FARGO, N.D. - The Bison return home to the friendly confines of Dacotah Field for the first home games in Summit League play, as North Dakota State welcomes in St. Thomas and Western Illinois on Homecoming Weekend on the campus of NDSU. The Bison will take on St. Thomas on Friday to close out the month of September with a 6 p.m. kick. NDSU will then take on Western Illinois on Sunday, October 2 at 1 p.m.
 
Game Coverage
Both Friday and Sunday's games will be streamed live on NDSU All-Access. Live statistics will also be available. Links for all coverage will be available on GoBison.com.
 
Free Admission
As always at Dacotah Field, North Dakota State soccer home games are free admission and open to the public. Fans can enter Dacotah Field from the north side of the field off of 17th Ave N.
 
The Series (UST)
This is the second meeting between North Dakota State and St. Thomas, with last year's meeting the first for the Bison against the D1 transitioning program. NDSU won last season's meeting in double overtime in St. Paul. This is the Tommies first trip to Fargo.
 
Last Year (UST)
North Dakota State closed out the 2021 season with a 1-0 double overtime victory over the Tommies. Senior Brookelyn Dew scored a golden goal penalty kick in the 102nd minute to walk off her career with a win on her final touch. Fellow senior Aly Cole made a NDSU Div. 1 era record 15 saves for the cleansheet, later earning Summit League player of the week honors.
 
The Series (WIU)
This is the 20th meeting between North Dakota State and Western Illinois dating back to 2004. NDSU had won seven straight meetings before the streak was snapped last season with a WIU win in Macomb. The Bison hold a 12-6-1 record in the series. NDSU is 6-2-0 when WIU makes the trip to Fargo, including wins in the last four. The last loss in Fargo came in overtime, 2-1, in 2014.
 
Last Year (WIU)
Western Illinois snapped an eight-game losing skid to the Bison in come-from-behind fashion. Olivia Watson gave the Bison an early lead in the 14th minute, but WIU tied the game five minutes later and took the lead in the 29th minute. The Leathernecks would then add a third in the 39th minute before a final goal in the 84th with a penalty kick.
 
Summit League Play in Full Swing
The Bison opened up Summit League play last week in Denver and Omaha. The Bison fell at Denver 2-0 after giving up two goals in two minutes late in the first half. NDSU hit the woodwork, had a ball cleared off the line, an forced several full-stretch saves against the defending league champions. NDSU then fell in heartbreak fashion at Omaha. The Bison struck the woodwork again and produced several scoring opportunities. After leveling the game in the 85th minute, Omaha scored with 10 seconds remaining to defeat the Bison.
 
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 found herself on the scoresheet again last week, scoring in the 85th minute at Omaha. Kallio shares in the team lead in goals (2), assists (2) and points (6) this season. With her goal at Omaha, Kallio moved into a tie for second on the NDSU active list for career points (14).
 
Constants In the Lineup
Senior Lavin Douglass and juniors Ashleigh Heely, Jess Hanley and Paige Goaley have started every game (12) for the Bison this season. Douglass and Heely have started the last 17 games overall, dating back to last season. Heely has also played every minute for NDSU in 2022, logging 1080 minutes at the center back position.
 
Experience on Backline
The Bison have produced five 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 175 games with 131 starts and 11, 391 minutes.
 
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 last week 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.
 
Cleansheets Piling Up
The Bison have already scooped up five 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 Bison are just one shy of the six cleansheet tally from 2019, the most in the Mike Regan era.
 
Watson's Goals Leading to Wins
After two goals as a freshman, Olivia Watson has already matched that total in 2022. However, the sophomore's goals this year have carried more weight, serving as game winners. Watson scored the opener in a 2-0 win against Utah Tech and lifted the Bison over Green Bay in a 1-0 clash.
 
Lovick Scoring in Pairs
Olivia Lovick scored her ninth and then 10th career goals earlier this season, scoring in back-to-back games. The junior has scored every one of her goals in either back-to-back games, or with a brace. She has a pair of two-goal games, with her other six goals coming in back-to-back clusters.
 
Not Your Typical Goalie
Paige Goaley, who missed two seasons with a leg injury, has scored twice this year. The forward jumped straight into the scoring action, finding the net 37 seconds into her official return. She also scored in the third minute vs Chicago State.
 
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 have 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's First is Bison Game Winner
Sophomore Loretta Wacek, who previously had only assisted on a goal in her starting debut in 2021, netted her first collegiate goal earlier this season against Chicago State, scoring the game winner. Wacek broke a 1-1 tie in the 67th minute against the Cougars, sparking a late surge in a 4-1 win for NDSU.
 
Howe In Top 10 For Career Saves
Sofia Howe currently sits 10th in NDSU history for career saves, with 73 as a Bison. She is four behind Renee Keller for ninth overall. Howe is also sixth in NDSU's Div. 1 era, with Karli Kopietz next on that list at 100.
 
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 45-25-5 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
The Bison will head back out on the road next 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. The Bison have been to Tulsa just once (2019) since the start of the 2017 season.