Women's Soccer | 10/19/2017 12:18:00 PM

Quick Notes:

• The North Dakota State women's soccer team is scheduled to host the Fort Wayne Mastodons for the final home match of the regular season Sunday, Oct. 22, at noon at Dacotah Field. Prior to the start of the match, NDSU seniors Julia Edelstein, Bailey Lervick and Anna Reinholz will be recognized.
• NDSU enters the weekend in first-place in The Summit League standings at 4-1-0 with 12 points after defeating Western Illinois Friday, Oct. 13, in Macomb, Ill., 2-0.

The Series Against Fort Wayne
        Sunday's regular season home finale against the Mastodons will mark he 14th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 2004. NDSU leads the series, 9-3-1. Last season, the Bison defeated the Mastodons in Fort Wayne, Ind., 5-0. North Dakota State has won the last four meetings with Fort Wayne.

North Dakota State Notes

• The Bison enter Sunday with an overall record of 6-9-0 and a Summit League mark of 4-1-0 after shutting out Western Illinois on the road Oct. 13, 2-0.
• In NDSU's 2-0 victory at WIU, junior Malley O'Brien netted what proved to be the game-winning goal for the Bison in the 60th minute. Freshman Marian Taiwo netted the Bison's second goal of the contest in the 75th minute. Freshman Danielle Algera tallied the assist on O'Brien's goal, while fellow freshman Malana Vachon dished out the assist on Taiwo's goal.
• Through 15 matches, O'Brien leads the Bison with five goals and 11 points, while junior Hanna Norman has three goals and six points. Sophomore Mariah Haberle has two goals, while Algera has a team-best four assists.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Monica Polgar is 6-4-0 with four shutouts in 831 minutes between the posts. She has allowed 14 goals while making a team-best 62 saves for a 1.52 goals-against average (GAA).
• As a team, NDSU is averaging 0.93 goals per game while allowing 2.00 goals per game. The Bison are being outshot by opponents, 17.5 to 10.
• 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 Fort Wayne

• Fort Wayne enters the weekend with an overall record of 1-13-0 and a Summit League record of 0-3-0 after falling at former Summit League member IUPUI Oct. 15, 2-1.
• The Mastodons are slated to play at South Dakota State Thursday before taking on the Bison Sunday.
• Through 14 matches, Fort Wayne is led by sophomore midfielder Kendall Quinn and junior forward Deanna Hecht, who have each scored a team-high four goals. Senior forward Kallianne Mogler has a team-best six assists.
• Fort Wayne goalkeepers Haley Lydon and Emma Gaggioli have split time between the posts this season. Lydon, a junior, is 0-7-0 with 19 goals allowed, 33 saves and a 2.51 GAA, while Gaggioli, a freshman, is 1-6-0 with 18 goals allowed, 48 saves and a 2.73 GAA.
•  As a team, the Mastodons are averaging 1.00 goals per game while surrendering 2.64 goals per game. Fort Wayne is being outshot, 16.3 to 12.
• Fort Wayne was picked to finish eighth in The Summit League preseason poll.
• The Mastodons are under the direction of fourth season head coach Jason Burr.

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-Two Consecutive Starts and Counting
        Junior Hanna Norman has started in 42 consecutive matches dating back to her freshman season. She has started all 15 matches this season, while starting all 18 matches in 2016, and nine straight matches in 2015. Entering Friday, Norman has played in 52 career matches, including 49 starts. 

NDSU in The Summit League Statistics

• Monica Polgar ranks second in saves with 62, tied for second in goals against with 14, and third in save percentage at .816. She is fifth in GAA at 1.52.
• Malley O'Brien is tied for fourth in goals with five and points with 11.
• Danielle Algera is tied for second in assists with four.

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
         North Dakota State will close out the regular season with a match at South Dakota State Sunday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m. in Brookings, S.D.