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Match Notes (PDF)

Thursday, Nov. 5 vs. (4) South Dakota (8-11-0)
Fishback Soccer Park | Brookings, S.D. | 6 p.m.
Summit League Women's Soccer Championship Opening Round
Tournament Website

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Top-Seeded Bison Open Summit League Tournament Play Thursday
The top-seeded North Dakota State University women's soccer team (12-5-1) will begin Summit League tournament play on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. against fourth-seeded South Dakota (8-11-0) at Fishback Soccer Park in Brookings, S.D. The Bison will be making their seventh consecutive appearance in the league tournament.  
 
Summit League Tournament Media Coverage
For complete Summit League Women's Soccer Championship coverage, please visit the official tournament website at www.TheSummitLeague.org/sports/wsoc/2015-16/championship/index.   
 
The Series Against South Dakota
Thursday's Summit League tournament contest against the Coyotes will be the 12th meeting in the all-time series. NDSU leads the series 9-1-1 after defeating USD, 1-0, in double overtime at home earlier this season. The Bison and Yotes have never met in The Summit League tournament.
 
NDSU in The Summit League Tournament
The Bison are 3-4-1 in Summit League tournament play dating back to their first appearance in 2009. Last season, NDSU fell to second-seeded South Dakota State in the opening round, 2-1, in Denver, Colo.
 
Herd Quick Hits

• North Dakota State is 12-5-1 overall entering Summit League tournament competition. The Bison have won three consecutive matches going into Thursday.
• With their 2-1 win at IUPUI on Oct. 30, the Bison secured their first Summit League regular season championship since 2009.
• NDSU finished the regular season with an impressive 6-1-0 record at home. The Bison were 5-4-1 on the road and 1-0-0 at neutral sites.
• Entering the league tournament, the Bison are 5-1-1 in extra time matches.
• Through 18 matches, Lauren Miller leads the team and The Summit League with 16 goals, 37 points and six game-winning goals. Amy Yang paces NDSU and leads the league in assists with nine, while Britney Monteon and Miller are tied for second on the team and fourth in the league with five assists each.
• Goalkeeper Sierra Bonham has started all 16 matches for NDSU, compiling a 12-5-1 record with a career-high eight shutouts. The Red Deer, Alberta, native ranks second in The Summit League in saves with 101 and second in GAA at 1.05. Bonham has allowed 20 goals in 1,707:35 minutes between the pipes.
• As a team, NDSU is averaging 1.83 goals per game while holding its opponents to 1.11 per game. The Bison boast a 85-56 advantage in corner kicks taken through 18 matches.  
• NDSU was picked third out of nine teams for the second consecutive year in The Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.

 
History Made
The Bison finished The Summit League season unbeaten at 7-0-1 for the first time in program history. NDSU was also a flawless 4-0-0 at home in league play.
 
Miller Sets New Single Season Scoring Record
Lauren Miller netted her 16th goal of the season in the Bison's 1-0 overtime win at Western Illinois on Nov. 1, breaking the NDSU single season scoring record of 15 set by former Bison Nicole VandenBos in 1999. She also tied former NDSU student-athlete Olivia Cole (2001) for most game-winning goals in a single season with six with her game-winner at WIU.
 
Bonham Becomes NDSU Career Shutouts Leader
Sierra Bonham, who already owns the career saves record at NDSU with 391, established a new NDSU career record for shutouts with 20.1, breaking Kelly Tierney (1999-02) and Kalania Bertsch's (2008-11) previous tally of 19.
 
Goals, Goals and more Goals!
Entering Summit League tournament competition, 12 different Bison have scored at least one goal. Here's the breakdown: Lauren Miller, 16; Amy Yang, 4; Britney Monteon, 3; Hanna Norman, 2; Roxy Roemer, Olivia Norman, Holly Enderle, Brittany Mueller, Meghan Johnston, Mallory Fenske, Tori Veth and Sam Verbeke, 1.
 
About South Dakota

• South Dakota enters Thursday's Summit League tournament match with the Bison at 8-11-0 overall after defeating Fort Wayne, 2-0, on Nov. 1. The Coyotes have won four straight contests entering tournament play.
• Through 19 matches, Corey Strang leads the team with nine goals, four assists and 22 points, while Sammie Villwock is second on the team in scoring with four goals.
• USD goalkeeper Sydney Hardin has appeared in 17 matches and made 13 starts, compiling a 8-7-0 record with four shutouts. Hardin has made 57 saves and allowed 24 goals for a 1.54 GAA. She has a .704 save percentage in 1,405:40 minutes in goal.
• Entering tournament competition, South Dakota is averaging 1.42 goals per game but allowing 1.84 per game.
• The Coyotes are under the direction of fifth season head coach Mandy Green.

 
NDSU Relevant Career Records
Sierra Bonham - Saves: 1st (391), Most Shutouts: 1st (20.1), Saves Per Game: 6th (5.51), Save Percentage: 6th (.811), Wins: 2nd (35), Goalie Games Played: 2nd (71), Goalie Game Started: 2nd (68), Goalie Minutes Played: 2nd (6,436) ... Lauren Miller - Game-Winning Goals: 1st (15), Goals: T-2nd (35), Goals Per Game: 2nd (0.64), Points: 3rd (83), Points Per Game: 3rd (1.51), Shots on Goal: 3rd (89), Shots on Goal Per Game: 3rd (1.62) ... Britney Monteon - Assists Per Game: 10th (0.31) ... Amy Yang - Assists Per Game: 9th (0.31), Assists: T-9th (16) ... Meghan Johnston - Minutes Played: 10th (6,542).
 
Friendly Confines
The Bison finished the 2015 season with a 6-1-0 record in the friendly confines of Dacotah Field, including a perfect 4-0-0 record in Summit League play. NDSU averaged 2.14 goals per game in its seven home matches and limited its opponents to just 0.14 per game. The Bison only surrendered one goal at home this season.
 
Scoring Early
Through 18 matches, the Bison are outscoring their opponents in the first-half, 14-9. NDSU also holds a 14-10 edge in second-half scoring. 
 
NDSU Summit League Players of the Week
Lauren Miller - Aug. 31, Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Nov. 2 ... Sierra Bonham - Sept. 14, Oct. 5., Nov. 2
 
Miller Sets New Summit League Player of the Week Record
With her selection as The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week for Nov. 2, Lauren Miller set a new league record with her eighth career award and equaled the season record of four.
 
NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (As of Nov. 3)
Relevant Team Statistics (All Matches):
Goals - 2nd (33) ... Assists - 2nd (28) ... Shots - 1st (290) ... Goals per game - 2nd (1.8) ... Goals Allowed - 8th (20) ... Shot percentage - 4th (.114) ... GAA - 2nd (1.05) ... Corner kicks - 2nd (85) ... Yellow Cards - T-1st (15).
 
Relevant Individual Statistics (All Matches):
Lauren Miller - Goals: 1st (16), Points:1st (37), Assists: T-4th (5), Shots: 1st (84), SOG: 1st (39) ... Amy Yang - Assists: 1st (9), Goals: T-9th (4), Points: T-6th (17), Shots: 5th (49) ... Britney Monteon - Assists: T-4th (5), Yellow Cards - T-1st (4) ... Sierra Bonham - Saves: 2nd (101), GAA: 2nd (1.05), Save percentage: 2nd (.835), Goals allowed: 4th (20), Minutes: 1st (1,707:35).
 
NDSU in the NCAA Statistics (As of Nov. 3)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Yellow Cards - 40th out of 335 (15), Assists - 75th out of 335 (28), Assists Per Game - 70th out of 335 (1.56), Points Per Game - 64th out of 335 (5.22), Scoring Offense - 58th out of 335 (1.83), Save Percentage - 48th out of 335 (.837), Saves Per Game - 58th out of 335 (5.72), Goals - 64th out of 335 (33).
 
Relevant Individual Statistics:
Lauren Miller - Game-Winning Goals - 5th out of 150 (6), Goals - 6th out of 150 (16), Goals Per Game - 7th out of 150 (0.89), Points - 9th out of 150 (37), Shots Per Game - 19th out of 150 (4.67), Shots on Goal Per Game - 22nd out of 150 (2.17) ... Amy Yang - Assists: 19th out of 150 (9), Assists Per Game: 21st out of 150 (0.5) Sierra Bonham - Saves: 32nd out of 150 (101), Saves Per Game: 48th out of 150 (5.61) ... Britney Monteon - Yellow Cards: 7th out of 100 (5).
 
Bonham Ranked Third on NCAA Active Career Saves List
Sierra Bonham ranks third on the latest NCAA Active Career Saves List with 391 stops in 71 career matches. The Red Deer, Alberta, native already owns the NDSU career saves record.
 
Head Coach Mark Cook
Mark Cook is in his fourth 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.

Last season, Cook led the Bison to an 8-8-2 overall record and a fourth place finish in The Summit League with a league mark of 4-2-2. North Dakota State made its sixth consecutive appearance in The Summit League tournament and had five student-athletes named All-Summit League, including goalkeeper Sierra Bonham, who was named the league's Goalkeeper of the Year after compiling a 0.94 goals-against average with 5.1 shutouts and a save percentage of .827. Bonham was the first-ever NDSU student-athlete to earn the honor.

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.