After scoring just one goal and tallying one assist during her freshman season on the Winona State University women's soccer team, Lauren Sturdivant had one thing in mind for her sophomore year.

"I asked her, 'What are you going to do next year?' She said, 'I want to start,' " WSU coach Ali Omar said.

Sturdivant's determination would pay off.

"We talked about what she needed to work on and she took that to heart," Omar said. "She came back her sophomore year and took a starting spot."

Now a junior, she uses that same determination to will her way through the defenses of NSIC foes.

Sturdivant, who leads the NSIC in goals (17), assists (11) and points (45), will get a chance to show off her skills tonight as the Warriors (15-4) open the NSIC tournament at home against No. 8 Concordia (8-9-3).

The first-round match is set for 6 p.m. at Maxwell Field.

WSU beat the Golden Bears 3-1 on Oct. 18 at Maxwell Field, a game in which Sturdivant had one goal and two assists.

"Last year, you kind of knew who the really good teams were, but this year, anyone can come out and win it," Sturdivant said. "I know we won our conference, but this tournament is going to be tough. Anyone can win."

Without her toughness the No. 1 seeded Warriors may not have won as many matches, or their sixth straight conference title.

Sturdivant has been playing the last two weeks with a hockey pad covering her hurt elbow.

"This is the mentality that she has," Omar said. "She doesn't want to sit on the bench. 'I can run, you don't need your elbow to play soccer' was something that she said."

Perhaps most impressive of all, Sturdivant has scored seven game-winning goals.

"She better be (NSIC) offensive player of the year," Omar said. "If you were having a pick-up game, she would be the first one picked, hands down."

A humble Sturdivant said that she is aware of her personal statistics but said her stats were a credit to her teammates, specifically Melissa Sellier.

"We just feed off of each other really well," Sturdivant said. "I can read her, she reads me, we just connect well.

"I think it's more the person setting you up rather than just focusing on your finish."

That ability to finish, however, is what sets her apart.

"She is one of the best pure goal scorers. She's not going to be flashy, she's not going to put all these moves on you," Omar said. "She's got one move, she knows how to do it and she's going to go score. It's as simple as that."