THE OPENING KICK: The University of Minnesota Duluth continues its six-game road swing to start the 2018 season with a matchup against the University of North Dakota in East Grand Forks, N.D. The Bulldogs (1-1-0) are coming off a two-game road swing in Michigan to face the unbeaten Fighting Hawks (3-0-1). First kick is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. at East Grand Forks Senior High School.
SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTH DAKOTA: The Fighting Hawks are returning home after going 1-0-1 in the Montana Invitational over the weekend. They defeated Idaho 1-0 and played Montana to a scoreless draw. North Dakota has yet to allow a goal in 2018 while averaging two goals a game itself. The Hawks are coached by second-year head coach Chris Logan.
Six Hawks have tallied a goal this season with Katie Moller finding the back of the net three times already. She has a team-high seven points (3-1--7) with 14 shots -- six shots more than any other teammate. Cassie Giddings is the other premier striker for North Dakota, scoring once in her eight attempts. Olivia Swenson has started in all four games and produced three shutouts with 362:51 minutes without allowing a goal to start the season. She has seen 49 shots and stopped all 20 on goal.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs are 2-6-3 in their 11 meetings with the Fighting Hawks. UMD has not renewed its rivalry with North Dakota since 2007 during the North Central Conference days. The latest meeting between the two clubs ended in a 0-0 tie. The Bulldogs did defeat UND 2-0, however, two weeks prior.
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD stacks up against Michigan Tech in both their respective conference coaches poll, their records last season, and the latest United Soccer Coaches poll.
TEAM CONFERENCE RECORD POLL
UMD 6th (NSIC) 1-1-0 NR
UND 5th (Summit) 3-0-1 NR
LIVE STATS: To follow the action via live stats follow the link: fightinghawks.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
KICK IT BACK TO LAST WEEK: UMD went 1-1 on the road to begin the 2018 campaign, falling 2-0 to Michigan Tech and knocking out Northern Michigan by the same score. Sophomore forward Holly Kaboord had a game-high three shots against the Huskies. Senior goalkeeper Carlye Wright got the nod in goal each game and earned her fourth career shutout with a four-save performance against the Wildcats. Freshman midfielder Julia Osborne collected her first collegiate goal in the 65th minute and senior defender Erika Hjort added an insurance marker in the 90th minute. The Bulldogs have won four straight over NMU.
RECAPPING THE 2017 SEASON: The Bulldogs finished the 2017 season with a 10-5-4 record and hit double-digit victories for the 14th time in 24 seasons. Their record was an improvement from the 8-6-5 record the season prior. UMD started 3-0 for first time since 2005 and went 242:35 seconds without allowing a goal to start the year, which was the longest stint to start a season since the inaugural season in 1994. The season concluded with the Bulldogs going 9-0-3 when scoring first and they, for the first time since 2013, had a winning road record as they rounded up six road wins in a season for the first time in eight years.
The road to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference postseason was a nail-biter as it came down to the final game of the season. The Bulldogs clinched the last playoff spot in a 1-0 victory over the University of Minnesota Crookston. Minnesota State Mankato was pushed to a 1-1 tie after overtime but managed to win in PKs 9-8, which was the longest shootout in NSIC postseason history.
OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS: A trio of seniors, goalkeeper Sisley Ng, defender Erika Hjort and midfielder Laura Edgren have been entrenched with the 'C' responsibilities for this fall. Ng is listed as the captain while Hjort and Edgren are the alternates.
BRINGING THE PACK BACK: UMD returns 22 letterwinners from last season including eight starters and two all-conference players. The Bulldogs have 15 upperclassmen, 10 of those seasoned veterans are seniors suiting up in their final collegiate seasons.
THE NEW DOGS ON THE BLOCK: The Bulldogs added six freshmen, a redshirt freshman from Northern Michigan and a goalie formerly on the UMD women's hockey team to the 2018 roster. All six freshmen -- forward Hannah Caldwell (Prior Lake, Minn.), forward Mandy Conkel (Eagan, Minn.), defender Kirsten Dagel (Eden Prairie, Minn.), midfielder Alli Jenkins (Coon Rapids, Minn.), midfielder Ebelin Morales Benites (Minneapolis, Minn.), and midfielder Julia Osborne (Andover, Minn.) -- hail from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Rebecca Osborne is a goalkeeper transfer from Green Bay, Wis., and Jessica Convery, a native of Commence Township, Mich., joins the soccer team after exhausting her hockey eligibility.
NSIC COACHES PICK BULLDOGS SIXTH: UMD was picked to finish sixth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for the second consecutive year according to the NSIC coaches' poll. The Bulldogs were selected behind Minnesota State Mankato, Bemidji State, Augustana, Minot State, and Concordia-St. Paul.
HJORT AND ST. MARTIN SELECTED PRESEASON PLAYER TO WATCH FOR: Senior forward Natalie St. Martin was selected the Bulldogs' offensive preseason player to watch and senior defender Erika Hjort was selected the defensive preseason player to watch for the second consecutive season. St. Martin accumulated three goals and nine assists for 15 points. Her nine assists last season were second most in the NSIC and 21st overall in the nation. Hjort has started 34 of the last 36 games for 2,990 minutes. She recorded three points with a goal and an assist in 2017 and anchored the UMD defense with 15 career shutouts including five last season.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will start Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this Sunday, Sept. 9 at St. Cloud State University. Game time of the NSIC opener is slated for 7:00 p.m.
