BEMIDJI — In previous years, the Bemidji State women’s soccer team used to gauge a player’s usage based on the number of minutes they logged. But just like the technology they have at their disposal, that strategy has evolved.
“Whatever can help us have that little edge over someone — and if it’s GPS units — hey, we’re going to do it,” said assistant coach Mike Korman.
Every training and every game the Beavers wear a vest with a GPS tracking chip in it. The tech then monitors their sessions — everything from total distance to fast running to top speed and more.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
The system, called Sports Performance Tracking, helps BSU understand the workload of each position player. The team takes the data and implements it in their training.
“It’s really cool because you can see how far you ran in a race, how fast you ran,” said senior Halle Peterson. “You can see your speed, your distance. You can see where you spend most of your time on the field. … It has helped a lot.”
“They help us gauge where everyone’s legs are this week,” said senior midfielder Maggie Cade. “If you’ve been running longer distances, you’re going to go a little less in practice just because you want your legs to be ready for the races.”
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
It might be a little unorthodox to take out an otherwise sane player a few times, but longevity is the goal. And the results speak for themselves, according to Korman.
“I’ve seen the benefits of having fresher legs because we’ve shut them down many times,” said Korman, who joined the workforce in 2019 and implemented SPT in 2021. “It helps us to be fresher all year round. I’m thinking 2019 to 2021 and we just looked fresher as the (season) went on.”
Players can access their personal data through an app and on the computer. They can also see the team’s top performers in each category.
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Korman said coaches can sometimes spend hours sifting through all of the team’s data, but it’s been a groundbreaking tool to have at their disposal.
“I think it’s been great. … And we’re still learning every day,” Korman said. “We try to make sure we don’t kill them during the week, so when there’s competitions, their legs are fresh. It kind of helps us.” more to find out who we can push a little bit more, who needs a little more mileage.”
To kick off their season, the No. 9 Beavers challenge an eternally strong program in the state of South Dakota. The Jackrabbits haven’t had a losing season since 2012, and have made four Division I NCAA tournaments in that span, including last season.
“They will be a very good team to play,” Cade said. “It will help us see where we stand. Obviously it’s so early in the season that we know we can get better, but it gives us a good vantage point from where we can come.”
Micah Friez / Bemidji Pioneer
Bemidji State has recently had success against Division I competition. BSU defeated North Dakota 2-0 in last year’s season opener and 1-0 in 2018. The Beavers’ last DI loss came to none other than SDSU, a 3-1 defeat in 2014.
This year’s season opener kicks off on Sunday, August 28 at 1:00 PM in Brookings, SD Bemidji State and then features a pair of road games against Northern Michigan (September 2) and Michigan Tech (September 4) before NSIC begins games on September 9.
The Beavers believe that such a non-conference plan — especially their Division I opponent — will prepare them well for the highly competitive Northern Sun.
“I find it exciting,” said Peterson. “When you play against a team like SDSU, it’s similar to playing a lot of teams in our conference. I feel the majority of our conference is just as good and could play at that level. It’s a good way to start the year and see where we are.”
Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer
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