With senior Natalie Stoltz as their goalkeeper, the Mounds View Mustangs reached the Class 2A state soccer tournament this fall.

Helping the Mustangs' girls' hockey team reach similar heights this winter will require Stoltz, a forward, to score goals rather than prevent them. Stoltz and her linemates Maddie Peake and Lindsey Wolter are big reasons the Mustangs generated some preseason buzz among Suburban East Conference coaches. They tallied a combined 117 points last season. Stoltz led the way with 24 goals.

"Natalie is just a beast on the ice," Mustangs coach Tom Foley said. "She's been a go-to player for us since she was a freshman, and she's a leader on the team."

Stoltz spoke with Star Tribune reporter David La Vaque about making good on the preseason accolades, the season so far and her superstitions in soccer and hockey.

Q I imagine it's nice to know other coaches expect this team to be pretty good.
A It's super exciting to hear people are aware of us and have respect for us. I've been here four years and every year – except last year [a section semifinal loss] – we went a little further.

Q What sort of expectations do you and your teammates have for yourselves?
A We have a lot of experience. Our juniors and seniors have really high standards. We gave ourselves a name last year by beating a few good teams like Roseville. This year we want to be the team that's expected to have success and then does it.

Q Talk about the season so far. You started 3-2 and seemed to be competitive in your two losses.
A I'm happy so far. It would've been nice to beat Coon Rapids, but we battled the whole way and lost in overtime. And I feel we could've beat Eden Prairie. We outshot them, but it didn't go our way. Our hearts were into it, but our minds might not have been in it that night. Overall we're scoring more, and that's a big plus.

Q Coach Foley said a lot of the buzz about this team comes from you and the returning top line. How much pressure is there for your line to produce?
A As a senior captain, I feel that if I'm not playing my best, I'm letting the team down. If we play well, the team usually comes along with us.

Q You played goalkeeper in soccer, but you're a forward on the ice. Did you have any superstitions as a goalie that carry over to hockey?
A Yeah, I have superstitions for both sports. In soccer, before each game and at halftime, I have to stand on the penalty marker and swipe my foot four times. And in hockey, my stick has to be taped perfectly or I re-tape it. I have to put my left skate on first and tuck in the right side of my jersey.

Q Coach referred to you, in a nice way, as a beast on the ice. How did you get that reputation?
A I think it came from growing up and always playing hockey with boys. You either go through them or they go through you. So I still have the intensity to beat people to the puck and get it in the net. And if I run into someone, they are the one who is going down.