GRAND FORKS, N.D. –  It happened early, often and throughout the opening 45 minutes of action on Sunday afternoon from Bronson Field as the North Dakota soccer team blitzed Alabama State with six first-half goals on their way to a 7-0 victory and a second-straight win.

The Fighting Hawks (2-0-2) found the scoreboard early in the contest as Julia Briggs connected with Kaylie Fowler who scored for the second time this season with a third-minute strike for a 1-0 UND lead.

North Dakota pushed in two more goals over the next four minutes. Milan Cordone scored off a corner opportunity in the fifth minute and then UND used a pair of head taps in the seventh minute to build a quick 3-0 advantage. Amelia Loeffler found the net with a header on a headed pass from Mary Gasaway who delivered as a result of a second successful corner attempt from Cordone.

While the three early goals would have been more than enough for UND, the Fighting Hawks were just getting started and found the scoreboard again in the 23rd minute as Jessica Machovec took advantage of a misplayed effort in the box by the Lady Hornets (1-2-0) and squeezed in a short attempt on a helper by Hunter Borgel for a 4-0 UND lead.

Eleven minutes later, Caroline Kuhn scored her first goal of the season as ASU attempted to clear a UND free kick, but Kuhn delivered a low strike to the left corner to push the Fighting Hawks out front and in control at 5-0. The final first half tally involved Kuhn who fired an attempt that banged off the cross bar and led to Haley Wasilewski heading a helper to Charlie Basinet who scored on yet another impressive sequence by the Fighting Hawks prior to the intermission.

With a 6-0 lead, the 81st minute offered the final strike for the Fighting Hawks as Morgan Huff raced along the left side before delivering a soft assist to Paula Moreno Diaz who placed a laser on the top shelf for a fantastic finish to the scoring barrage.

Defensively, the Fighting Hawks allowed just five Alabama State shot attempts, three in the first half, with only two on goal for the contest. Goalkeeper Grace Miller exited at 74′ with a pair of saves and gave way to Sydney Bakritzes who aided in the combined shutout over the final 16+ minutes of action.

NoDak hits the road for Chapel Hill, North Carolina where #5 UNC awaits on Thursday, August 29. The Fighting Hawks and the Tar Heels matchup at 3 p.m. from Dorrance Field. The contest will be broadcast on the ACC Network and live stats will be available at FightingHawks.com.

Postgame Notes

  • The 2-0-2 start to the season for UND is its best beginning to a campaign since a 3-0-1 effort to start the 2018 season
  • UND improves to 8-0-0 in program history against opponents from the SWAC
  • The six first-half scores by UND are the most in the program’s DI Era and the most since scoring six in the first half of an 8-1 victory over Minnesota Crookston on October 15, 2008
  • The seven goals scored in the win are the most by UND since scoring seven in a shutout victory over SWAC-member Southern on August 28, 2021
  • Seven players scored for UND in the win; the most since nine players netted goals in a 12-0 win over SWAC-member Alcorn State on September 16, 2018
  • UND produced a dozen corner kicks on Sunday to run the club’s season total to 30; its most over the first four matches of a season under Chris Logan
  • The dozen goals netted by the Fighting Hawks across the season’s first four matches are the most for the program since scoring a dozen over the first four contests of the 2005 campaign
  • The Fighting Hawks have registered back-to-back matches of three dozen or more shot attempts for the first time under Logan

How It Happened

First Half

Second Half

For more information on North Dakota Soccer, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDsoccer.