The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) today released its 2021 Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. The UMD Bulldogs were ranked 11th with 103 points. The top five schools were four-time defending conference champion Minnesota State with 218 points and nine first-place votes, Augustana (202), Concordia-St. Paul (200), Bemidji State (194), and St. Cloud State (165).
The Bulldogs are eager to get back on the pitch for their first NCAA competition since late 2019. Head Coach Greg Cane's 27th season at the helm is shaping up to be a good one, with 12 new players from two recruiting classes joining 18 returning players. With 30 players on the roster and a mix of veterans and new faces at every position, everyone will be competing for playing time from the start.
Senior captain Holly Kaboord was named a player to watch for the Bulldogs' offense. Kaboord led the team in shots (34) and shots on goal (20) during her sophomore campaign and is poised to continue her impressive stat run this season. The attack-minded midfielder played in all 18 games of the 2019 season, starting in 16, and logged the third-most minutes of anyone on the 2019 team with 1369. Kaboord scored her first career game-winning goal over the previous Division II champions Bridgeport on September 12, 2019.
Goalkeeper Sophia Grenz, the Bulldogs' player to watch on defense, played in all 18 games of the 2019 season--an impressive 1711 minutes--and looks to continue to backstop the Bulldogs. She recorded a .768% save percentage that season with a total of 87 saves, good for ninth all-time at UMD.
The Bulldogs went 6-10-2 overall in the 2019 season with a 4-9-2 mark in NSIC conference play. The team will take the field in Houghton, Michigan, for their first NCAA competition in two years when they play Michigan Tech on September 2nd. The NSIC slate kicks off on September 17th at home against Minot State.
The NSIC Tournament is scheduled for November 10, 12, 14. The top four seeds will host the first round. The semifinal and championship rounds will be held at campus sites of the highest remaining seed.
