Even with offense stalling, UND shows signs of promise

Sports can be unfair sometimes, just ask any Minnesota sports fan. This weekend, the University of North Dakota women’s soccer team was victims of two tough losses on the road.

UND started their road trip with a quick drive down to Fargo and looked to notch a victory over its in-state rivals North Dakota State University. However the Bison were not going to have the Green and White come onto their turf and leave with a victory, let alone a draw.

This game was a defensive bout, as neither team could put the ball in the net during regular time. The shutout continued through the first overtime in which UND goalkeeper Olivia Swenson only had to make one save. It was not until the 107th minute in the second overtime that game ended with NDSU’s Roxy Roemer strike. Despite the heartbreaker, there are plenty of positives to look at. UND goalkeeper Olivia Swenson tallied nine saves against the Bison while UND was able to record twelve shots. The defense also has a good day making life hard for the Bison offense and keeping them from scoring.

After the close game, the Green and White headed down to Waterloo, Iowa to face off against the University of Northern Iowa and bounce back.

Unfortunately for them, Northern Iowa would have other plans and went on to record a 2-0 victory over the Green and White on Sunday.

“We were not ready to play today and it was evident in the 2nd half,” head coach Matt Kellogg said. “UNI beat us to every ball and wanted it more today.”

One of UND’s main problems from the previous year seemed to rear it’s ugly head in the fact that UND could not score a goal all weekend.

Despite a rough weekend on the road, there are plenty of silver linings for the young squad.

After only netting six goals last year, the UND women’s soccer team has eight goals through seven games. While it is a vast improvement from the previous season, UND needs to continue to improve on offense in order to keep winning and being competitive.

The absence of scoring is not because of a lack of trying. The squad has been able to convert more shots versus their opponents with a higher shot percentage than its opponents this season.

One of the reason’s for the team’s improvement this season is due to its young talent and the upperclassmen leading the way.

Hailing from Oregon, freshman forward Katie Moller has made a quick impact in the starting rotation, already notching two goals. Junior forward Zoe Foster has also been a factor, matching Moller’s two goals and leading this team by example.  

UND now has a week to fix their offensive problems and prepare for a big away match with South Dakota State this Sunday in Brookings, South Dakota.

Jack Harvey is a sports writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]