FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State soccer will officially embark on the 2024 season this week with a pair of games in Wisconsin, traveling to Viterbo for the season opener on Thursday, August 15, before taking on Green Bay on Sunday August 18. Both games are slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
 
Game Coverage
Both Thursday and Sunday's matches will be streamed live and also have live statistics. Links for all coverage are available via gobison.com.
 
The Pearl Year
The 2024 season for NDSU Soccer will be the program's 30th year of competition after the program officially started during the 1995-96 season.
 
Preseason Notables
The Bison played a pair of exhibition games last week, recording a 12-0 victory over Dakota Wesleyan at home before falling 2-3 to Drake in Minneapolis on Sunday. Freshman Morgan Russmann scored a hat trick against Dakota Wesleyan and added a goal against Drake, while senior Jess Hanley scored a goal in each game as well. Freshmen Milla Klostermann and Alexandra Austmann Emilsdóttir scored in their debuts against DWU, along with five other Bison who got on the scoresheet.
 
Season Openers
NDSU is 16-11-2 all-time in season openers dating back to the program's first match in September of 1995. In NDSU's Division I era, the Bison are 10-8-2 overall in season openers. Thursday will be the 14th time the Bison open the season away from home, holding an 8-4-1 record all-time and a 5-3-1 record in DI play. The last time the Bison opened the season away from home, NDSU drew level with Tarleton in Louisiana, 1-1 in 2022.
 
Picked Seventh in Summit League
North Dakota State was picked seventh overall in the preseason coaches' poll announced on Tuesday, Aug. 13, recording 24 points in the voting by the coaches. The Bison finished seventh last season after a 1-3-4 record in league play.
 
Garrett, Watson Named Summit League Players to Watch
Amaya Garrett and Olivia Watson have been named Summit League Players to Watch in the league preseason release on Tuesday.
 
Watson, a senior from Moorhead, Minnesota, is tied for the active lead in career goals for NDSU with 12 entering her final season. Watson had four goals and a pair of assists last season and recorded a career best six goals during her sophomore campaign. Overall, she has 28 career points and five game-winning goals with more than 3,000 minutes of game action.
 
Garrett returns for her sophomore campaign after a stellar start to her collegiate career last season. The Omaha, Nebraska native scored four goals from the back line during her freshman season, including a pair of game winners to aid in being named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team. Garrett started every game for NDSU and played nearly 1,500 minutes for the Bison, primarily on the back line.
 
The Series - Viterbo
Thursday's season opener will be the first ever meeting between the Bison and V-Hawks in the regular season, with all previous matches coming in the preseason. The last time the two teams met, NDSU claimed a 7-0 win in an exhibition game at Dacotah Field on August 11, 2022. The Bison also have a 3-0 win in 2019 and a 2-0 victory in 2015.
 
The Series - Green Bay
North Dakota State will carry a four-game win streak into the ninth all-time meeting against the Phoenix. The Bison are 6-2 in the all-time series, and 3-2 in Green Bay. NDSU recorded a 1-0 win on September 9, 2022 in Fargo when the two last met. In the last meeting in Green Bay, NDSU claimed a 4-1 victory on August 19, 2018.
 
In the Badger State
The Bison have played 10 games in the state of Wisconsin in program history, with the most recent trip coming in 2021 at Marquette. NDSU is 4-6 when playing in "America's Dairyland". Three of NDSU's four wins in Wisconsin have come against Green Bay.
 
Young Bison
For the second-straight season, the Bison bring in a large freshman class, as NDSU sees 10 freshmen on the roster. NDSU has 18 freshman and sophomores on the squad, but also has eight seniors to lead the way. The Bison have one of the youngest squads for average experience in the country, averaging 1.35 years of collegiate soccer per player on the roster heading into the season.
 
Lovick, Watson On Verge of D1 Era Top 10 for NDSU
Seniors Olivia Lovick and Olivia Watson each have 12 goals for the Bison entering the season, sitting one shy of cracking the top 10 for career goals at NDSU in the Division I era. Abbe Stratton and Malley O'Brien sit at 13 for NDSU and in 10th overall. Brooklyn Dyce (14) Holly Enderle and Michelle Gaffaney (15) and Mariah Haberle (16) would be next on the list for the two to catch.
 
International Flair
NDSU has six international student-athletes on the squad this season, including five freshmen. Joining junior Devon Kavanagh (Canada) this season are freshman Alexandra Austmann Emilsdóttir (Iceland), Sarah Horn and Sophie Horn (Germany), Lori Škulj (Slovenia), and Amber Smith (United Kingdom). Fellow freshman Milla Klostermann was also born in Russia, before being adopted and raised in California, bringing the total to seven internationally born Bison.
 
Twin Bison
North Dakota State is dressing a pair of twins this season with returning sophomores Amaya Garrett and Gabrielle Garrett being joined by Sarah Horn and Sophie Horn. 21 teams will have a set of twins on their roster this season, with 24 total sets of twins. NDSU is one of just three teams with two sets of twins on the same roster.
 
On the Road Early
The Bison are slated to play 18 games this season, with the schedule featuring nine of the 10 road games in the first 13 overall. The Bison make the early trip to Wisconsin, along with a three-game stretch in Hawaii during the first month. NDSU will also play in Minnesota during the non-conference portion of the schedule and then begin Summit League play with three straight away from home.
 
St. Aubin Joins NDSU Soccer Staff
Ashley St. Aubin comes to the Bison from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, where she spent the last two seasons as an assistant, helping to guide the Eagles to back-to-back WIAC regular season and tournament championships, as well as trips to the NCAA third round and quarterfinals.
 
NDSU Receives United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award
In August the Bison were named a United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award recipient, being recognized for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2023-24 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 3.44 team GPA for the academic year.
 
What's Next?
The Bison will open up the home schedule at Dacotah Field, welcoming in Alabama State on Thursday, Aug. 22. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m., with the game being televised on WDAY Xtra and the Summit League Network.