FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State soccer wraps up a two-game Summit League road swing in South Dakota on Sunday, traveling to Brookings to take on South Dakota State. Kickoff against the Jackrabbits is set for 1 p.m. at Fishback Soccer Park.
 
Game Coverage
Sunday's match will be streamed live on the Summit League Network and also have live statistics. Links to live video and stats are available at GoBison.com/coverage.
 
Series History
North Dakota State and South Dakota State will meet for the 33rd time in series history on Sunday. The Jackrabbits hold a 17-12-3 record all-time over the Bison. However, last season in Fargo, the Bison snapped a six-game losing skid to SDSU to move into first place in the Summit League Standings, sparking a Summit League Regular Season Championship run. In the last meeting in Brookings, SDSU capitalized on a counter attack goal to win 1-0.
 
Last Time Against South Dakota State
NDSU picked up a 1-0 victory over SDSU to move to the top of the Summit League standings.
 
Morgan Russmann scored her team-leading 7th goal of the season, and fourth in league play, in the 31st minute. It was her third game-winning goal in the last four games for the Bison.
 
The goal started with a cross from the left wing to the back post from Hannah Arnold. Devon Kavanagh then headed the ball back across goal to Russmann, who knocked it in from close range.
 
Payton Mulberry made two saves for her fifth cleansheet of the season and the seventh overall for NDSU in 2024. Both South Dakota State and the Bison finished with two shots on goal in the game.
 
With the victory over the Jackrabbits, the Bison moved into sole possession of first place in the Summit League standings.
 
Mulberry Cracks Top 10 in Saves
Payton Mulberry made five saves in the win over South Dakota, moving into the NDSU Top 10 all-time with 79 for her career. Mulberry surpassed Renee Keller (77, 1995) to move into the top 10.
 
Wacek Finds the Net
Loretta Wacek scored her fifth career goal in the win over South Dakota, snapping a streak of over two years. Wacek's last goal came against Austin Peay on August 25, 2023 before getting injured later in the season and missing all of 2024. She has five career goals.
 
Onyx Records First Assist
Freshmen Onyx Kennington made her first start against Denver and then in her second career start at South Dakota, recorded her first career assist on the game-winning goal for the Bison.
 
Arnold Reaches NDSU Top 10
Hannah Arnold picked up an assist on the game-winning goal at South Dakota, growing her active career lead for NDSU in assists to 10. The junior moved into the NDSU Top 10 in the Division I era.
 
Second Half Goals
13 of NDSU's 20 goals have come after halftime, with six in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, and four in the final 15 minutes.
 
Goals in the Build-Up
NDSU has scored 20 goals this season, with only two coming directly off a set piece. In the other 18 goals, NDSU has 27 assists, often stringing together build-up play to lead to breakthroughs.
 
Goal Involvements
Eight new Bison have contributed to at least one goal this season with 16 total Bison involved in goals via scoring or assisting, surpassing last season, which had 13 different Bison contribute in goal involvements.
 
Brace yourself
Kendall Stadden became the third Bison to record a brace this season, scoring twice in the win at South Dakota. Morgan Russmann and Isabel Garcia both picked up their first braces of the season against Clarke. Russmann recorded her fourth career brace, while Garcia scored her first.
 
Russmann's first career brace was a memorable one, coming in her home debut against Alabama State. Russmann scored her first two career goals just 3:40 apart with goals in the 49th and 53rd minutes.
 
On October 20, 2024, Russmann scored her second brace with a pair of second half goals against South Dakota. She gave NDSU a 2-0 lead in the 47th minute and then extended the lead to 4-1 in the 62nd.
 
In the next game vs. St. Thomas, which was the Summit League Regular Season Championship clinching win, Russmann scored her third brace. Trailing 1-0, she scored two goals 5:10 apart in the 61st and 67th minutes to lead NDSU to a 2-1 victory.
 
Russmann's fourth and most recent brace came against Clarke, scoring a pair of first-half goals to lead the Bison to a win.
 
Garcia joined Russmann with a brace in the contest against Clarke. The sophomore knocked in a pair of second-half rebounds just 12 minutes apart for her first career brace.
 
Stadden also recorded her first career brace in the win at South Dakota. Stadden scored NDSU's first goal of the game to tie it at 1-1 late in the first half. After the teams traded two more goals each, Stadden knocked in a free kick to seal a 4-3 victory.
 
NDSU Career Braces:
- Morgan Russmann, Alabama St. (8/22/24)
- Morgan Russmann, South Dakota (10/20/24)
- Morgan Russmann, St. Thomas (10/27/24)
- Morgan Russmann, Clarke (9/4/25)
- Isabel Garcia, Clarke (9/4/25)
- Kendall Stadden, at South Dakota (10/2/25)
 
Bison Goal scorers
Morgan Russmann, Kendall Stadden and Isabel Garcia lead the team with four goals each this season, including a pair of game winners from Russmann and one from Stadden and Garcia.
 
Russmann scored her 15th career goal against Denver. Stadden recorded her first career brace at South Dakota and Garcia also found the scoresheet against the Coyotes.
 
Hannah Arnold has two goals this season, along with four assists. Tyreese Zacher and Gabrielle Garrett have each added one goal and multiple assists.
 
Mikayla Carkhuff, Cora Still, Chloe Birch and Loretta Wacek have also chipped in key goals, with Wacek scoring at South Dakota for the first time since returning this season from an ACL injury in 2023.
 
Upcoming Promotions
October 12th - Dakota Soccer Day: Wear Bison gold as NDSU faces in-state rival North Dakota. The first 250 fans will receive a Bison Soccer scarf, and festivities start early with tailgating prior to the match.
 
Looking Ahead
Following the contest in Brookings, North Dakota State will head back home and have a week off before taking on in-state rival North Dakota on Dakota Soccer Day on Sunday, October 12. The Bison and Fighting Hawks are set to meet at Dacotah Field in Fargo, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.