Women's Soccer | 10/11/2017 2:58:00 PM

Quick Notes:

• The North Dakota State women's soccer team is scheduled to travel to Macomb, Ill., for a Summit League match against the Western Illinois University Leathernecks Friday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. at John Mackenzie Alumni Field.
• NDSU enters the weekend in first-place in The Summit League standings at 3-1-0 after winning two home matches against Oral Roberts and Omaha Oct. 6 and 8.
• Junior midfielder Malley O'Brien was named The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week for her performance on the pitch Oct. 2-8.

The Series Against Western Illinois
        Friday's showdown at WIU will mark the 14th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 2004. NDSU leads the series, 7-5-1. Last season, the Bison claimed a 3-0 win over the Leathernecks in Fargo. The last time North Dakota State played in Macomb was during the 2015 season, with NDSU earning at 1-0 victory in overtime.

North Dakota State Notes

• The Bison enter Friday with an overall record of 5-9-0 and a Summit League mark of 3-1-0 after claiming home wins over Oral Roberts and Omaha Friday, Oct. 6, and Sunday, Oct. 8.
• NDSU defeated Oral Roberts, 2-1, in double overtime Friday after Malley O'Brien scored the game-winning goal in the 104th minute of extra time, before beating Omaha, 3-2, Sunday after Hanna Norman scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.
• Through 14 matches, O'Brien leads the Bison with four goals and nine points, while Norman has three goals and six points. Sophomore Mariah Haberle has two goals, while freshman Danielle Algera has a team-best three assists.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Monica Polgar is 5-4-0 with three shutouts in 741 minutes between the posts. She has allowed 14 goals while making a team-best 55 saves for a 1.70 goals-against average (GAA).
• As a team, NDSU is averaging 0.86 goals per game while allowing 2.14 goals per game. The Bison are being outshot by opponents, 17.2 to 10.1.
• North Dakota State was picked to finish tied for second in The Summit League preseason poll.
• NDSU welcomes nine newcomers this season in freshmen Marian Taiwo (F), Danielle Algera (MF), Daniella Jasper (F/MF), Malana Vachon (MF), Brookelyn Dew (F/MF), Grace Sundberg (D), Ellen Schneider (D/MF) and Maddie Burnstein (D), and transfer Nicola De Pape (D).

Scouting Western Illinois

• Western Illinois enters Friday with an overall record of 2-10-0 and a 1-1-0 Summit League record after earning a 1-0 win at home against Fort Wayne Oct. 8.
• Through 12 contests, sophomore forward Emily Bollman and sophomore midfielder Bianca Romay have each scored three goals, leading the Leathernecks offensively. Freshman forward Lauryn Peters, junior forward Madeline Edwards and freshman midfielder Natalie Nagle each have a team-best two assists.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Ines Palmiero Herrera is 1-6-0 with one shutout in 655 minutes in goal for WIU. She has allowed 14 goals while making a team-high 35 saves for a 1.92 GAA. She is the reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Week.
• As a team, the Leathernecks are averaging 1.00 goals per game while surrendering 1.83 goals per game. WIU is being outshot by opponents, 17.2 to 12.4.
• Western Illinois was picked to finish seventh in The Summit League preseason poll.
• WIU is under the direction of second season head coach Dr. Erin Johnson.

Summit League Player of the Week Honors

• Malley O'Brien, Offensive Player of the Week, Oct. 9
• Monica Polgar, Defensive Player of the Week, Sept. 18

Border States Electric Student-Athlete of the Week Honors

• Malley O'Brien, Oct. 10
• Monica Polgar, Sept. 26
• Hanna Norman, Sept. 19

Forty-One Consecutive Starts and Counting
        Junior Hanna Norman has started in 41 consecutive matches dating back to her freshman season. She has started all 14 matches this season, while starting all 18 matches in 2016, and nine straight matches in 2015. Entering Friday, Norman has played in 51 career matches, including 48 starts.  

New Playing Surface at Dacotah Field
        North Dakota State will be playing on a brand new FieldTurf artificial turf surface at Dacotah Field beginning this season. The turf was installed in the summer of 2017.

Looking Back at 2016

• The Bison compiled a 10-8-1 overall record and won their second straight Summit League regular season title with a 5-2-1 league mark.
• Seven Bison were named All-Summit League. Sophomore Holly Enderle and senior Amy Yang were selected first team all-league, while seniors Natalie Fenske, Genna Joyce and Lizzie Lukas, and freshman Monica Polgar garnered second team all-league honors. Freshman Mariah Haberle was named to the all-freshmen team.
• Holly Enderle, Natalie Fenske and Amy Yang were voted to The Summit League Academic All-League Team.
• Natalie Fenske was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 First Team for her performance in the classroom and on the pitch. Fenske was also named a Senior CLASS Award candidate.
• Holly Enderle led the Bison and ranked second in The Summit League with 10 goals and 22 points.
• Amy Yang and Mariah Haberle each dished out a team-best six assists.
• Monica Polgar led the league with six shutouts in goal and tallied a 9-8-0 record with a 1.27 goals-against average (GAA) and 57 saves.

Head Coach Mark Cook
        Mark Cook is in his sixth 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 helped the Bison claim their second straight Summit League regular season championship in 2016, as North Dakota State compiled an overall record of 10-8-1 and a league mark of 5-2-1. NDSU qualified for its eighth consecutive Summit League tournament and hosted the league tournament at Dacotah Field for the first time in program history. Seven student-athletes received All-Summit League honors. Holly Enderle and Amy Yang earned first team all-league accolades, while Natalie Fenske, Genna Joyce, Lizzie Lukas and Monica Polgar were named second team all-league. Mariah Haberle rounded out the Bison honorees and was named to the all-freshmen team, respectively.
        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 return home to Dacotah Field to host the Fort Wayne Mastodons for their final home match of the regular season Sunday, Oct. 22, at noon. NDSU will close out the regular season with a match at South Dakota State Oct. 29.