GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota soccer dropped its Summit League competition to South Dakota, 2-0, behind two goals from the Coyotes' Klarissa Vega on Sunday afternoon at Bronson Field.
The Fighting Hawks (5-5-1, 1-2-0 Summit League) trailed the Coyotes (4-4-3, 1-1-1 Summit League) in shots for the entirety of the match. South Dakota held a 19-to-8 advantage in the shot category, with 12 of its attempts on goal. The Coyotes also led in corner kicks, nine to five. North Dakota's
Thale Ruether made 10 saves, marking her second time this season with double figure stops.
Defense highlighted the match for the majority of the first half. A midfield battle had ensued from first kick, with neither team relinquishing field position early on. The Coyotes broke through with a goal 21 minutes remaining in the first half when Vega cut across the net and capitalized off a feed from Brooke Nelson to put South Dakota ahead by one.
South Dakota continued the pressure, finishing the first half with 11 shots, five of which were on goal. The Fighting Hawks only mounted three shots, coming from
Charlie Basinet,
Hunter Borgel and
Jojo Muelhaupt. All three attempts were at the net, forcing South Dakota goalkeeper Cambell Fischer to make a trio of saves by the end of the half.
Despite early offensive looks for the Fighting Hawks, Vega nabbed her second goal of the game off an assist from Kinsley Pesicka. The Coyote goal came in in the 57th minute, and they would hold on for the remainder of the contest.
The Fighting Hawks had an opportunity early in the second half with a pair of corner kicks as well as a free kick, but the Coyote defense held firm. Basinet headed a ball toward the goal that was just offline, then with less than a minute remaining, another shot on goal came for the Fighting Hawks but was halted in the crowded box.
North Dakota is back in action at Bronson Field on Oct. 4 for a Summit League contest against Omaha. The match is set to begin at 3 p.m. CT.
Postgame Notes
- All-time, the Fighting Hawks are now 14-19-6 against the Coyotes
- Thale Ruether had 10 saves in the match, her second career match in double-digits
- Charlie Basinet paced North Dakota with three shots, including one on goal
- Addison Stadden spent all 90 minutes on the field for UND
- South Dakota led the match in corner kicks, 9-to-5
How It Happened
First Half
21:29 | USD – Klarissa Vega (1) assisted by Brooke Nelson
Second Half
57:04 | USD – Klarissa Vega (2) Kinsley Pesicka
For more information on North Dakota soccer, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media
@UNDsoccer.
