FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State soccer team will hit the road for the final time in non-conference play, heading east to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to take on Marquette University on Friday, September 17. Kickoff in the first-ever meeting between the Bison and the Golden Eagles on the soccer pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Valley Fields.
Bison Looking to Snap Winless Drought
NDSU enters Friday’s non-conference finale looking to end a six-game winless streak and a seven-game winless streak in non-conference play. The Bison closed last year with a 3-1 win over Oral Roberts, but are 0-5-1 to begin this season. With non-conference games canceled last season, the Bison’s last non-conference win came against Eastern Washington, a 4-2 victory in Cheney, on September 20, 2019. The Bison would close the non-conference schedule in 2019 in the next game, falling at Utah Valley 3-2.
About Marquette
Marquette enters Thursday’s match up at 3-3-0 on the season, riding moments of high peaks and low valleys in the first month. After a thrilling 4-3 win over Central Michigan to start the year, the Golden Eagles dropped the next match 1-0 to Notre Dame. Marquette then suffered its worst loss of the year with a 7-0 defeat at Brigham Young, before falling in double overtime at Utah State 2-1. However, the Golden Eagles have won their last two, defeating Illinois-Chicago 1-0 before a big 3-0 victory over new Summit League school St. Thomas on Sunday.
Statistically, Marquette has been outscored 13-9 on the year, but they have recorded back-to-back cleansheets. Rachel Johnson, who has started all six games for MU, joins Maggie Starker and Katrina Wetherell as the joint scoring leaders for the Golden Eagles with two goals each. Starker and Wetherell each have an assist, sharing in a team high five points. Kylie Sprecher, who also has started all six games, leads the team with two assists. Redshirt freshman Mikki Easter has started and played in every game except the BYU game for the Golden Eagles, compiling a 3-2 record on goal. She has a 0.64 goals against average and has not allowed a goal in the last 180 minutes.
The Series with Marquette
Friday’s game between the Bison and Golden Eagles will be the first all-time meeting between the two schools on the soccer pitch. NDSU and Marquette have met just seven times in head-to-head competition in all sports, with every meeting in Milwaukee. The Bison are just 1-6 against Marquette as a department. The lone NDSU victory came on the hardwood in men’s basketball in 2006.
Against the State of Wisconsin
While North Dakota State has never played Marquette in women’s soccer, the Bison have played against teams from the state 14 times in program history, with the bulk of the meetings coming in the Division I era. The Bison are 9-5, including a win in the last meeting against a team from the Badger State, defeating Green Bay 4-1 in Wisconsin in 2018. NDSU is 5-5 in the Division I era.
The Bison have had success against teams from Wisconsin, but have been less successful playing in America’s Dairyland. NDSU is just 4-5 when playing in Wisconsin. However, the Bison have won two of the last three trips, with the only loss coming in overtime 2-1 to No. 14 Wisconsin in 2015. This will be the first-ever trip for the Bison to the city of Milwaukee.
On The Day
The Bison will play for the sixth time in program history on September 17, with the first meeting coming in 1999 at St. Cloud State. Marquette is the sixth different opponent on the day, and the Bison hold a 3-2 record overall. The Bison last played on the day in 2017, defeating Utah Valley 2-0 at Dacotah Field. The only other time the Bison have played on the day in the Division I era was in 2006, a 5-3 loss to Drake.
Wacek Makes Debut for Bison
Freshman Loretta Wacek made her official Bison and collegiate debuts in the last game against Creighton. The St. Paul, Minnesota native initially came off the bench to play the final six minutes in the first half. In the second half, the forward would come on with 11 minutes to go and immediately gave the offense a boost, recording her first shot, forcing the first and only save for Keelan Terrell on the evening. Minnesota Soccer Hub’s Top Performer in 2020, Wacek came to Fargo after leading St. Paul Central High School in goals and assists as a senior.
Schneider Playing Every Minute for Bison
Earlier this season against Pacific, Ellie Schneider surpassed 3,000 career minutes as a Bison, one of just three active players on the list to do so (Danielle Algera and Brookelyn Dew). The senior is the only player for the Bison to play all 560 minutes this season.
Algera Climbing Charts
Senior Danielle Algera is the active leader for the Bison in games played (74) and games started (67). The Winnipeg native is on pace to crack the top 10 (78) for the Bison in games played in mid-November. She is also five starts from the top 10 (72). Algera could climb to second in both categories this season. She is also the active leader in minutes played with 5,817.
Bison Have Recent History of Overcoming Slow Start
The Bison started the season 0-4. NDSU has started a season 0-4 one other time in the NCAA DI era, going 0-8 with just one goal in 2017. However, despite the slow start, the Bison finished 2017 with a second-place finish in the Summit League during the regular season. They also finished as the runner-up in the conference tournament.
On the Horizon
The Bison will take a two week break from competitive play before returning to action with the beginning of Summit League play on Friday, October 1, as North Dakota State welcomes in Oral Roberts University. Kickoff between the Bison and Golden Eagles to begin league play will be at 6 p.m. at Dacotah Field.
*Courtesy Benjamin Dishong, NDSU Athletics