Women's Soccer | 8/30/2017 2:20:00 PM

North Dakota State at Northern Iowa
Friday, Sept. 1 | 7 p.m.
Cedar Valley Soccer Complex | Waterloo, Iowa
Live Stats | Live Video

North Dakota State at Drake
Sunday, Sept. 3 | 1 p.m.
Cownie Soccer Complex | Des Moines, Iowa
Live Stats | Live Video

NDSU Notes (PDF)

NDSU soccer on Twitter: @NDSUsoccer

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Quick Notes:

• The North Dakota State women's soccer team begins the month of September with two matches in Iowa. The Bison travel to Waterloo Friday, Sept. 1, to take on Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. before heading to Des Moines Sunday, Sept. 3, for a 1 p.m. match at Drake.
• North Dakota State returns five starters from last season's Summit League regular season championship team, including All-Summit League honorees Holly Enderle, Monica Polgar and Mariah Haberle.

The Series Against Northern Iowa
        The Bison and Northern Iowa Panthers will meet for the 10th time in the all-time series on Friday. NDSU leads the series, 6-3-0. Last season, North Dakota State defeated UNI in Fargo, 2-0.

The Series Against Drake
        Sunday's match at Drake will mark the 10th meeting in the all-time series between the Bison and Bulldogs. Drake leads the series, 2-6-1. Last season, the Bulldogs claimed a 1-0 win over NDSU in Fargo.

#NDSUBison Notes

• North Dakota State enters the weekend at 0-4-0 overall after dropping two matches at Weber State and No. 18 Utah Aug. 25 and 27.
• Through four matches, the Bison have not scored a goal, while giving up 14 to their opponents.
• NDSU has a .351 shots on goal percentage while its adversaries have a .593 percentage.
• The Bison are only averaging 9.2 shots per game, compared to 14.8 per game for their opponents.
• Sophomore Mariah Haberle has 11 shots and four shots on goal to lead NDSU, while junior Holly Enderle and freshman Danielle Algera each have three shots on goal.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Monica Polgar is 0-3-0 with a team-high 14 saves in three matches. She has allowed eight goals and has a 3.83 goals-against average (GAA). Junior goalkeeper Julia Edelstein is 0-1-0 with seven saves. Edelstein has given up six goals and has a 3.14 GAA.
• The Bison were picked to finish tied for second with South Dakota State in The Summit League Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. Denver was tabbed the preseason favorite by just one-point.
• NDSU welcomes 10 newcomers this season in freshmen Marian Taiwo (F), Danielle Algera (MF), Kennedi Keller (D), Daniella Jasper (F/MF), Malana Vachon (MF), Brookelyn Dew (F/MF), Grace Sundberg (D), Ellen Schneider (D/MF) and Maddie Burnstein (D), and transfer Nicola De Pape (D).
• NDSU is on the road for seven consecutive matches starting this weekend and won't return to Dacotah Field until their Sept. 17 tilt with Utah Valley.

Looking Back at 2016

• The Bison compiled a 10-8-1 overall record and won their second straight Summit League regular season title with a 5-2-1 league mark.
• Seven Bison were named All-Summit League. Sophomore Holly Enderle and senior Amy Yang were selected first team all-league, while seniors Natalie Fenske, Genna Joyce and Lizzie Lukas, and freshman Monica Polgar garnered second team all-league honors. Freshman Mariah Haberle was named to the all-freshmen team.
• Holly Enderle, Natalie Fenske and Amy Yang were voted to The Summit League Academic All-League Team.
• Natalie Fenske was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 First Team for her performance in the classroom and on the pitch. Fenske was also named a Senior CLASS Award candidate.
• Holly Enderle led the Bison and ranked second in The Summit League with 10 goals and 22 points.
• Amy Yang and Mariah Haberle each dished out a team-best six assists.
• Monica Polgar led the league with six shutouts in goal and tallied a 9-8-0 record with a 1.27 goals-against average (GAA) and 57 saves.

Analyzing Northern Iowa

• The University of Northern Iowa Panthers enter the weekend at 3-0-0 on the season after defeating South Dakota on the road Aug. 27, 2-0.
• Through three matches, UNI is paced by junior forward Brynell Yount with three goals, one assist and seven points, while senior forward Sarah Brandt has two goals and assists, and six points.
• Between the posts for Northern Iowa, junior Jami Reichenberger is 3-0-0 with three shutouts and nine saves. She has a 0.00 GAA.
• As a team, UNI is averaging three goals per game while shutting out its opponents. The Panthers are outshooting adversaries by an average of 24 to 11.3.
• Northern Iowa tied for fifth with Valparaiso in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll.
• UNI is under the direction of first season head coach Bruce Erickson.

Analyzing Drake

• The Drake University Bulldogs enter the weekend with an overall record of 1-2-0 after losing at Marquette, 3-0, Aug. 25.
• Drake is scheduled to host UMKC Friday before taking on the Bison Sunday.
• Through three contests, sophomore defender Annie Schmitz has scored Drake's only goal, while senior midfielder Brooke Salisbury has a team-high five shots.
• Senior goalkeeper Haley Morris has played in three matches with two starts and has compiled a 1-2-0 record. She has allowed six goals while making 13 saves for a 2.35 GAA.
• As a team, the Bulldogs are averaging 0.33 goals per game while allowing two goals per game.
• Drake is being outshot, on average, 17 to 10.
• The Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll.
• Drake is under the leadership of 10th season head coach Lindsey Horner. 

New Playing Surface at Dacotah Field
        North Dakota State will be playing on a brand new FieldTurf artificial turf surface at Dacotah Field beginning this season. The turf was installed in the summer of 2017.

Head Coach Mark Cook
        Mark Cook is in his sixth 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.
        Cook helped the Bison claim their second straight Summit League regular season championship in 2016, as North Dakota State compiled an overall record of 10-8-1 and a league mark of 5-2-1. NDSU qualified for its eighth consecutive Summit League tournament and hosted the league tournament at Dacotah Field for the first time in program history. Seven student-athletes received All-Summit League honors. Holly Enderle and Amy Yang earned first team all-league accolades, while Natalie Fenske, Genna Joyce, Lizzie Lukas and Monica Polgar were named second team all-league. Mariah Haberle rounded out the Bison honorees and was named to the all-freshmen team, respectively.
        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.

On the Horizon
        NDSU's lengthy road trip rolls on as the Bison travel to Colorado for two matches. North Dakota State faces Northern Colorado in Greeley Sept. 8 prior to facing Colorado State in Fort Collins Sept. 10.