CSB Soccer starts the season off with three consecutive victories

The CSB soccer team has started off their 2026 season with three straight wins. On their way to Iowa for their second game of the season, the Bennies faced an unexpected setback when their bus broke down just an hour into the trip. The delay pushed their game against Wartburg back an hour, but the team did not let the disruption affect their momentum.

“This weekend we went to Iowa and our bus broke down on the way there, only an hour into the ride,” CSB first-year Eva Gower said. “Our game got pushed back an hour, but we were able to rally. The energy of the game was great. We maybe didn’t play perfect, but we found a way to win, and I thought that was amazing.”

Though it’s only her first year, Gower is a center forward and a starter which ultimately led to her being chosen as The House/St. Cloud Orthopedics CSB Athlete of the Week. Only three games into the season, she has scored twice in 165 minutes of total playing time. CSB sophomore Anna Mollenhauer was named the MIAC Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after allowing only one goal and making 14 saves across two appearances.

The Bennies’ undefeated start to the season is a turnaround from last year when they finished with a record of 7-11 on the season. For Gower, playing soccer at the collegiate level has been a dream since she started high school.

“I started playing soccer when I was five, I grew up with it and have always loved it,” Gower said.

Gower is one of ten first-years who were welcomed to the program this season. Alongside the newcomers there are 11 sophomores, three juniors and four seniors.

“Culture is really important to us and the upperclassmen really instilled that and they make everybody feel super welcomed,” Gower said.

With only seven upperclassmen going into the 2026 season, CSB senior and midfielder Avery Soli is preparing to help be a leader on the young team.

“With two large young classes, the upperclassmen have been working diligently to communicate and
demonstrate our team culture and what it means to be a Bennie,” Soli said via email. “We pride ourselves on being a dedicated and positive team that supports the growth of players both on and off the field.”

Soli said she feels that she holds a lot of responsibility being not only an upperclassman, but a senior. With the team mostly comprised of underclassmen, she feels that there is a lot of teaching and learning to be done throughout the season on both sides.

“As a senior, I hope to cultivate a team dynamic where everyone feels respected and a sense of belonging,” Soli said. “This team has shown a lot of grit and energy so far that we hope to continue to build off for the rest of the season. The freshmen are very hungry and eager to work hard, which has made their integration into the team’s playing style smooth.”

The 2026 season will be head coach Steve Kimble’s 18th at the helm of the Bennie soccer program. Twice a MIAC Coach of the Year award winner, Kimble has spearheaded the Bennies to conference championships on two separate occasions, as well as two NCAA Tournament berths. In 2011, when the Bennies finished in a tie for first place in the conference and advanced to the “Sweet Sixteen” of the NCAA Tournament, Kimble was named the NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year, the first and only of his career.

The Bennies will return to the pitch on Saturday, Sept. 12 when they visit UW-Stout. They follow that game up with a home match against Minnesota-Morris on Sunday, Sept. 13 to close out their non-conference schedule.