The University of Minnesota Duluth capped off their last conference weekend with a 1-0 win over Northern State. The Bulldogs came up big late in the second half with a goal. After over 70 minutes of no scores, the Bulldogs pulled off a two-win weekend and came away with six points on the weekend.
UMD -- who has won its last four games and has an unbeaten streak of five games -- has given up just one goal over the last four games and posted three shutouts over that same span. The Bulldogs unbeaten streak has pushed UMD into a tie for sixth place -- a crucial landing spot in the NSIC since the top-eight teams make the conference playoffs.
"Everyone knew all the chips were in this game, and we came to play. The first fifteen minutes set the tone of the game. They challenged us in the second half," said head coach
Greg Cane "We found ways to keep the ball on the ground and make plays, obviously we delivered."
The Bulldogs controlled the ball heavily in the first half. The Northern State defense however was able to keep the Bulldogs in a no-score half. The Bulldog midfield showed their strength today in handling the ball and allowing for a heavy offensive first half. Senior
Daisy Miller led the charge for the Bulldogs, giving them their first shot of the day, a blast that dove down from the cross bar and hit the NSU goaltender in the back, but never crossed the goal line.
The first corner of the game went to Northern State, but the kick went long, ending in another Bulldog possession. The Bulldogs created several strong scoring chances, but were unable to slip one past the Wolves' goalkeeper. The Wolves were able to create good pressure on the Bulldogs defense, but not enough to make it past the Bulldogs' back line.
UMD kept finding success in the second half by putting high, quick pressure on the Wolves, who struggled to maintain possession, but would flip the switch midway through the half. The Wolves would go on to create a few plays in Bulldog territory but were unsuccessful.
The Bulldogs were the first team on the board, when sophomore
Anna Tobias scored the lone goal of the match. She was assisted by freshman
Myra Moorjani and senior
Lauren Singstock. Tobias played the ball from Moorjani and Singstock and landed her fourth goal of the season in the top left corner.
The Wolves would then start to put more pressure offensively on the Bulldogs, maintaining possession late in the second half. Their efforts were too little too late and became the Bulldogs' fifth shutout of the season.
The Bulldogs, 8-6-3 and 7-4-3 in the NSIC, will stay at home for their final regular season conference match of the season against the St. Cloud State Huskies for senior night. Kick-off will be on Oct. 27 at 6:00pm.
