Quick Notes:

• The fourth-seeded North Dakota State University women's soccer team is scheduled to take on the second-seeded University of Denver Pioneers in The Summit League Women's Soccer Championship Match Saturday, Nov. 4, at noon at Dacotah Field. It will be NDSU's first appearance in the title match since 2015.
• The winner of the league title match will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
• The Bison shut out top-seeded South Dakota State in the semifinals Thursday, Nov. 2, 2-0, to earn a spot in the title match. It was NDSU's first win over SDSU in tournament play since 2013.
• NDSU is making its ninth straight appearance in The Summit League tournament and are hosting the event for the second consecutive season.
• The Bison have won three Summit League regular season titles (2009, 2015 and 2016) and one tournament title (2010).
• North Dakota State compiled an overall record of 7-10-0 and a league record of 5-2-0 during the regular season. NDSU went 6-1-0 at home but was only 1-9-0 on the road.

Tickets

• Ticket prices for The Summit League Women's Soccer Championship at Dacotah Field are as follows:
• Adults - $8
• Children (17 and under): $5
• Students with valid ID: $5
• Children under two years of age are admitted free of charge

Series History
        Saturday's match against Denver in The Summit League tournament title match will mark the sixth meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 2013. The Pioneers lead the series, 4-1-1. Denver defeated the Bison earlier this season in Denver, Colo., 3-0. In Summit League tournament play, NDSU is 0-1-0 against the Pioneers. The Bison fell to Denver in the 2013 championship match in Fort Wayne, Ind., 5-1.

NDSU in The Summit League Tournament
        North Dakota State is 5-7-1 in Summit League tournament action dating back to its first appearance in 2009. The Bison have a 1-3-0 record in tournament title matches, with the lone win occurring during the 2010 season when NDSU defeated Western Illinois, 3-1, in Brookings, S.D. 

North Dakota State Notes

• NDSU enters Saturday's Summit League tournament championship match at 8-10-0 overall after blanking South Dakota State Thursday in the semifinals, 2-0.
• In the semifinal victory over SDSU, Malley O'Brien netted what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 27th minute off a Mallory Fenske assist. Britney Monteon added NDSU's second goal of the contest in the 70th minute after she placed a pass from Maddie Burnstein into the back of the net. NDSU goalkeeper Monica Polgar kept the Jacks off the scoreboard and earned her fifth shutout of the season after making a match-high four saves in 90 minutes between the pipes.
• Through 18 matches, O'Brien leads the Bison and is tied for third in The Summit League with seven goals. Mariah Haberle is second on the team with four goals, while Hanna Norman is third with three goals. Monteon rounds out the players who have netted multiple goals with two.
• O'Brien paces NDSU and ranks second in the league with four game-winning goals, while Norman is second on the team and tied for third in the league with two game-winners. 
• Danielle Algera leads NDSU and is tied for third in the league with four assists. Holly Enderle, Malana Vachon and Monteon each have two assists.
• Polgar is 8-5-0 with five shutouts and one shared shutout between the posts entering Saturday. She has a team-best 75 saves while allowing 18 goals for a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.51 and a save percentage of .806.
• Polgar ranks second in the league in saves (75) and save percentage (.806), and is tied for second in shutouts (5/1).
• As a team, NDSU is scoring 1.11 goals per game while giving up 1.89 goals per game. The Bison are being outshot, 17.8 to 9.8.
• The Bison finished in a three-way tie for second-place in The Summit League at 5-2-0.
• 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 Denver

• Denver enters Saturday at 10-8-1 overall after defeating Oral Roberts Thursday in the semifinals, 1-0.
• Senior forward Jessie Dancy, The Summit League Offensive Player of the Year, netted what proved to be the game-winning goal for the Pioneers one minute into the match.
• Through 19 contests, Dancy leads Denver and The Summit League in scoring with 13 goals, while sophomore midfielder Hannah Adler has tallied nine goals. Summit League Freshman of the Year Meg Halvorson rounds out the top-three scorers for the Pioneers with five goals.
• Adler, senior forward Angelica Pacheco and freshman defender Brittney Lewis have each compiled a team-best four assists.
• Between the posts for Denver, sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Wilson is 10-6-1 with five shutouts and 58 saves. She has allowed 22 goals and has a 1.23 GAA and .725 save percentage.
• As a team, the Pioneers lead The Summit League in goals with 34 and assists with 29. Denver is averaging 1.79 goals per game while holding opponents to 1.58 goals per game. Denver is outshooting adversaries, 14.3 to 11.4.
• The Pioneers were picked first in The Summit League preseason poll.
• Denver is under the leadership of 26th season head coach Jeff Hooker.

O'Brien, Norman and Algera Voted to All-Summit League Women's Soccer Teams
        Three North Dakota State University women's soccer student-athletes received All-Summit League honors, it was announced on Wednesday, Nov. 1, by the league office.
        Malley O'Brien was voted First Team All-Summit League, while Hanna Norman was tabbed second team all-league. Danielle Algera rounded out the NDSU all-league honorees and received all-freshmen team accolades.

Forty-five Consecutive Starts and Counting
        Junior Hanna Norman has started in 45 consecutive matches dating back to her freshman season. She has started all 18 matches this season, while starting all 18 matches in 2016, and nine straight matches in 2015. Entering Saturday, Norman has played in 55 career matches, including 52 starts.  

Clutch Scoring
        Malley O'Brien leads the Bison with four game-winning goals, while Hanna Norman ranks second on the team with two game-winners. Britney Monteon and freshman Brookelyn Dew each have one game-winning goal.

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.
 
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

NDSU Women's Soccer Earns United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award
        The North Dakota State University women's soccer team earned the United Soccer Coaches (formerly the NSCAA) Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom as a team during the 2016-17 academic year.
        To qualify for the award, a team must have a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players.
        The Bison posted a 3.49 team GPA for 2016-17.
        Fellow Summit League women's soccer teams Denver, Fort Wayne and South Dakota State also earned the honor.
 
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.