Box Score VERMILLION, S.D. – North Dakota women's soccer emerged victorious in Vermillion Sunday afternoon, winning 1-0 against South Dakota in the regular season finale.

Cora Ellermann, in her final match as a Fighting Hawk, scored the game-winner in the 67th minute for the Fighting Hawks (6-9-2, 2-6-1 Summit League). She capped an incredible two-year stretch in Grand Forks with 35 career points and 12 goals. Last season, she set the program record for most assists in a season with nine, and this year, she demonstrated her goal-scoring ability by leading the team with seven goals on the year.

South Dakota (6-7-5, 3-4-3 Summit League) had more shots than North Dakota, and had four more shots at the net, but it wasn't enough to get the result. UND and USD both had five corner kicks, none of which led to scoring opportunities.

Despite the weight of this being the final match of the season for UND, the Fighting Hawks competed hard throughout. Once again, its defense showed positive signs of life throughout the first half. Hannah Peters led the way defensively, consistently intervening in USD shot attempts and picking up multiple blocks in front of the net.

Thale Ruether was on her toes for the majority of the first half, as the Coyotes attempted nine shots through the first 45 minutes of the game. She made two saves and exited the goalie box several times to keep the ball out of harms way.

The Coyotes outshot the Fighting Hawks, nine-to-five in the first half, with two of USD's shots at the net. The teams had one corner kick each entering the second half.

The shots wouldn't stop firing for both teams to start the second half as both teams added four attempts in the first 20 minutes. Ruther made two more saves in that span.

Momentum swung in the direction of the Hawks in the 67th minute, when Jojo Muelhaupt got fouled by USD goalkeeper Campbell Fisher within the penalty area, setting up a penalty kick for UND. Ellermann would be selected to execute the task at-hand, and with a swift boot from the right foot into the upper corner, UND had its first lead of the game.

The energy shifted to preservation for the Fighting Hawks for the remainder of the game, but the Coyotes wouldn't let up easily. USD quickly earned back-to-back corner kicks and took three shots in quick recession following them, but with no results.

There were no shots by either team for nearly eight minutes before South Dakota rattled off two, which Ruether deflected away from the net. The team's continued their back-and-forth to no avail for the Coyotes, as the clock expired with the Fighting Hawks still ahead, 1-0.

The 2026 season has come to a conclusion for the Fighting Hawks, as UND was edged out of the Summit League postseason tournament after finishing fourth in Pod A. UND concludes its season 6-9-2 overall with an improved 3-6-1 conference record.

Postgame Notes 

• The all-time series is now 19-15-6 in favor of South Dakota
• Three players in the field – Hannah Peters, Cora Ellermann and Bailee Zentner – played all 90 minutes
• Cora Ellermann scored her seventh goal of the season, the 12th of her career. She wraps her career at North Dakota as this season's goal leader and 35 career points
• Emma Montgomery made her fifth appearance of the season and first since playing at Oral Roberts on Oct. 18. She registered one shot in the contest
• Hannah Peters played all 90 minutes for the eighth match in a row. She finished the season with 1,493 total minutes played
• Seniors Avery Toms, Cora Ellermann and Annie Stook participated in their final match for North Dakota
• Thale Ruether had seven saves, improving her season total to 85

How It Happened 

Second Half
66:11 | UND – Cora Ellermann (1) unassisted

For more information on North Dakota soccer, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDsoccer.