North Dakota State at South Dakota
Friday, Oct. 7 | 3 p.m.
First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex | Vermillion, S.D.
Live Stats | Live Video

North Dakota State vs. Western Illinois
Sunday, Oct. 9 | 1 p.m.
Dacotah Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats | Live Video

NDSU Notes (PDF)

NDSU soccer on Twitter: @NDSUsoccer

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Quick Notes:

• The North Dakota State University women's soccer team is scheduled to continue Summit League play with two matches this week. The Bison are slated to travel to Vermillion, S.D., Friday, Oct. 7, for a 3 p.m. match at South Dakota before hosting Western Illinois Sunday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. at Dacotah Field. 
• NDSU started league play with a pair of road victories last week, winning at Omaha Sept. 29, 2-0, and at Oral Roberts Oct. 2, 1-0. 
• Senior midfielder Amy Yang and freshman goalkeeper Monica Polgar were named The Summit League Players of the Week for their performances on the pitch last weekend. 
• For the first time in program history, North Dakota State was picked as the preseason favorite in The Summit League preseason coaches' poll.
• North Dakota State returns seven starters from last season's Summit League regular season championship team, including six All-Summit League honorees. 
• The Bison welcome back reigning Summit League Offensive Player of the Year Lauren Miller and Freshman of the Year Britney Monteon. 

The Series Against South Dakota
    Friday's match at South Dakota will mark the 13th meeting in the all-time series. NDSU leads the series, 10-1-1, after defeating the Coyotes last season at home in double overtime, 1-0, and in The Summit League tournament opening round in double overtime, 4-3.

The Series Against Western Illinois
    Sunday's contest against Western Illinois will be the 13th meeting in the all-time series. The Bison lead the series, 6-5-1, after claiming a 1-0 win in overtime last season in Macomb, Ill. 

Scouting South Dakota

• The University of South Dakota Coyotes enter the weekend at 1-11-1 and 0-2-0 in Summit League play after falling at IUPUI and Western Illinois Sept. 30 and Oct. 2. USD has lost its last 10 matches. 
• South Dakota was picked to finish fifth in The Summit League preseason coaches' poll. 
• Through 13 matches, the Coyotes are led offensively by senior forward Corey Strang with two goals and one assist for five points. 
• Sophomore goalkeeper Parker Rytz has played and started in 12 of 13 matches for the Coyotes. She has given up 13 goals while making 54 saves for a 1.53 goals-against average (GAA). Rytz is 1-7-0 overall in-goal this season. 
• As a team, USD is only averaging 0.38 goals per game while surrendering 1.85 goals per game. The Coyotes have only scored five goals in 126 shot attempts this season while allowing 24 goals in 201 shot attempts. South Dakota is being outshot, on average, 15.5 to 9.7. 
• The Coyotes are under the direction of seventh season head coach Mandy Green. 

Scouting Western Illinois

• The Western Illinois University Leathernecks enter the weekend at 3-7-1 overall and 1-1-0 in Summit League action after falling at Denver Sept. 30 and winning at home against South Dakota Oct. 2
• WIU was picked to finish ninth in The Summit League preseason coaches' poll. 
• Through 11 contests, the Leathernecks are paced offensively by freshman forward Emily Bollman and freshman midfielder Bianca Romay, who have each scored two goals for four points. 
• Western Illinois has primarily used two goalkeepers so far this season. Freshman Ines Palmiero Herrera has played and started in five matches for WIU and tallied a 1.73 GAA with seven goals allowed and 22 saves. She is 1-2-1 between the posts in 363:19 minutes with one shutout. Junior Jennifer Currie has played in five matches and made four starts. She has a 1.11 GAA with five goals allowed and 14 saves for a 1.11 GAA. Currie is 2-2-0 with one shutout in 404:55 minutes in-goal.  
• As a team, WIU is averaging 0.60 goals per game while allowing 1.60 goals per game. The Leathernecks have scored six goals in 99 shot attempts while giving up 16 goals in 123 shot attempts. Western Illinois is being outshot, on average, 12.3 to 9.9. 
• The Leathernecks are under the leadership of first season head coach Dr. Eric Johnson. 

Catching Up with The Herd

• North Dakota State enters Friday's match at South Dakota with an overall record of 7-5-0 and a 2-0-0 Summit League mark. 
• The Bison opened Summit League play with a pair of shutout road wins at Omaha and Oral Roberts Sept. 29 and Oct. 2. 
• Through 12 matches, the Bison are led offensively by Holly Enderle with a team and Summit League-high seven goals to go along with one assist, while Amy Yang has a team and Summit League-best four game-winning goals and five assists. Mariah Haberle has a team-high six assists and two goals, and Lauren Miller has one goal and five assists. Lizzie Lukas (three goals), Malley O'Brien (two goals), Autumn Muckenhirn (one goal), Natalie Fenske (one goal), Hannah Butzlaff (one goal) and Anna Reinholz (one goal) have also scored goals for NDSU. 
• NDSU freshman goalkeeper Monica Polgar is 7-5-0 with a Summit League-high five shutouts and has started every match in-goal for the Bison. She has surrendered 14 goals while making 47 saves in 1080 minutes for a 1.17 GAA. 
• As a team, the Bison are averaging 1.92 goals per game while allowing 1.17 goals per game. NDSU is being outshot, on average, 13.7 to 11.7.  
• NDSU is outscoring its opponents in the first-half, 13-6, and in the second-half, 10-8. 
• North Dakota State returns 92 percent of its scoring from last season. 
• The Bison return every player who netted a game-winning goal in 2015. 

NDSU in the NCAA National Statistics

• Amy Yang ranks eighth in the latest NCAA Division I women's soccer national statistics with four game-winning goals. Holly Enderle is currently 35th in game-winners with three. 
• Mariah Haberle ranks 19th in assists with six, while Yang and Lauren Miller both rank 56th with five assists each. 
• Haberle is 33rd in assists per game at 0.5. 
• Enderle ranks 53rd in goals with seven. 
• Monica Polgar is 28th in shutouts with five. 
• As a team, NDSU ranks 58th in assists (20), 59th in goals (23) and points (66), 63rd in scoring offense (1.92 goals per game) and assists per game (1.67), and 64th in points per game (5.5). 

Summit League Player of the Week Honors

• Oct. 2: Amy Yang, Sr., MF, Offensive Player of the Week; Monica Polgar, Fr., GK, Defensive Player of the Week
• Sept. 19: Holly Enderle, So., F, Offensive Player of the Week
• Sept. 5: Holly Enderle, So., F, Offensive Player of the Week
• Aug. 29: Monica Polgar, Fr., GK, Defensive Player of the Week

Hat-Trick Holly
    Holly Enderle became the first Bison to tally two hat tricks in one season since Lauren Miller accomplished the feat last season. Enderle compiled hat tricks at UND Sept. 2 and at UNC Asheville Sept. 16. Miller tallied hat tricks against St. Cloud State and at Denver last season. 

Head Coach Mark Cook
    Mark Cook is in his fifth season at the helm of the North Dakota State soccer program after being named head coach in 2012.  He is the fourth head coach in the 20-year history of the program.
    Cook led NDSU to its first Summit League regular season title since 2009 with a 7-0-1 Summit League record in 2015. It was the first time in program history the Bison finished league play unbeaten. NDSU qualified for its seventh consecutive Summit League tournament and advanced to the tournament championship match for the second time in three seasons before falling to South Dakota State to finish the season at 13-6-1 overall. A program record nine student-athletes earned All-Summit League honors, including Goalkeeper of the Year Sierra Bonham, Offensive Player of the Year Lauren Miller and Freshman of the Year Britney Monteon. In addition, Cook was voted The Summit League Coach of the Year. Miller, along with Amy Yang, were named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Third Team to become the first Bison to be named NSCAA All-Region since 2003 and the first for North Dakota State in the Division I era. 
     Cook came to NDSU after serving as the Director of Coaching at the Minnesota Thunder Academy for 11 years, where he grew a four-team program into one of the premier club programs in the Twin Cities with 65 teams in 2012.
     Cook holds the United States Soccer Federation 'A' coaching license, the highest certification available in the U.S.  He also has the NSCAA Premier License and Director of Coaching Diploma.
     He graduated from Alfred (N.Y.) University in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in communications. He was the starting goalkeeper at Alfred for two years.

On the Horizon
    The Bison host Denver Friday, Oct.14, at 7 p.m. and South Dakota State Sunday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m.