WHAT'S ON TAP: The University of North Dakota soccer team will open the Great West Conference Tournament against New Jersey Institute of Technology (N.J.I.T) on Friday in the prime-time slot of 7:30. The Highlanders are hosting the tournament in the inaugural GWC Tournament.
N.J.I.T. SCOUTING REPORT: The Highlanders are the top-seed of the East Division going 4-1-1 in conference play and 7-8-2 overall ... They are averaging 1.29 goals a game (22) while giving up exactly the same (22) ... Kori Washington leads the team with 10 points and four goals (4-2-10) ... They have 11 players with goals on the year ... Sade Mele is their only player
seeing time in net this season with a 1.24 GAA and .788 save percentage.
LAST ACTION: The Sioux dropped a double-overtime affair to Cal State Bakersfi eld on Friday, falling to the Roadrunners 2-1 in non-conference action at Bronson Field. In their fifth overtime tilt of the season, Rachael Loomis sent a corner kick in past the netminder in the 36th minute for her team-leading ninth goal of the season.
The game-winning goal came with just over four minutes remaining in the second overtime when Veronica Ramos controlled a through ball and dribbled around UND goalkeeper Monica Stierman to send home the winning shot from eight yards out. Stierman kept the Sioux in the game, making eight of her 12 saves after intermission.
GWC TOURNAMENT: Howard and South Dakota will open the tournament with an 11:30 a.m. ET start. Howard is the second seed
in the East and the Coyotes are the third seed in the West. West Division Champion Utah Valley will follow with a 2 p.m. contest versus Delaware State, the East's fourth-place team.
Houston Baptist, the second-seed in the West will face the East's third seed, South Carolina State, at 5 p.m. Semifinals will be played on Saturday. The winner of HU/USD will face the UVU/DSU winner at 5 p.m. The second semifi nal match will follow at 7:30
p.m. with the HBU/SCSU winner facing off against the NJIT/UND winner. The Great West Conference champion will be crowned on Monday with the championship match getting underway at 2 p.m. ET.
