, posted a pair of shutouts to begin her 2021 campaign.
- Northwest Nazarene will play the first match of the day at Dumke Field on Thursday, taking on Colorado Mesa in a neutral contest beginning at 4:30 p.m. (MDT).
- Senior midfielder, McKenzie Buell, scored the game winner for NNU against College of Idaho last Saturday.  Sophomore defender, Makayla Roggow, scored the gamewinner for the Nighthawks in their season opener against Chaminade last Thursday.
- The Griffins are 1-0-1 against NNU, with both all-time matchups requiring overtime.  The Griffins defeated the Nighthawks, 1-0, at Dumke Field back in 2010 with a 99th-minute goal from Lisa Johnson.
- The first-ever match between the two sides finished in a 1-1 draw after two full overtime periods of scoreless soccer.

Up Next:
- Westminster will have a week off before returning to the field for conference play on Thurs., Sept. 23, as it hosts MSU Denver at Dumke Field beginning at 7:30 p.m.