Huber’s late goal key in a Bison championship victory
NDSU women’s soccer secured the TD Bank Classic championship title this last Sunday.
Elyse Huber played the role of hero for the Bison last Sunday. Her clutch goal in the 86 minute mark was enough to give the herd a 1-0 victory. The dub over New Hampshire secured the Bison the TD Bank Classic championship.
New Hampshire and the Bison were locked in a defensive battle for most of the match. Going into the half both teams had three shots on goal. New Hampshire ended up blinking first when Huber was able to find the back of the net. Huber’s goal was her 3rd of the weekend and helped her secure the MVP of the tournament. The Bison also had Laura Powell, Dani Stuber, and Ellie Schneider make the All-tournament team.
Despite the Bison victory, New Hampshire actually had the advantage in shots 16-11. After the game, Bison coach Mike Regan said “I thought they were the better team in the first half…we challenged the team at halftime and we were the better team in the second half. We need to be able to win tight games in the second half on Sundays.”
The win propelled the Bison to 3-0-1 on the year. Goalie Monica Polgar finished the game with seven saves and moved into third in NDSU history in wins with 29. “Monica was one of our best performers this weekend,” Regan said. “We defended well as a team, with Monica making some great saves in the net.”
A fourth year senior, Polgar is one of the team’s veteran leaders. Her experience and steadiness defending the net is one of the team’s best strengths. Having a rock like that at goalie can separate the good teams from the great ones.
Looking ahead, Hawaii comes to town on Friday to take on the herd. The Bison look to avenge last year’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Rainbow Warriors. The Bison should be brimming with confidence after the tournament championship. Playing in front of the home crowd makes the matchup even juicer.
The Bison do know that conference titles are not won in September. With over a month left until Summit League play kicks off, the herd are looking to find their identity as a team, and are off to a great start so far.