FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State soccer team will head back out on the road this week with a trip down I-29 to Kansas City to face the Roos on October 7, before continuing south to Tulsa to face Oral Roberts on October 9. It will be NDSU's first trip to Kansas City since 2011, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. on Friday night. The Bison have been to Tulsa just once since the start of the 2017 season and will kick off against the Golden Eagles at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
 
Game Coverage
Both Friday and Sunday's game will be streamed live, while live statistics will be available for both games. Links for coverage will be available on GoBison.com.
 
The Series (KC)
This is the ninth meeting between North Dakota State and Kansas City, dating back to a 5-1 win for NDSU in October of 2009 in Fargo. The Bison hold a 4-2-2 record all-time against the Roos, but the teams have met just three times in recent memory after the series took an eight-year hiatus between 2013-2020. Since the restart in 2021, Kansas City has won two of the last three meetings overall. The teams have met just twice in Kansas City, with a 0-0 tie in 2010 and a 1-1 tie in 2011.
 
Last Year (KC)
The teams battled in an even match in the first half, as both teams had five shots and two corner kicks in a 0-0 game at the break. The second half continued to be a back-and-forth battle until the Roos capitalized on a counter attack in the 60th minute to score the game's only goal. Emily Jensen floated a cross into the middle that Emma Wilson headed just inside the back post. NDSU would outshoot the Roos 12-10 in the game, including 4-2 in shots on goal.
 
The Series (ORU)
This is the 15th meeting between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts dating back to a 0-0 tie in Tulsa in October of 2007. NDSU is undefeated in the last six meetings with a 4-0-2 run, while holding an all-time series lead of 10-2-2. The Bison have won two straight overall and will make the trip to Tulsa having never lost to the Golden Eagles on their home soil (3-0-2), with the most recent trip resulting in a 1-1 tie in October of 2019.
 
Last Year (ORU)
The Bison jumped out to an early lead as Olivia Lovick scored twice in the 17th and 19th minutes to give NDSU a 2-0 lead. After Oral Roberts cut one back with a goal from Samantha See in the 24th minute, the Bison immediately responded as Jess Hanley scored the eventual winning goal. Pamela Caballeros would score from the spot for Oral Roberts in the 68th minute to make it 3-2. The Bison held the edge in shots 15-14. ORU led in shots on goal 6-5.
 
Bison Drop First Home Game, Pick Up First Summit League Win
Homecoming weekend was full of highs and lows for the Bison, who dropped their first game at home of the season on Friday with a 3-2 loss to St. Thomas. However, the Bison scored four goals in Sunday's game against Western Illinois, picking up a cleansheet and the first Summit League win of the season. The Bison started the scoring in the 10th minute against St. Thomas and retook the lead early in the second half, but the Tommies scored two unanswered to pull out the win. In Sunday's game, the Bison outshot Western Illinois 11-0 in the first half but the first goal didn't come until the second half, when four different Bison scored in the largest win of the season.
 
Scoring Four
With NDSU's 4-0 win over Western Illinois on Sunday, the Bison have hit four goals twice this season. It is the first time the Bison have hit four goals twice in a season since the 2018 season.
 
Four In a Half
The four goals in the second half is the most goals in a half for the Bison since the 2016 season when they did it twice. The last time the Bison had four goals in a half against a Div. 1 opponent came against North Dakota on September 2, 2016 when the Bison scored four in the first half of a 4-1 win in Grand Forks.
 
Watson's Goals Leading to Wins
Olivia Watson has already doubled her goal total from her freshman season, scoring four in 2022. The sophomore's goals this year have carried more weight, with all four being the first goal of the game and three going on to serve as game winners. Watson's game winners have come against Utah Tech, Green Bay, and Western Illinois.
 
Kallio Scores, Moves Up Active Points List
Kelsey Kallio, who had just one goal entering 2022, snapped an 18-game goal less streak earlier this season with a second half goal against Utah Tech. The junior has now found herself on the scoresheet the last two weeks, scoring at Omaha before heading one in against Western Illinois. The active assist leader (8) has now moved into the active goal scoring top thee with four and is second on the active point list with 16.
 
A Goaley That Scores
Paige Goaley, who missed two seasons with a leg injury, is proving to be a goal-scoring threat this year. Goaley jumped straight into the action, finding the net 37 seconds into her official return against Tarleton. She also scored in the third minute vs Chicago State. Goaley added two more goals last weekend, scoring in the second half against St. Thomas and Western Illinois, as she sits tied with Olivia Watson for the team lead at four goals.
 
Constants In the Lineup
Senior Lavin Douglass and juniors Ashleigh Heely and Paige Goaley have started every game (14) for the Bison this season. Douglass and Heely have started the last 19 games overall, dating back to last season. Heely has also played every minute for NDSU in 2022, logging 1260 minutes at the center back position.
 
Experience on Backline
The Bison have produced six cleansheets this season, with experience on the backline providing dividends in front of goal. The four main players on the backline for the Bison (McKenna Strand, Kaitlyn Hanson, Ashleigh Heely, and Jess Hanley) have combined to play in 183 games with 136 starts and 11,895 minutes.
 
Cleansheets Piling Up
The Bison have already scooped up six cleansheets this season, including three in a row in mid-September. NDSU had just five cleansheets combined in the last two seasons heading into 2022. The six cleansheets match a season high for the Bison in the Mike Regan era, matching six in 2019.
 
Peak Performers of the Week
Abby Wilkinson and Ashleigh Heely have both scooped up Summit League Defensive Peak Performer honors this season. Wilkinson received the honor after a career high 10 saves at Idaho in her second-straight shutout at the time. Heely picked up the honor the week prior, after playing all 180 minutes and anchoring the back line to shutout victories against Green Bay and Drake in a pair of 1-0 games.
 
Douglass Caps Senior Day With First Game Winner
Senior Lavin Douglass capped off a senior day victory for the Bison with her first career game-winning goal in the 80th minute against Drake earlier this season. The goal was the fourth of her career, and gave Douglass a goal in each of her four seasons in Fargo.
 
First Cleansheets
Goalkeepers Sofia Howe and Payton Mulberry each picked up their first career shutouts in 2022. Howe made two saves against Southern to record her first collegiate cleansheet. In the next game for NDSU, true freshman Payton Mulberry stopped four shots in her collegiate debut against Utah Tech, grabbing her first collegiate shutout in her first-ever start.
 
Wacek and Goaley Score, Set Up Goals Against Western Illinois
Sophomore Loretta Wacek and junior Paige Goaley each had career best games on Sunday in the win over Western Illinois, as the duo each scored a goal and assisted on another for their first-ever three-point games. Wacek had one career goal and one career assist prior to Sunday's tallies. Goaley had also never contributed to multiple goals in a game prior to Sunday. Wacek had a secondary assist on Kelsey Kallio's goal, while Goaley set up Wacek for the final goal of the game.
 
Goaley Strikes NDSU's Fastest Goal
Paige Goaley scored 37 seconds into the opener against Tarleton, the fastest goal in NDSU's program history. The goal broke the previous record of 39 seconds held by Lisa Leach, set on October 18, 1997 at Minnesota State-Mankato. The Div. 1 era record was 52 seconds into a match by Britney Monteon against Fort Wayne on October 22, 2017.
 
The Bison at Home
NDSU has a 46-26-5 record at Dacotah Field since moving from the Ellig Sports Complex at the start of the 2013 season. Heading into 2022, the Bison have had a .500 or better winning percentage at home in seven of the nine seasons.
 
NDSU Receives United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award
The Bison earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award over the summer, being recognized for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2021-22 academic year. To qualify for the award, a team must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher for the entire academic year. The Bison posted a 3.43 team GPA for 2021-22.
 
Picked Ninth in Summit League
North Dakota State was picked ninth in the Summit League preseason coaches' poll. The Bison received 17 points in the vote, slotting them one spot below where they finished the 2021 season. The Bison finished eighth last season after a 3-6-0 record with wins over Oral Roberts (picked 6th), St. Thomas (picked 8th) and North Dakota (picked 10th).
 
Lovick, Nead Named Summit League Players to Watch
Olivia Lovick and Alicia Nead were named Summit League Players to Watch in the league preseason release. Lovick, a forward, entered 2022 with eight career goals and three assists in two seasons. Nead, a midfielder, scored her first career goal in 2021, and also had an assist.
 
Team Captains
Senior Dani Stuber and junior Paige Goaley serve as the team captains. Stuber is in her fifth season with the Bison, while Goaley is in her fourth year. Both players are making their full returns in 2022 after missing considerable time with injuries.
 
Who's Back?
The Bison return seven starters from the 2021 squad, as well as 19 letter winners. Olivia Lovick is the top returning goal scorer, with eight career goals entering the season. Lavin Douglass and Jess Hanley also return with three goals each entering the year. Hanley, along with Kelsey Kallio, are the top returning assists leaders with six each heading into 2022. NDSU also returns two goalkeepers with considerable experience in Abby Wilkinson and Sofia Howe.
 
Head Coach Mike Regan
Mike Regan is in his fifth season as the helm of the Bison. Under Regan, NDSU has five All-Summit League selections, including four first team, as well as four Freshman Team/All-Newcomer Team selections and two All-Tournament picks.
 
Regan came to NDSU after two years as an assistant at Indiana. Prior to IU, he was an assistant at Drake for four seasons, where he was part of the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference championship team and MVC Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Before Drake, Regan was the head coach for the North Iowa Area Community College men's team for five seasons, posting a record of 74-17-6 and being named the NJCAA/ICCAC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year three times.
 
Up Next
North Dakota State will remain on the road next week, but the Bison will stay in North Dakota with just one game on the week. The Bison will make the short trek up I-29 to take on in-state rival North Dakota on Sunday, October 16. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. against the Fighting Hawks at Bronson Field.