Nine games at historic Dacotah Field highlight the North Dakota State women's soccer schedule for the upcoming 2013 season.
For the first time, the Bison will play all home games on the artificial Sprinturf surface at Dacotah Field, the longtime home of NDSU football. Bison soccer will host the first NDSU intercollegiate athletic contests at Dacotah Field since a football playoff victory over NE Missouri State on November 21, 1992.
“The move to Dacotah Field is a tremendous addition to the NDSU soccer program,” said second-year Bison head coach
Mark Cook. “This is a win-win for everyone involved. The move to that facility and having the fans closer to the field will really enhance the experience for both the players and the spectators.”
The Bison women will take on Bemidji State in a home exhibition game on Aug. 20 before opening the home slate with a match versus Idaho on Sept. 6.
NDSU opens the 2013 regular season on the road for the first two weekends, playing a pair of games against Belmont and Minnesota in Minneapolis on Aug. 23-25 and then 2012 NCAA qualifier Hofstra and St. John's in New York on Aug. 30-Sept. 1.
“The 2013 schedule is an outstanding test for a very young team,” noted Cook. “The team will face an immediate challenge the opening weekend in Minneapolis as we face a strong Belmont side and a Big Ten opponent in the Gophers. Of course, the schedule does not get any easier the following weekend as we head to New York to face a perennial power in Hofstra and St John's out of the newly formed Big East.”
“These first four games will really give us a good idea of how we stack up with some of the top programs in the country,” said Cook.
NDSU will host the Doublewood Inn Classic at Dacotah Field on Sept. 20 and 22, welcoming Eastern Washington, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and first-year program Colorado State to Fargo for four games.
The Bison will also play two home games on Homecoming weekend, taking on Omaha and South Dakota on Oct. 11 and Oct. 13, respectively.
The Summit League portion of the schedule has been trimmed from eight matches to seven with the addition of Denver University and the losses of Kansas City and Oakland. Denver advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2012.
NDSU finished the 2012 season with a record of 8-10 and tied for third place in The Summit League to earn its fourth straight bid to the conference tournament.
2013 NDSU Soccer Schedule
Date Time Opponent Location
Sat., Aug. 17 1 p.m. Creighton (Exh.) Rosemount, Minn.
Tue., Aug. 20 7 p.m. Bemidji State (Exh.) Fargo, N.D.
Fri., Aug. 23 4:30 p.m. Belmont Minneapolis, Minn.
Sun., Aug. 25 1:30 p.m. Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.
Fri., Aug. 30 5 p.m. Hofstra Long Island, N.Y.
Sun., Sept. 1 7 p.m. St John's (N.Y.) Queens, N.Y.
Fri., Sept. 6 5 p.m. Idaho Fargo, N.D.
Sun., Sept. 8 1 p.m. Minnesota-Duluth Fargo, N.D.
Wed., Sept. 11 4:30 p.m. North Dakota Grand Forks, N.D.
Fri., Sept. 13 7 p.m. Boise State Fargo, N.D.
Doublewood Inn Classic
Fri., Sept. 20 4 p.m. Eastern Washington vs. SIU-E Fargo, N.D.
Fri., Sept. 20 7 p.m. NDSU vs. Colorado State Fargo, N.D.
Sun., Sept. 22 11 a.m. SIU-E vs. Colorado State Fargo, N.D.
Sun., Sept. 22 2 p.m. Eastern Washington vs. NDSU Fargo, N.D.
Sat., Sept. 28 12 p.m. Alumni Game (Exh.) Fargo, N.D.
Fri., Oct. 4 7 p.m. *IUPUI Indianapolis, Ind.
Sun., Oct. 6 12 p.m. *Western Illinois Macomb, Ill.
Fri., Oct. 11 5 p.m. *Omaha (Homecoming) Fargo, N.D.
Sun., Oct. 13 12 p.m. *South Dakota (Homecoming) Fargo, N.D.
Sat., Oct. 19 6 p.m. *South Dakota State Brookings, S.D.
Sun., Oct. 27 12 p.m. *Denver Denver, Colo.
Fri., Nov. 1 5 p.m. *Fort Wayne Fargo, N.D.
Fri., Nov. 8 TBA The Summit League Championship
Sun., Nov. 10 TBA The Summit League Championship
Fri., Nov. 15 TBA NCAA Tournament
All home games played at Dacotah Field on the NDSU campus.
* Summit League game
