A Tight Contest at Dacotah Field
The North Dakota State women's soccer squad opened its season at home against Marquette, battling to a 2-0 defeat in front of a modest crowd at Dacotah Field. The match unfolded as a cautious affair, with both sides wary of early missteps.
Marquette drew first blood in the 10th minute when Megan Murray capitalized on an errant back pass, slotting the ball past NDSU keeper Payton Mulberry to put the visitors ahead.
The Bison responded with a flurry of attacks, but Marquette goalkeeper Mia Hurd stood firm, repelling shots from Morgan Russmann and Gabrielle Garrett. One Russellmann strike struck the crossbar and bounced back into the net, only to be ruled offside.
Mulberry continued to shine between the posts, recording his 102nd career save and passing former record‑holder Karli Kopietz in the process. His performance kept the game within reach despite the growing deficit.
In the 85th minute, Murray struck again, pouncing on a rebound after Hurd’s initial save to extend Marquette’s lead to 2-0. The goal capped a night in which the Bison outshot their opponents 5-3 in corner kicks but could not find a breakthrough.
Looking ahead, NDSU will host Minnesota at Dacotah Field on Thursday, August 20, at 6 p.m., hoping to rebound from the early‑season loss and fine‑tune its defensive strategies.