North Dakota State Hosts Western Illinois, IUPUI this Weekend

The North Dakota State women's soccer team will host a pair of Summit League matches at the Ellig Sports Complex this weekend. The Bison (4-8 overall, 1-2 Summit) will take on league-leading Western Illinois at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 and meet IUPUI at noon on Sunday, Oct. 14. This weekend is the start of a season-long four-game homestand for North Dakota State.

About the Western Illinois Leathernecks

Western Illinois (11-2, 3-0 Summit) is off to one of the best starts in school history, having outscored the opposition 35-6 through 13 matches this year. The Leathernecks own Summit League wins over Kansas City (4-1), South Dakota (2-0) and IUPUI (1-0). WIU's two losses were to Northern Iowa and Missouri State -- both Missouri Valley Conference schools who have also defeated the Bison this season.

            Senior Katie Condon and sophomore Sarah Hall lead the Leathernecks with five goals apiece. Senior Kellie Julius leads the team with five assists this year. Two goalkeepers have split time for WIU, with junior Laura Atkinson recording a miniscule 0.29 goals against average and a .944 save percentage in 620 minutes. Atkinson and sophomore Victoria Kappel have combined to record seven shutouts.

The Series vs. Western Illinois

The Bison hold a slight edge in the all-time series with Western Illinois at 4-3-1. After going 0-3-1 in their first four matches against Western Illinois, the Bison have won four straight meetings by a combined score of 10-2.

Last Meeting with Western Illinois

NDSU defeated Western Illinois 4-0 in Macomb, Ill., on Oct. 9 of last year. Senior Danielle Boldenow scored two goals and Michelle Gaffaney and Aubrey Bot each scored once to give the Bison their first 4-0 start in Summit League play. North Dakota State tallied a season-high 37 shots and 15 shots on goal in the contest.

About the IUPUI Jaguars

IUPUI (2-11-1, 0-2-1 Summit) has been outscored 29-9 on the season. The Jaguars own road wins over Ball State and DePauw University, and they opened Summit League play with a scoreless draw against South Dakota on Sept. 28.

            Junior Ashley Doreski leads IUPUI with three goals and freshman Kalli Shepler-Tucker tops the charts with three assists. Junior goalkeeper Giselle Guzman owns a goals against average of 1.91.

The Series vs. IUPUI

The Bison are knotted at 4-4-0 in the all-time series with IUPUI, but have won the last two meetings against the Jaguars.

Last Meeting with IUPUI

Senior Morgan DeMike and junior Brooklyn Dyce scored goals and Abbey Moenkedick tallied two assists to lead North Dakota State to a 2-0 victory at IUPUI on Oct. 7, 2011. Kalani Bertsch made five saves in the shutout.

Catching Up with the Bison

NDSU (4-8, 1-2 Summit) is coming off a road trip to Oakland and IPFW where the Bison dropped both matches by one goal. Sophomore Anisha Kinnarath leads the team in assists (4), shots (31) and shots on goal (17) and is tied for the team lead with three goals. The Bison are attempting to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season.

In the League

Over the past three seasons, North Dakota State has finished no worse than a tie for second place in the Summit League standings. The Bison were co-champions in 2009, tied for second place in 2010, and claimed second place outright in 2011. Since 2009, NDSU is 21-7-2 in league play.

Balanced Attack

Three Bison have each scored three goals to be tied for the team lead this season. Senior Jordyn Wallenborn, sophomore Anisha Kinnarath and freshman Lizzie Lukas have each tallied three goals for NDSU.

Late Strikes

North Dakota State has scored 12 of its 16 goals this season in the second half or overtime.

Free Soccer

Of the 12 matches North Dakota State has played this season, five have gone into at least one overtime period. The Bison are 2-3 in games that go into extra time, with both wins coming at home and all three losses coming on the road.

Share the Wealth

Eight different players have notched goals for the Bison this season, with five having scored two or more. Sophomore Anisha Kinnarath, senior Jordyn Wallenborn and freshman Lizzie Lukas lead the team with three goals each, and Steph Jacobson and Holly Christian have each scored two.

Valuing Efficiency

Despite a 217-103 deficit in total shot attempts for the season, North Dakota State only trails 21-16 in goals scored through 12 matches. The Bison (15.5%) have a substantial edge over their opponents' shot percentage (9.7%).

Leading the Charge

Sophomore Anisha Kinnarath has recorded 17 shots on goal this season - more than one-third of NDSU's team total of 50.

Save Machine

In 11 matches this season, NDSU redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sierra Bonham has totaled 75 saves. She has single-game totals of six, seven (three times), eight, nine, 10 and 11 saves, and her average of 6.82 saves per game is on pace to set the Bison single-season record. The current record of 5.88 saves per game was set by Karli Kopietz in 2005.