GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota soccer team moved into the win column for the first time in the 2024 season on Wednesday afternoon as the Fighting Hawks blanked neighboring Minnesota Crookston 3-0 to improve to 1-0-2 on the young season.
Freshman goalkeeper Grace Miller won for the first time in her career as she did not face a single shot by the Golden Eagles which marks the first time an opponent failed to record a shot attempt at Bronson Field in two dozen years.
UND found the back of the net in the early going as sophomore Kaylie Fowler headed in a delivery from Mary Gasaway in the fourth minute of action. Fowler's put away went top center of the netting as did junior Amelia Loeffler's shot on goal 28 minutes later as she scored with a header to capitalize off a well-placed corner kick from sophomore Milan Cordone.
The Fighting Hawks carried a 2-0 lead into the intermission and the two sides would go scoreless over the next 31 minutes of play. In the 77th minute, Jessica Machovec took advantage of an impressive cross-field lead by senior Irene Jirasevijinda and finished at the bottom right corner for UND's final goal in the victory.
UND returns to action on Sunday at Bronson Field for a 1 p.m. match against Alabama State. It will be the first meeting all-time between the two programs. The Fighting Hawks will put a 7-0-0 record against SWAC opponents on the line. Fans can follow the action live on the Summit League Network with Chad O'Shea on the call. The match can also be viewed on Midco Sports and fans can track the action with live stats at www.FightingHawks.Statbroadcast.com.
Postgame Notes
- NoDak remains unbeaten at 12-0 in the all-time series against UMC
- With the trio of goals on Wednesday, the Fighting Hawks' scoring advantage over Minnesota Crookston moves to 47-3 since 1999
- The win over UMC gives the Fighting Hawks their first three-game unbeaten streak to begin a season since 2019
- UND improves to 4-3-1 in home openers under head coach Chris Logan and to 10-5-2 in home openers in the program's DI Era
- UND recorded 36 shots: its most in a contest since recording 37 on the road in a 12-0 victory over Alcorn State on September 16, 2018
- The Fighting Hawks' 17 shots on goal in the win are the most by the program since delivering 19 in a 7-0 win at Southern on August 28, 2021
- The zero shots allowed by UND match the Bronson Field record set on September 3, 2000, against Minnesota Crookston
- UMC recorded 14 saves
- UND registered nine corner kicks with the Golden Eagles recording none
From Associate Head Coach Henrik Sohn
On the challenge coming off a quick turnaround
"Yeah, it's definitely challenging not really being well rested after a long week on the road because it turned out to be pretty much a week, but that's not an excuse. We can't use it as an excuse for anything. I don't think a successful team does that. Overall, I think we could have done better today. You know we had a lot of chances, and we got to finish those chances…We need to be better than this, we need to be more clinical and go back to the drawing board to figure out a way to put those chances away."
How It Happened
First Half
· 4' – UND | Kaylie Fowler heads in her first goal of the season on an assist from Mary Gasaway
· 32' – UND | Amelia Loeffler heads in her first goal of the season off a corner kick from Milan Cordone
Second Half
· 77' – UND | Jessica Machovec finds the bottom right corner for a strong finish from an impressive lead by Irene Jirasevijinda
For more information on North Dakota Soccer, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDsoccer.
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