FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State soccer team picked up their first win of the season on Friday, Aug. 25, defeating Austin Peay 4-1 at Dacotah Field.
Olivia Watson and
Ava Stanchina scored first half tallies for the Bison (1-1-1) to take a 2-0 lead into the break and
Alicia Nead and
Loretta Wacek added goals in the second half to secure the victory over the Governors (1-2-0).
In the 33
rd minute,
Olivia Watson's right-footed strike off of a failed Austin Peay (1-2-0) clearance soared into the top left corner to give the Bison (1-1-1) the lead. Less than six minutes later, freshman
Ava Stanchina scored her first career goal in the 39
th minute, as she tapped in a knocked down cross into the box from
Cadence Kline.
In the second half,
Alicia Nead scored a left-footed strike into the top right corner from 25 yards out to give the Bison a 3-0 lead in the 58
th minute.
Hannah Arnold set up the goal with a pass into
Paige Goaley at the top of the box, who then set up Nead for a one-touch strike.
Following a goal from Austin Peay's Tori Case in the 66
th minute,
Loretta Wacek capped the scoring a restored a three-goal lead as she knocked in
Devon Kavanagh's cross from close range. Kavanagh threw the ball in from the sideline to Stanchina, who then found Kavanagh to deliver the cross into the box.
NDSU goalkeeper
Abby Wilkinson made five stops in the game to pick up the victory. The Bison outnumbered Austin Peay 20-10 in shots, including 12-6 in efforts on goal. NDSU also led in corners 9-4.
Stanchina became the third freshman to score for the Bison in as many games, joining
Tyreese Zacher (Boise State) and
Amaya Garrett (Montana). Stanchina also picked up a three-point game for the Bison with her goal and the assist on Wacek's goal.
Watson scored her ninth career goal and seventh at home. Wacek added her fourth career goal and Nead scored her second goal and first since October of 2021.
North Dakota State's four-goal performance is the most since the Bison scored four against South Dakota on October 21 last season.
The Bison are scheduled to travel to Drake for the first regular season road contest of the year on Sunday, Aug. 27. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Drake Stadium with live coverage on ESPN+.