Scene Setter
                The North Dakota State women's soccer team returns to the Dacotah Field Bubble for the regular season finale against Oral Roberts this weekend. The two teams will face each other on Friday, April 9 and Sunday, April 11. The match on Friday will start at 6 p.m., with Sunday's match scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
2021 Spring Season Attendance Policy
                For matches played in the Dacotah Field Bubble during the 2021 spring season, fans will not be allowed due to space limitations from the Covid-19 Pandemic.
 
The Series with Oral Roberts
                North Dakota State owns an 8-2-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates to a scoreless double overtime tie Oct. 26, 2007 in Tulsa. The Bison own a 5-2 record against the Golden Eagles in Fargo, including a pair of Bison victories in the last two meetings in Fargo. Of the 12 matches between the two schools, five of them have gone to overtime.
 
What's at Stake
                Three of the four spots in the Summit League Championship for next week have been locked up. South Dakota, North Dakota State and North Dakota are in a battle going into the final weekend. South Dakota needs one win in the final two matches to secure the final spot, as they travel to Grand Forks this weekend. The Bison need two wins and a combination of a win and a draw from North Dakota over South Dakota to secure the final spot. 
 
North Dakota State Notes

• South Dakota earned a pair of 3-0 victories over North Dakota State last weekend in Vermillion.
• NDSU Dropped a pair of matches against South Dakota State to close the month of March, as the Jackrabbits moved into second place in the league standings.
• Off a deflected shot by Olivia Lovick, Danielle Algera scored her second goal of the season in the opener against the Jackrabbits.
• Three weeks ago, NDSU split a pair of matches in Grand Forks against North Dakota. The Bison won the opener 2-1 before dropping the finale 1-0.
• The Bison hit the road March 5 & 7 for the first time, dropping a pair of 1-0 and 3-0 matches against defending league champion Denver.
• For the second straight weekend, North Dakota State earned a weekend sweep with 3-2 and 2-0 wins over Omaha February 26 & 28.
• In the series opener, senior Marian Taiwo scored three goals, as the Bison won in overtime 3-2.

 
About Oral Roberts

• The Golden Eagles picked up their first two wins of the year last weekend by sweeping Kansas City in the home finale.
• Oral Roberts ranks 56th in the country in saves per game at 5.46, while also leading the league.
• Louisa Ramsauer ranks 15th in the nation, and leads the Summit League, with 70 saves.
• Ramsauer ranks 32nd in the country with 1,176:26 minutes played in the net.

 
NDSU in Season Openers
                With a 3-2 loss to Kansas City on Feb. 12, the Bison dropped to 16-10 all-time in season openers. Last year, the Bison beat St. Mary's 1-0 on August 23, winning the season opener for the second-straight year. The Bison are now 9-4-1 all-time in the Summit League opener.
 
25 Years of NDSU Soccer
                The 2019 season marked the 25th season of soccer at NDSU. In the first 25 years of NDSU soccer, the Bison owned a 248-184-31 (.569) all-time record, including a 131-43-8 (.742) mark in home matches. In six seasons at Dacotah Field, the Bison are 35-17-3 (.664). Pete Cuadrado is the all-time leader in wins with 93 in nine seasons as head coach from 2003-11. The Bison have had a winning record in 18 of the 25 seasons played.
 
NDSU Picked Seventh in Summit League Preseason Poll
                The North Dakota State women's soccer team is picked to finish seventh in the Summit League Women's Soccer Preseason Poll, announced Tuesday, Jan. 26 by the league office.
                NDSU finished fifth in the standings last season, missing the conference tournament for the first time in 10 years. The Bison received 25 points in the poll, sitting three points ahead of Omaha and four points behind North Dakota. Defending league champion Denver was picked to repeat with seven first place votes and 63 points, while South Dakota State was picked second with 58 points and the remaining two first place votes. Oral Roberts (45 points), South Dakota (41) and Kansas City (32) rounded out the top five.
                The top four regular-season finishers will qualify for The Summit League Women's Soccer Championship, which will be played in Omaha April 15-17.
 
Last Time Out
                The Coyotes scored just over three minutes into the match Saturday, as South Dakota beat the North Dakota State soccer team 3-0 at First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex.
                NDSU drops to 6-8 on the year with the loss, while South Dakota improved to 7-6-1 with its sixth-straight home victory.
                Taylor Ravelo scored the opening goal for the Coyotes in the fourth minute, while Ashby Johnston gave the Coyotes a 2-0 lead at the half with a goal in the 41st minute. Shaylee Gailus scored in the 49th minute for the final goal of the match. Taylor Cotter had the assist on all three goals for the Coyotes.
                Brookelyn Dew and Jess Hanley led the Bison with two shots apiece. Danielle Algera, Dew, Hanley, Olivia Lovick and Kelsey Kallio each had a shot on goal. Aly Cole suffered the loss in the net, as she dropped to 4-6 on the season. Cole tallied a career-high eight saves in the first half. Sofia Howe made her Bison debut in the second half, recording a pair of saves.
                The Coyotes had a 28-8 advantage in shots, including 19-3 in the first half. South Dakota had a 15-5 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Last Time Against Oral Roberts
                Playing its sixth road match in the last seven outings, the North Dakota State soccer team earned a 1-1 draw in double overtime on Sunday afternoon at Oral Roberts.
                The Bison are now 6-5-2 overall and 1-1-1 in the Summit League, while Oral Roberts moved to 3-7-3 overall and 0-1-2 in league play.
                Oral Roberts took the lead first, as Jordan Langebartels found Shayla Padilla for a goal in the 26th minute. It was the fourth goal of the season for Padilla. Late in the first half, Nicky De Pape scored her first goal as a Bison off an assist from Paige Goaley. The goal came on the first career shot attempt for De Pape, while it was the first career assist for Goaley.
                Huber finished with a career-high 10 shots, tied for the sixth most in school history. Goaley added a career-high three shots, while Danielle Algera had a pair of shots. With four shots on goal, Huber moved into ninth on the single-season list in school history with 32 this season. In 110 minutes in the net, Monica Polgar recorded a pair of saves.
                NDSU had a 20-14 advantage in shots, including a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Bison Women's Soccer Earns United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award
                The North Dakota State University women's soccer team earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2019-20 academic year.
                The Bison posted a 3.63 team GPA for 2019-20, extending an impressive run of earning the Team Academic Award for the 18th time in the past 19 years. The 2019-20 school year was the 20th time the Bison have won the award since it was introduced in 1996.
                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.
 
Strand, Douglass Named to Summit League "Players to Watch" List
                Bison sophomores McKenna Strand and Lavin Douglass were named to the "Players to Watch" list by the league coaches. Both players were selected to the Summit League All-Freshman Team last season. Strand appeared in 17 matches, including seven starts. Douglass started 16 of the 18 matches she played in, while scoring a goal against South Dakota.
 
Head Coach Mike Regan
                Mike Regan begins his third season at the head coach of the Bison. An assistant coach for teams in the Missouri Valley and Big Ten Conferences over the previous six seasons before coming to NDSU, Regan was named head women's soccer coach at North Dakota State on Jan. 19, 2018.
                Regan came to NDSU after two seasons as a Big Ten assistant coach at Indiana University in Bloomington. Prior to Indiana, he was an assistant coach at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, for four seasons where he was part of the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference championship team and the 2015 MVC Coaching Staff of the Year. Drake made four consecutive MVC tournament appearances.
                Before joining Drake, Regan was the head coach for the North Iowa Area Community College men's soccer team for five seasons, where he posted an impressive record of 74-17-6 and was named the NJCAA/ICCAC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year three times.
                Regan also has extensive coaching experience at the youth level. He is currently a staff coach with the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Girls Olympic Development Program and served as the head coach of the Iowa ODP '98 age group for three years. Regan holds a National 'A' Coaching License from the United States Soccer Federation.
                Regan earned a bachelor's degree from Waldorf College in 2009 and a master's degree from California University of Pennsylvania in 2011.
 
On the Horizon
                The Summit League Championship begins on Thursday, April 15 in Omaha. The semifinals are set for Thursday, with the championship to follow on Saturday.