Aug. 21—BEMIDJI — Jim Stone waited for Friday afternoon to come around for months.
The Bemidji State women's soccer team's head coach, who is entering his 24th season at the helm, is more than eager to show off his 2026 group. It features 20 returning players and 13 freshmen.
At Chet Anderson Stadium on Friday, the Beavers commenced the new campaign with a 4-2 exhibition win over Division III's College of Saint Benedict.
"I think we saw what we anticipated," Stone said. "There were a lot of good moments. With these games early, you hope to see the areas you can grow in. I thought we saw that, too. Credit to (CSB); they're always a good side. They're able to push you and expose some cracks in the armour. It's good to have a game on film now so we can go back to the lab."
BSU will complete two more road exhibition matches this weekend, taking on Wisconsin-Superior on Saturday and St. Catherine on Sunday. The season officially opens on Aug. 28 with a 7 p.m. match at the Chet against Central Region foe Missouri Western.
In Friday's exhibition, which was played in three 30-minute periods, several players looked like they were already in midseason form.
Junior forward Madisen Fritel scored in the 13th minute. Madeline Davey scored off a feed from Megan Ko — both are captains — in the 23rd minute. Gracie Waters finished a header on a corner kick from Olivia Seruer in the 42nd minute, while Molly Burkstrand buried an unassisted goal in the 69th minute.
Despite not cracking the scoresheet, other players like Sydney Sutherland, Brenna Nichols and captains Maggie Kramer and Dayna Stocke stood out.
"It kind of felt extra special because it was the first game on the new turf and the first win," Fritel said. "It was super fun. It feels great on the new turf. There were some rips and tears on the old one, so it's nice to have that fresh turf."
The Bennies found two late goals, one on Tatum Janezich's penalty kick in the 73rd minute and another from Gabby Fernholz in the 79th.
"We need to get better at some of the little things we noticed today — the connections and the micros," Stone said. "It's the understanding of having the ability to not just play but play with each other, and do it with cohesion. My movement affects your movement, and vice versa."
While Friday's exhibition allows the BSU staff to dissect its team on film, it was also the first chance the Beaver faithful had to get a look at the group without key players from last fall.
Bemidji State had 10 departures through graduation and the transfer portal after a 14-3-4 season (11-1-3 NSIC).
"We lost our two starting center backs, which is probably the number-one area we needed to address," Stone said. "We obviously lost the Central Region Player of the Year, too. We knew that one was happening, so it was easier to digest.
"We had a really good spring, and not just in a team sense but also in the fact that we were able to get a lot of games in, which isn't always the case. Those games are really important to figure out if that center back exists in our roster or if they're going to be a transfer. We saw some really positive things in our roster, specifically in Grace (Schwoch) and Molly (Hagelie), and it's carried over into this preseason."
Redshirt sophomore Julia Freed transferred to Iowa in the Big Ten, while 2025 captain and All-NSIC honoree Emma Huelsnitz graduated off the back line. Players like Ella Wade are called on to not only help replace their contributions on the pitch, but also in leadership areas.
"I definitely feel like it's my job to step into a leadership role like that," Wade said. "It's just about trusting the people behind me. I have that confidence in the people behind me to do just as good of a job as we did last year. My job is to be the windshield wiper for this team and protect the girls behind me no matter what."
The most impactful departure in offensive production also graduated from last year's group. The Beavers need to find a way to replace Katrina Barthelt, who won Central Region Player of the Year, NSIC Offensive Player of the Year and was a Third Team All-American.
"We all have a lot of speed and we all play off of each other really well," said Fritel. "That's going to be a huge strength for us. We can all score, so hopefully we can replace those goals and get more this season.
"Katrina was so good at (finishing). I think all of us can take something we've learned from her and put it into this season."
BSU will also have to replace consistent starters like goalkeeper Sonia Alfieri, who was an All-NSIC selection, as well as seniors Kenzie Harer and Grace Kittel.
The Beavers' starting 11 is far from finalized, but Stone gave a glimpse of what it's shaping up to be on Friday. It included two freshmen — goalkeeper Emma Marzean out of Buffalo High School and forward Meredich Paar.
"There's a few of them who are college-ready, and a handful who need some development and seasoning," Stone said. "Holistically, there's a lot of talent. I just feel really blessed to have this class come into the program at this time, and we're going to do our best to keep them around and do something special with them."
Stone admitted his freshman class was larger than he originally anticipated.
"The idea of 13 freshmen wasn't in the plans, but it was in the cards," he added. "We had to circle back at one point. We had the class targeted at eight players, but recruiting is like fishing. You can get in your boat one day with the same weather pattern in the same location, and you get skunked. But the next day, under the same conditions, they're biting. That's recruiting, and they were biting for us this year.
"There's a real quality to these players. We felt like we caught some eight-pound walleyes who were too good to put back into Lake Bemidji and not keep."
Bemidji State was picked to finish third by NSIC coaches in the preseason poll, behind Minnesota State in first and Concordia-St. Paul in second. It's the fifth straight season that the Beavers were picked in the top three to begin a campaign. BSU has finished in the NSIC's top three in six of the last eight seasons.
Bemidji State has also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons, but the one it missed in 2024 was a wake-up call in some respects.
It was a team that had some parallels with the one BSU fields this fall — a group that had a healthy batch of veterans but also had to replace key contributors. Ultimately, with the help of multiple season-ending injuries, the Beavers were eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.
"Some of it is out of your control, but I think the baton has been passed down pretty well," Stone said about how to avoid a repeat of two years ago. "Honestly, it's one of those questions where, if you knew the answer to it, you'd be a millionaire. I think one thing I've learned over the years is, no matter what you do or what transpires, it's a new team. That team will take on an identity. This team started to create that identity in the spring and the winter, and I really like it.
"I love our leadership. I love the spirit of this team. I don't know what that looks like in terms of wins and losses, but I'm excited about the potential of this team."
Bemidji State came back with a vengeance last fall to finish second in the NSIC and the Central Region rankings. However, a first-round, golden-goal defeat at the hands of No. 7 Central Missouri spoiled the party at the Chet.
For players like Wade and Fritel, they understand that making the tournament is an accomplishment in and of itself, but taking things another step further is also on the table.
"We're very excited to try and take a deeper run into the NCAA Tournament," Wade said. "One thing we've learned is just realizing that not everyone makes the NCAA Tournament and it's special to go through and get to do that. Two years ago, we didn't make it. Losing in the first round last year was tough, even though it was still a big accomplishment to make it. It's definitely motivation for this year."
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