St. Paul Humboldt opened the season with three consecutive victories, including important wins over St. Paul City Conference rivals Johnson (2-0) and Washington (1-0), before falling to St. Paul Central on Sept. 7.
If the Hawks (3-1, 2-1) want to keep pace in the race for the league title, they must pick up points in all three of their conference games this week, including Saturday's matchup against defending conference champion St. Paul Highland Park.
Micah Gundale (7 goals last season) is the sole top-three scorer returning for St. Paul Humboldt, but senior Eh Blu Poe has stepped up to help carry the offense, scoring two goals this season.
The Scots have struggled so far this season, recording just one win in the first five games. However, with the next nine contests coming against league opponents, St. Paul Highland Park (1-2-2, 0-2-1) has the opportunity to turn its fortunes around.
Joseph Tawah is back after leading the Scots with six goals last season, but with the graduation of top playmaker Edwin Elias, St. Paul Highland Park needs to quickly find a way to jumpstart its offense if it wants to challenge for another conference title.