Women's Soccer | 9/14/2016 12:58:00 PM

North Dakota State at UNC Asheville
Friday, Sept. 16 | 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)
Greenwood Soccer Field | Asheville, N.C.
Live Stats

North Dakota State at UNCW
Sunday, Sept. 18 | 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT)
UNCW Soccer Stadium | Wilmington, N.C.
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 travel to North Carolina for a pair of non-league matches at UNC Asheville and UNCW this weekend. The Bison are slated to take on the UNC Asheville Bulldogs Sept. 16 before traveling to Wilmington to face the UNCW Seahawks Sept. 18. 
• NDSU went 0-1 last weekend, dropping a home match to Utah Sunday, Sept. 11, 3-1. 
• North Dakota State senior forward Lizzie Lukas scored her first goal of the season in the Bison's loss to Utah Sunday. 
• 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 UNC Asheville
    Friday's match at UNC Asheville will mark the first-ever meeting in the all-time series. 

The Series Against UNCW
    Sunday's contest in Wilmington will be the inaugural meeting in the all-time series. 

Scouting UNC Asheville 

• The UNC Asheville Bulldogs enter the weekend at 4-4-0 overall after defeating South Carolina State Sept. 10 at home, 4-1. 
• Through eight matches, the Bulldogs are paced offensively by freshman forward Rachel Snyder with a team-high three goals, while junior forward Caroline Houser has two goals to go along with a team-best four assists.
• Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Keller Dixon is 3-2-0 with one shutout and has started in five of eight matches for the Bulldogs. She has surrendered eight goals while making 31 saves for a 1.60 GAA in 450 minutes between the pipes. 
• As a team, UNC Asheville is averaging 1.50 goals per game while giving up 1.62 goals per game. The Bulldogs are outshooting opponents 14.4 to 13.8 through eight contests. 
• UNC Asheville was picked to finish tied for fifth with Radford University in the Big South Conference preseason coaches' poll. 
• The Bulldogs are under the direction of seventh season head coach Michelle Demko. 

Scouting UNCW

• The UNCW Seahawks enter the weekend at 5-1-1 overall after defeating previously unbeaten Furman Sept. 11 in Greenville, S.C., 4-2. 
• UNCW is scheduled to host George Mason Friday before entertaining the Bison Sunday. 
• The Seahawks received 11 votes in the latest NSCAA Women's Soccer Division I Poll released Tuesday, Sept. 13. 
• Through seven matches, the Seahawks are led offensively by freshman forward Nikki Cox and junior midfielder/forward Serenity Waters. Cox has a team and CAA-high six goals and 13 points, while Waters has netted four goals and dished out a team and CAA-best five assists for 13 points.
• Seahawk senior goalkeeper Carolyn Huddy has a 4-1-1 record with two shutouts and has started and played in six of eight matches for UNCW. She has surrendered only five goals in 515 minutes while making 15 saves for a 0.87 GAA. 
• As a team, UNCW is averaging a CAA-high 3.14 goals per game while holding its opponents to just one goal per game. The Seahawks are outshooting adversaries 18.6 to 6.9. 
• UNCW is under the leadership of 20th season head coach Paul Cairney. 

Catching Up with The Herd

• Entering Friday's match at UNC Asheville, NDSU is 3-4-0 overall after losing at home to Utah Sept. 11, 3-1. 
• Through seven matches, the Bison are led offensively by sophomore forward Holly Enderle with a team-high three goals, while senior midfielder Amy Yang has two goals and a team-best three assists. Senior midfielder Lauren Miller and freshman forward Mariah Haberle also each have a team-high three assists. 
• NDSU freshman goalkeeper Monica Polgar is 3-4-0 with two shutouts and has started all seven games in-goal for the Bison. She has surrendered 11 goals while making 30 saves in 630 minutes for a 1.57 GAA. 
• As a team, the Bison are averaging 1.14 goals per game while allowing 1.57 goals per game. 
• NDSU is outscoring its opponents in the first-half of matches, 7-5, but is being outscored in the second-half, 6-1.
• For the first time in program history, North Dakota State was picked as the preseason favorite in The Summit League preseason coaches' poll.
• The Bison welcome eight newcomers in freshmen Monica Polgar (GK), Mariah Haberle (F), Anna Triller (MF), Laura Powell (D), Emily Boyer (MF), Julia Densmore (D) and Leah Emerson (F), and transfer Malley O'Brien (MF).
• 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. 

Summit League Player of the Week Honors

• Sept. 5: Holly Enderle, So., F, Offensive Player of the Week
• Aug. 29: Monica Polgar, Fr., GK, Defensive Player of the Week

Looking Back at 2015

• The Bison tallied a 13-6-1 overall record and went unbeaten in Summit League play at 7-0-1 for the first time in program history, claiming the league's regular season championship for the first time since 2009.
• The 13 wins marked the most victories since the 2011 season.
• NDSU went a perfect 4-0-0 at home in Summit League competition.
• The Bison has a program record nine student-athletes earn All-Summit League honors, including Offensive Player of the Year Lauren Miller, Goalkeeper of the Year Sierra Bonham and Freshman of the Year Britney Monteon. In addition, head coach Mark Cook was voted The Summit League Coach of the Year.
• Miller and Amy Yang were named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Third Team.
• Miller, Yang and Meghan Johnston were voted to The Summit League Academic All-League Team.
• Miller set a new NDSU single-season record for goals (18) and points (41).
• Bonham tied the NDSU single-season record with 111 saves.

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
    North Dakota State returns home to host Jamestown on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. at Dacotah Field before opening Summit League play on Friday, Sept. 29, at Omaha.