NDSU Soccer Holds Sole Possession of Fourth Place in Conference With Win Over UND
Bison Beat Fighting Hawks 1-0
FARGO, N.D. – (NDSU Athletics) The North Dakota State soccer team picked up a big 1-0 victory over North Dakota Thursday night at Dacotah Field. NDSU moved to 9-2-1 against North Dakota in the NCAA Division I era.
NDSU moved to 8-6-3 overall and 3-2-2 in the Summit League with the win, while North Dakota dropped to 10-7-1 overall and 4-4 in league play. The Bison will wrap up the regular season on Sunday, as they face Summit League champion Denver. The Pioneers defeated South Dakota State 2-1 on Thursday night, locking up at least a share of the title and the top seed in the conference tournament. NDSU currently holds sole possession of the fourth and final spot in the tournament with 11 points, with Oral Roberts in fifth with nine points after earning a double overtime tie with South Dakota on Thursday. The Golden Eagles travel to Purdue Fort Wayne (4-9-4, 0-5-2 Summit) on Sunday in the regular season finale.
The lone goal of the match came from NDSU’s leading scorer in Elyse Huber. A corner kick by Ellie Schneider came into the box, with Huber giving the boot to the right side of the net in the 66th minute. After a deflection from a North Dakota player, the ball found the back of the net. It was the 11th goal of the season for Huber and the first career assist for Schneider. It was the 10th match decided by one goal for NDSU this year, as the Bison are 5-5 in those matches.
“The whole game for us was a terrific 90 minute performance,” head coach Mike Regan said. “We needed three points tonight and we got them. Anytime you play a rival, you obviously want to beat them. But three points on the line this late in the season, it’s very, very important for progressing.”
Huber finished with nine shots, while Schneider and Paige Goaley each added three. Huber had four shots on goal, with Goaley, Laura Powell and Schneider each having a pair. Monica Polgar picked up her eighth win in the net, as she recorded eight saves in the victory.
Polgar moved into a tie for fourth in NDSU history with her 102nd save of the season, while moving into a tie for sixth in single-season shutouts with six. Huber continued to sprinkle her name across the NDSU record books, moving into the top six in four categories on the night. She now ranks fourth in shots on goal (40) and shots (78), while she’s tied for third with five game-winning goals. Huber is also tied for sixth in school history with 11 goals this season.
The match was the final one at Dacotah Field for five NDSU seniors. The Bison were 19-11-3 in the last four years with Polgar, Powell, Huber, Nicky De Pape and Mariah Haberle leading the way.
“Very pleased for our seniors to play their last game here at Dacotah, but also get a big win against a rival,” Regan added.
