The week ahead:
NDSU Soccer Opens Summit League Play On the Road
After a week off, the North Dakota State women's soccer team will travel southeast to open Summit League play Friday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 6. The Bison will face IUPUI in the league opener Friday in Indianapolis beginning at 6 p.m. CT before battling Western Illinois Sunday in Macomb starting at noon.
The Series against IUPUI
Friday's match against IUPUI will be the 10th meeting overall. The Bison lead the all-time series with the Jaguars, 5-4-0. Last season NDSU defeated IUPUI in Fargo, 1-0.
The Series against Western Illinois
Sunday's tilt with Western Illinois will be the 10th meeting all-time. NDSU leads the series with the Leathernecks 5-3-1. Last season the Bison defeated Western Illinois in Fargo, 2-1.
Against Summit League Opponents
The Bison have an all-time record of 30-19-5 against Summit League opponents.
About the IUPUI Jaguars
The IUPUI Jaguars enter the week at 4-3-3 overall. They are 4-1-3 at home and 0-2-0 on the road.
IUPUI is paced offensively by Tori Minnich and Taylor Heidorn with two goals each. Kalli Shepler-Tucker has a team-high three assists for the Jaguars and was named The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 30.
Giselle Guzman is IUPUI's primary goalkeeper. She has a record of 1-3-2 with 45 saves in 675:07 minutes between the pipes. Guzman has allowed six goals in 10 matches for a goals-against average (GAA) of 0.80.
As a team, IUPUI averages 0.90 goals-per-match while holding its opponents to 0.80 per-match. The Jaguars 10 assists are third-highest in The Summit League while their GAA of 0.75 ties them with South Dakota State for second-best in the league.
About the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois comes into the week with an overall record of 4-5-1. The Leathernecks are 1-1-0 at home, 2-4-1 on the road and 1-0-0 at neutral sites.
Offensively, Western Illinois is led by Tyra Markey and Kristin Becker with two goals apiece. Five difference student-athletes for the Leathernecks have an assist through 10 matches.
Laura Atkinson is the Leatherneck's main goalkeeper. She has a record of 3-5-0 with 40 saves in 686:28 minutes in goal. Atkinson has allowed 14 goals for a goals-against average of 1.84.
As a team, WIU averages one goal-per-match while giving up 1.50 per-match to its opponents.
Catching Up with the Bison
NDSU begins the week at 4-6-0 overall. North Dakota State is 3-2-0 in the friendly confines of Dacotah Field, 0-4-0 on the road and 1-0-0 at neutral locations. The Bison have been idle since their 3-0 loss to Eastern Washington Sept. 22 in Fargo.
A Look at the Numbers
In goal,
Sierra Bonham has made nine starts in nine matches. She has 52 saves in 743:43 minutes between the pipes and has allowed 19 goals for a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.30. Bonham has a record of 3-5-0 with two shutouts. Fellow NDSU goalkeeper
Katie McCormick has seen action in three matches, making one start. She has nine saves in 168:30 minutes in goal and has given up four goals for a GAA of 2.14. McCormick's overall record is 1-1-0.
Double Scoring Threat
NDSU in The Summit League Statistics
The Bison are fourth in both goals (13) and assists (9) in The Summit League entering the opening weekend of league play. NDSU is sixth in shots, attempting 93.
Individually, Miller and Kinnarath are tied for fourth in the league in goals scored with four. Miller is second in the league in total assists (4) and third in total points (12) while Bonham is second overall in total saves (52).
NDSU tabbed Fourth in Preseason Summit League Poll
North Dakota State was picked to finish fourth for the second year in a row in The Summit League preseason coaches poll. League newcomer Denver was the preseason pick to win the league. Fort Wayne was tabbed second while Western Illinois was third and the Bison fourth. South Dakota State finished just two points behind NDSU to come in fifth while Nebraska-Omaha was sixth. IUPUI and South Dakota rounded out the poll tied for seventh.
NDSU in Summit League Openers
The Bison are 3-2-1 all-time in Summit League opening matches. Last season NDSU defeated South Dakota State in the league opener 2-1 in double overtime in Fargo.
Mark Cook is in his second season as the head coach of the North Dakota State University Bison women's soccer team and has a career record of 12-16-0. Cook led the Bison to an 8-10-0 overall record and a third place finish in The Summit League with a record of 5-3-0 in his inaugural season as the bench boss last year. He also led the Bison to their fourth straight bid to the conference postseason tournament with the third place finish in 2012.
Cook came to NDSU after serving as the Director of Coaching at the Minnesota Thunder Academy for 11 years, where he transformed a program with just four teams to one of the premier soccer club programs in the Twin Cities with 65 teams as of 2012. Under his leadership, Minnesota Thunder Academy placed almost 85 percent of all club graduates in collegiate soccer programs.
He graduated from Alfred (N.Y.) University in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in communications.
The Opposing Coaches
Chris Johnson - IUPUI
Chris Johnson is in his ninth season as head coach of the Jaguar women's soccer program. He is the program's all-time wins leader and has a record of 68-99-18 at IUPUI. His career coaching record is 149-178-20 in 19 seasons as a head coach.
Johnson graduated from St. Joseph's (Ind.) College in 1991 with a degree in accounting.
Ted Flogaites - Western Illinois University
Ted Flogaites is in his second season as head coach of the Leathernecks. In his first season at WIU in 2012, Flogaites guided the Leathernecks to a 13-6-0 record. His career record in 12 seasons as a head coach is 136-91-13.
Flogaites graduated from UC-Santa Barbara in 1999 with a degree in philosophy.
