NDSU Hosts Oral Roberts in Summit League Semifinal

FARGO, N.D. – Fresh off of a Summit League Regular Season Championship, the North Dakota State soccer program will host No. 5 seed Oral Roberts in the Summit League Championships semifinal on Thursday, November 7. Kickoff between the Bison and Golden Eagles is set for 3:30 p.m. at Dacotah Field.
 
Game Coverage
Thursday’s semifinal will be streamed live on the Summit League Network through the Midco Sports Plus App and also will have live statistics. Links for all coverage are available via gobison.com.
 
Tickets and Parking
Tickets for Thursday’s semifinal at Dacotah Field will be $10 for adults (18+) and $5 for youth (3-17). Tickets will be valid for both Summit League Soccer Semifinal games. Parking outside of Dacotah Field in the Fargodome lots will be free until 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Parking will be $5 from 3:30 p.m. on.
 
The Series
The Bison and Oral Roberts will meet for the 20th time in series history on Thursday and the second time this season. The Bison lead the series with a 11-5-3 mark, dating back to the first-ever meeting on October 26, 2007. Prior to a 2-1 win for NDSU on October 10, ORU had won the last three, including a postseason game in extra time in 2022. NDSU is 8-2-1 at home against the Golden Eagles.
 
Final Day Thriller
The Bison claimed the Summit League Regular Season Championship on the final day of the regular season, coming from behind with two second-half goals to beat St. Thomas 2-1. With Denver’s win on the final day, the Bison needed to win to claim the No. 1 seed and win the title outright. Morgan Russmann scored goals in the 61st and 67th minute to erase the deficit and lift NDSU to the top of the league table.
 
Seventh to First
North Dakota State was picked seventh in the Summit League preseason coaches’ poll and set a Summit League record, becoming the first program to miss the postseason and go on to win the Summit League Regular Season Championship the following year.
 
Russmann Claims NDSU D1 Freshman Record
Morgan Russmann scored two goals in the regular season finale, bringing her season total to 11 and claiming the NDSU freshman goals record for the Division I era. The Bettendorf, Iowa native matched and then passed Lauren Miller’s 10 goals scored in 2013. The overall freshman record at NDSU is 14 goals, held by Nicole VandenBos in the second-ever season for the Bison.
 
Russmann Sets Summit League First
Morgan Russmann became the first Summit League player to be named Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in the same season. Russmann is the first freshman to win a Player of the Year (Offensive, Defensive, or Goalkeeper) award in the Summit League.
 
NDSU Matches Program Record
The Bison matched a program record by earning four of the six individual awards, which are voted on by the league’s nine head coaches. South Dakota State was the most recent to do it in 2019. The Bison also took four individual honors in the 2015 season.
 
Regan, Russmann and Mulberry Headline Summit League Honors
North Dakota State’s Morgan Russmann, Payton Mulberry, and head coach Mike Regan headlined the 2024 Summit League honors. Russmann was named the Summit League Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, while Mulberry was named the Goalkeeper of the Year and Regan earned Coach of the Year honors. It was the first league postseason honor for all three.
 
NDSU Places Six on All-League Teams
Payton Mulberry, Morgan Russmann, and Amaya Garrett were named to the All-Summit League First Team. Hannah Arnold and Olivia Watson received All-Summit League Second Team honors and Gabrielle Garrett was named honorable mention All-Summit League. Russmann also received All-Newcomer Team accolades.
 
Back-to-Back Goalkeeper of the Year Honors for NDSU
Payton Mulberry became the second straight Bison to win the Goalkeeper of the Year award last week, following in the footsteps of Abby Wilkinson last season. It’s the fourth Goalkeeper of the Year honor for NDSU and the second time the Bison have won back-to-back, with Sierra Bonham winning in 2014 and 2015.
 
Russmann Adds Second Peak Performer Honor
Morgan Russmann claimed her second-straight Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honor after the regular season finale two-goal performance. Russmann swept the awards the week before, alongside Olivia Watson. NDSU claimed three Peak Performer honors this season, all coming in the final two weeks.
 
What’s Next?
With a win over Oral Roberts, North Dakota State will advance to the Summit League Championship game against either No. 2 seed Denver or No. 3 seed South Dakota State. The Summit League Championship game will be held Sunday, November 10 at Dacotah Field, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.