Bison Host South Dakota State Saturday in Key Summit League Contest

FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State soccer team (8-5-4, 3-2-1 Summit) will play host to second-place South Dakota State (9-2-4, 4-1-1 Summit) on Saturday, Oct. 23 in a crucial Summit League contest. The game will kick off at 12 p.m. at the Ellig Sports Complex. The Bison are currently fifth in the league standings and the top four teams advance to the league tournament Nov. 5-7. 

Series record

The Bison are 5-5-1 all-time against South Dakota State.  The Jackrabbits have won the last four contests, including a back-and-forth 4-3 victory in Brookings last year.

About South Dakota State

The Jacks are unbeaten in their last four games, including wins over Southern Utah and UMKC last weekend.  Danni Healey leads the attack with six goals and three assists.  Goalie Elisa Stamatakis has notched seven shutouts this season.  Head coach Lang Wedemeyer is in his 11th year with the team.

Bison fall to Utah Valley

In the final non-conference game of the season, Utah Valley shut out the Bison, 3-0.  The Wolverines got two early goals in the first half and a late second half strike to secure the win. Utah Valley held a 14-13 edge in shots over NDSU.

Wolfgram named defensive player of the week

Senior Marissa Wolfgram earned her first career player of the week honor after helping the Bison notch two shutouts in league play over the weekend.  The Champlin, Minn. native helped limit UMKC to only three shots and none on goal in a 0-0 double overtime draw Thursday, Oct. 14. She also recorded a shot on goal against the Kangaroos.  Against Southern Utah Saturday, Wolfgram helped limit the Thunderbirds’ leading scorer to only one shot.  She also tallied two shots in the double overtime win.

Bison defeat Southern Utah, tie UMKC

North Dakota State outshot UMKC, 21-3, but couldn’t put one in the back of the net on Thursday, Oct. 14 as the teams played to a 0-0 double overtime draw.  Against Southern Utah, sophomore Holly Christian knocked in a rebound in the second overtime period to give the Bison a key 1-0 victory.

Bertsch makes her mark

Junior goalie Kalani Bertsch set a new NDSU season record for ties with four after the draw with UMKC.  She also sits atop the career ties list with eight.  The Ventura, Calif. native is also second on the all-time saves chart with 225.  She is also tied for third all-time in shutouts with 10. 

NDSU sets new record for overtime games

With two more overtime games in the books against UMKC and Southern Utah, NDSU has played six overtime games this season, setting a new school record.  The Bison played five overtime games in both 2004 and 2007.  NDSU is 2-0-4 in overtime games this year.

Bison strong at home

NDSU has a 6-1 record at the Ellig Sports Complex this season with the only blemish coming in a 1-0 loss to Northern Iowa. The Bison have outscored their opponents 15-6 at home and outshot their opponents 133-45. Over the past two seasons, the Bison have amassed a 12-2 record at home.  The Bison still have three home games remaining on the 2010 schedule, starting with Saturday’s clash against South Dakota State.