Soccer Sweeps South Dakota Schools to Secure No. 1 Seed for Postseason Play

The final two games of the regular season for the North Dakota State women’s soccer team occurred in South Dakota this past week, which started on Thursday with the Coyotes of USD and wrapped up on Sunday against the Jackrabbits of SDSU.

A theme around this Bison team so far in 2026 has been low-scoring affairs. That changed on Thursday evening in Vermillion.

Payton Mulberry started off incredibly in the 12th minute with an unassisted goal to give the Bison an early 1-0 lead. A little under six minutes later, Taylor Mulligan tied things up with a goal assisted by Brooke Conway.

The scoring cooled off for a brief period before Morgan Russman knocked one in the goal for the Herd, assisted by Gabrielle Garrett, which gave NDSU their second lead of the night. That would be the score heading into the second half as the Bison looked to even up their overall record for the season.

Klarrisa Vegas tied things up for the Coyotes in the 60th minute with an unassisted goal. After no points were scored for the next 26 minutes, the chaotic final three minutes brought about a close in Vermillion.

In the 88th minute, Russman gave NDSU a lead with a goal, only for Elside Odney to tie things up 28 seconds later. It looked as if the Bison would have yet another tie before Isabel Garcia gave NDSU the lead with just 37 seconds remaining.

The Bison took home win number six of the season, defeating the Coyotes 4-3. Despite being outshot 27-15, the Bison prevailed and got ready to travel to Brookings for a showdown with the Jacks the following Sunday afternoon.

This game with the Jacks was like most of NDSU’s games this season: low-scoring.

It took over 21 minutes, but Garrett put the Bison on the board with a goal assisted by Ava Stanchina, giving the Bison the only goal they would need. Mulberry pitched yet another shutout for the Bison in a 1-0 win.

NDSU now sits at 7-6-6 to end the regular season, and is riding on a four-game win streak entering postseason play. With those wins, the Bison earned the No. 1 seed in pod A, putting them in the driver’s seat.

They received a first-round bye into the semifinals for a trip to the championship game. NDSU’s semifinal game will take place on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Oral Roberts, and if they are to advance, they will play in the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 15, taking a trip to the NCAA tournament.

The Bison now have a 10-day period to get ready for their playoff run as they search for their first Summit League championship since 2010. A 16-year gap is at stake for the Bison as we head into postseason soccer.