Women's Soccer | 9/24/2015 12:17:00 PM

Match Central

Weekly Match Notes (PDF)

Sunday, Sept. 27 vs. UC Riverside (4-5-0)
Dacotah Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV)

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NDSU Soccer Hosts UC Riverside Sunday to Conclude Non-Conference Slate
The North Dakota State University women's soccer team will host UC Riverside on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m. at Dacotah Field to conclude their 2015 non-conference schedule. 
 
Media Coverage
Live statistics and a high-definition, pay-per-view webcast will be available for Sunday's match and can be accessed at www.GoBison.com.
 
The Series against UC Riverside
Sunday's match against the Highlanders will be the second meeting in the all-time series. The Bison lost the first meeting in the series back in 2005, 3-0, in Riverside, Calif.
 
Herd Quick Hits

• The Bison enter Sunday's contest against UC Riverside at 5-4-0 overall after defeating Grand Canyon on Sunday, Sept. 20, in the NAU Mountain Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz., 2-1. NDSU has won four of its last five matches. 
• Through nine matches, Lauren Miller has a team and Summit League-high seven goals and 18 points. Miller, Amy Yang and Britney Monteon are tied for second in the league and lead the team in assists with four each.
• Goalkeeper Sierra Bonham has started all nine matches for NDSU, compiling a 5-4-0 record with two shutouts. The Red Deer, Alberta, native ranks second in The Summit League in saves with 56 and fifth in GAA at 1.61. Bonham has allowed 15 goals in 840:52 minutes between the pipes.
• As a team, NDSU is averaging 2.33 goals per game while holding its opponents to 1.67 per game. The Bison boast a 42-30 advantage in corner kicks taken through nine matches.  
• The Bison welcome back eight starters and 13 letterwinners from last season's team, including All-Summit League performers in Sierra Bonham, Lauren Miller, Meghan Johnston and Amy Yang.
• NDSU welcomes seven newcomers in freshmen Hanna Norman (D), Roxy Roemer (MF), Holly Enderle (F), Mallory Fenske (D), Taylor Turner (D) and Britney Monteon (F), and transfer Julia Edelstein (GK).
• NDSU was picked third out of nine teams for the second consecutive year in The Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll.
• North Dakota State returns 77 percent of its goal scoring from last season.

About UC Riverside

• UC Riverside enters the weekend at 4-5-0 overall after dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to Arizona on Friday, Sept. 18. The Highlanders will travel to Vermillion, S.D., for a match against South Dakota on Friday, Sept. 25, before coming to Fargo to face the Bison Sunday.
• UC Riverside was picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the 2015 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Last season, the Highlanders tallied and overall record of 8-7-3 and finished tied for sixth in the Big West with a record of 3-4-1.
• Through nine matches, Tyler Cunningham and Alex Bustamante lead the Highlanders offensively with three goals, two assists and eight points each. Cunningham leads UC Riverside in game-winning goals with two. Seven other Highlanders have scored at least one goal this season.
• Goalkeeper Elizabeth Silas has started all nine matches for UC Riverside, compiling a 4-5-0 record. She has given up 10 goals while making 30 saves for a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.10.
• As a team, UC Riverside is averaging 1.44 goals per game while holding its opponents to 1.11 per game.
• The Highlanders are under the leadership of fourth season head coach Nat Gonzalez.

 
NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (As of Sept. 24)
Relevant Team Statistics (All Matches):
Goals - 1st (21) ... Assists - T-1st (19) ... Shots - 3rd (122) ... Goals per game - 1st (2.3/game) ... Goals Allowed - 5th (15) ... Shot percentage - 1st (.172) ... GAA - 4th (1.61) ... Corner kicks - 3rd (42) ... Yellow Cards - 1st (9).
 
Relevant Individual Statistics (All Matches):
Lauren Miller - Goals: 1st (7), Points: 1st (18), Assists: T-2nd (4), Shots: 3rd (29), SOG: 3rd(15) ... Amy Yang - Assists: T-2nd (4), Goals: T-4th (4), Points: T-3rd (12), Shots: 6th (22) ... Britney Monteon - Assists: T-2nd (4) ... Sierra Bonham - Saves: 2nd (56), GAA: 5th (1.61), Save percentage: 6th (.789), Goals allowed: 10th (15), Minutes: 1st (840:52).
 
NDSU in the NCAA Statistics (As of Sept. 24)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Yellow Cards - 20th out of 20 (9), Scoring Offense - 31st out of 335 (2.33), Points - 32nd out of 335 (6.78), Assists - 38th out of 335 (2.11), Saves - 52nd out of 335 (6.33).
 
Relevant Individual Statistics:
Lauren Miller - Points: 12th out of 30 (18), Points Per Game: 15th out of 150 (2.0), Goals: 17th out of 30 (7), Goals Per Game: 25th out of 150 (0.778) ... Sierra Bonham - Saves: 19th out of 30 (56), Saves Per Game: 33rd out of 150 (6.22) ... Britney Monteon - Yellow Cards: 6th out of 20 (3).
 
Bonham Ranked Third on NCAA Active Career Saves List
Senior goalkeeper Sierra Bonham ranks third on the latest NCAA Active Career Saves List with 346 stops in 62 career matches. The Red Deer, Alberta, native already owns the NDSU career saves record.
 
NDSU Relevant Career Records Rankings
Sierra Bonham - Saves: 1st (346), Saves Per Game: 5th (5.58), Save Percentage: 7th (.801), Wins: T-2nd (28), Most Shutouts: 3rd (14.1), Goalie Games Played: 2nd (62), Goalie Game Started: 2nd (60), Goalie Minutes Played (5,570) ... Lauren Miller - Points: 6th (64), Points Per Game: 3rd (1.39), Goals: T-4th (26), Goals Per Game: 3rd (0.57), Game-Winning Goals: 2nd (10), Shots on Goal: 7th (65), Shots on Goal Per Game: 3rd (1.41) ... Britney Monteon - Assists Per Game: 3rd (0.44), Shots on Goal Per Game: 8th (1.00).
 
Instant Impact
NDSU freshman Hanna Norman has two goals through nine matches, while fellow freshmen Roxy Roemer, Britney Monteon, Holly Enderle and Mallory Fenske have each netted one goal. Monteon also has four assists, while Roemer has two and Enderle has one.  
 
Creating Chances
In the last five matches, the Bison have drawn 23 corner kicks compared to just 15 for their opponents. NDSU also has a 39-37 edge in shots on goal and an 11-8 advantage in goals scored in its last five contests.
 
Scoring Early
Through nine matches, the Bison are outscoring their opponents in the first-half, 10-5. NDSU and its opponents are even in second-half scoring at 9-9.
 
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.
 
Up Next
North Dakota State opens Summit League play with a pair of home matches against Omaha on Friday, Oct. 2, and Oral Roberts on Sunday, Oct. 4.