Quick Notes:

• The North Dakota State women's soccer team will look to snap a six-match losing streak when it travels to Colorado for a pair of weekend matches. The Bison will face Northern Colorado at 8 p.m. MT Friday, Sept. 8, in Greeley prior to taking on Colorado State Sunday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. MT in Fort Collins.
• 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 Colorado
        Friday's match at Northern Colorado will mark the 13th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1996. The Bears lead the series, 7-5-0. The last time NDSU and UND met was during the 2014 season, with the Bison claiming a 2-1 victory in Greeley.

The Series Against Colorado State
        Sunday's match at Colorado State will be the second meeting in the all-time series and the first since 2013. The Bison won the inaugural meeting with the Rams, 1-0, in Fargo during the 2013 season.

#NDSUBison Notes

• North Dakota State enters the weekend at 0-6-0 overall after losing matches at Northern Iowa and Drake Sept. 1 and 3.
• Through six matches, the Bison have not scored a goal, while giving up 17 to their opponents.
• NDSU has a .400 shots on goal percentage while its adversaries have a .545 percentage.
• The Bison are only averaging 8.3 shots per game, compared to 16.5 per game for their opponents.
• Sophomore Mariah Haberle (12 shots, four shots on goal), freshman Danielle Algera (nine shots, six shots on goal) and junior Holly Enderle (nine shots, four shots on goal) lead NDSU offensively through six matches.
• 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 0-3-0 with 21 saves. Edelstein has given up nine goals and has a 2.30 GAA. She tallied a career-high seven saves in NDSU's matches at Northern Iowa and Drake. 
• 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 nine newcomers this season in freshmen Marian Taiwo (F), Danielle Algera (MF), 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 Colorado

• The University of Northern Colorado Bears are 5-1-0 entering the weekend after winning at home against New Mexico State Sept. 3, 4-1. UNC's only loss of the season was a 2-1 setback against TCU Aug. 27.
• Through six matches, the Bears are paced offensively by junior midfielders Maddie Roberts (three goals, four assists, 10 points) and Mariel Gutierrez (three goals, three assists, nine points), and senior forward Brooke Braden (three goals, two assists, eight points).
• Senior goalkeeper Madeline Burdick has played and started all six matches for UNC. Burdick is 5-1-0 with 27 saves in 541 minutes. She has allowed five goals and has a 0.83 GAA to go along with two shutouts.
• As a team, Northern Colorado is averaging 2.17 goals per game while limiting opponents to 0.83 goals per game. The Bears are averaging 14.5 shots per game while holding adversaries to 11 shots per game.
• UNC was picked to finish fifth in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll.
• Northern Colorado is under the direction of head coach Tim Barrera, who is in his 19th season.

Analyzing Colorado State

• The Colorado State University Rams enter the weekend with an overall record of 1-3-1 after dropping a contest against New Hampshire Sept. 3, 2-1. CSU's only win this season was a 5-1 victory over New Mexico State Sept. 1.
• Colorado State is scheduled to play at SIU Edwardsville Friday before returning to Fort Collins to battle NDSU Sunday.
• Through five matches, the Rams are led offensively by freshman forward Ally Murphy-Pauletto with three goals and six points.
• Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Hunter Peifer has played in five matches with two starts. Peifer is 1-2-1 and has allowed five goals. She has made 16 saves and has a 1.31 GAA.
• As a team, Colorado State is averaging 1.40 goals per game while giving up 1.20 goals per game. The Rams are averaging 12.6 shots per game while surrendering 14.8 shots per game.
• CSU was picked to finish 11th in the Mountain West preseason coaches' poll.
• Colorado State is under the leadership of fifth season head coach Bill Hempen.

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
        North Dakota State finally returns home to the friendly confines of Dacotah Field for a match against Utah Valley Sunday, Sept. 17, at 1 p.m.