A three-day weekend sits on the horizon, and Bison athletics are here to fill it. All the fall sports are active this weekend across the region. Here is what’s on tap for the busy weekend.
Women’s soccer
Mike Regan’s home coaching debut got thunder struck last weekend as storms forced the cancellation of the Weber State game. After a five-day delay, Northern Colorado’s visit will be the first time Fargo gets to see the team under their new coach.
The Bears come to Fargo with a 1-2 record, with both losses coming by a single goal. NDSU have had a single match so far with two being cancelled. The Bison thumped Green Bay 4-1 in their opener, the most goals scored in an opener since 2010.
The Bison return to action at Dacotah Field just two days later, playing host to Drake. The Bulldogs enter the weekend at 1-3 on the season. The match will be a good measure for the Bison, as Summit League rival South Dakota State beat Drake 1-0 at home last weekend.
Volleyball
A busy weekend for the Bison volleyball team features four games in three days in two cities. Bison fans heading down to the Minnesota State Fair can take a 5-mile detour in Minneapolis to Maturi Pavilion at the University of Minnesota.
NDSU head down to the Diet Coke Classic and get the hosts right out of the gate. The No. 3-ranked Golden Gophers present the toughest test for the Bison this season on Friday night.
A Saturday doubleheader against Arkansas and Georgia Southern close out the tournament for the Bison.
NDSU returns to Fargo to open up Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse Sunday. Western Carolina makes the trip to play the Bison at 3 p.m. The Catamounts have not lost heading into this weekend’s action, but will play three games in Grand Forks before taking on the Bison.
Cross-country
Both men’s and women’s cross-country teams open up their seasons by hosting the Bison Open at the Rose Creek Golf Course in Fargo. NDSU will square off against South Dakota State and North Dakota at the meet.
On the men’s side, the Bison were picked second in the Summit League, with senior Elliot Stone expected to lead the Bison after a fifth-place finish at the Summit League Championship last year. Coming off a redshirt year, senior Cameron Roehl will look to make it two wins at the Bison Open after he finished first in 2017.
For the Bison women, the pair that went 1-2 at the Bison Open return for the No. 3 picked squad in the Summit League. Senior Annika Rotvold took home first place at the meet last year, and she is expected to be up at the sharp end of the race with sophomore Kelby Anderson. Anderson was the top finisher at the Summit League Championships for the Bison last year.
Golf
The fall season gets underway for both Bison golf teams this weekend, who won Summit League Championships last spring.
For the Bison women, the difficult task of replacing last year’s Summit League Golfer of the Year Natalie Roth begins. The good news for the Bison is that the four others from last year’s team return. Emma Groom will be the only senior on the squad. Sophomore Taylor McCorkle and junior Sierra Bennion also return after top-10 performances at the Summit League Championships last year.
The Bison women tee off the season Friday at the Omaha Invitational at ArborLinks Golf Club, the same course that held the Summit League Championships last year.
The men will also just have to replace one member from last year’s championship winning team. Returning is low-scorer junior Andrew Israelson and newcomer of the year, sophomore Van Holmgren.
NDSU will begin the year in Verona, New York at the Turning Stone-Tiger Intercollegiate Saturday at the Kaluhyat Golf Club.
Non-Bison events
The FBS football season kicks off with a pair of top-25 matchups. No. 6 Washington and No. 9 Auburn square off in Atlanta Saturday afternoon for the first top-10 game of the year. The primetime game of interest sees Jim Harbaugh’s No. 14 Michigan travel to South Bend, Indiana to face No. 12 Notre Dame.
The NASCAR regular season starts to wind down and hits the throwback button at Darlington this week. Most drivers will have retro liveries at the short track, including Matt Kenseth with an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile-esque paint job.
Fans of dramatic soap operas will want to wake up early Sunday for prime footballing drama. Manchester United stumble into Turf Moor to take on Burnley. United manager Jose Mourinho is at odds with the club’s front office, and time seems to be running out on everyone at the club. The Red Devils are coming off back-to-back losses against Brighton and Tottenham, and a loss to the Clarets could spell doom.