UNC Soccer Preps for North Dakota and Valparaiso at Home

GREELEY, Colo.- UNC will begin a busy week of soccer at Jackson by hosting North Dakota on Thursday night at 7 pm and Valpo on Sunday at noon. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+

The Bears enter the match off an impressive first week, beating rivals Wyoming and pulling out a challenging tie against Kansas State. This great start has already boasted two Big Sky Players of the Week for UNC in Kaya Lindberg and Haley O'Nan, something they will surely leverage as they take on the Fighting Hawks and Beacons.

Scouting the Fighting Hawks
North Dakota comes to Greeley with a 2-0 start to their 2022 season. After finishing 3-13-1 overall and 3-8 in the Summit League last season, the Fighting Hawks bring the momentum of a strong start this season to the matchup. UND remains undefeated thanks to a 1-0 win over Southern Indiana and a 2-0 win against Jamestown last week.

Head Coach Chris Logan enters his sixth year at the helm of the team. So far this season, some notable players for the Fighting Hawks include Ameila Loeffer, who scored her first career goal and the game winner against Southern Indiana, Irene Jorasevijnda, who also scored the first goal of her career against Jamestown, and Olivia Valdivia, who tabbed the fourth goal of her career to cement the Jamestown victory. Goalkeeper Madi Livingston recorded a solo shutout against Southern Indiana and added another shutout to her resume against Jamestown with the help of fellow goalie, Abby Ellenburger.

History Against North Dakota
UNC and UND have met ten times in the history of their programs, with the results ending largely in UNC's favor at an all-time margin of 9-0-1. The Bears are 5-0 while at home at Jackson Stadium and have a mark of 4-0-1 when playing in Grand Forks. The only tied game of the all-time series came when the two teams last competed in 2017 when the match ended in a 0-0 stalemate. Northern Colorado now looks to defend their undefeated record against the Fighting Hawks in Greeley on Thursday night.

Scouting the Beacons
Valparaiso Head Coach John Marovich's Beacons make the road trip to Colorado with a 1-0-1 record to kick off the 2022 season. Thus far this season, Valpo has earned a 0-0 tie with Eastern Illinois and 1-0 victory over Youngstown State. Before coming to Greeley, they will make a pit stop in Boulder to take on the Buffs on Friday.

Goalkeeper Nikki Coryell comes as the most notable player to watch for the Beacons going into the match. In the team's season opener, Coryell kept their opponents off the board to secure the 0-0 tie. The goalkeeper also recorded a shutout over Youngstown State, tabbing two saves to get her second consecutive shutout. Her performance so far this season also earned her Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week Honors. Senior Kiley Dugan has scored the lone goal of the season for the Beacons as they head to Colorado, recording the game winner against Youngstown State.

History Against Valparaiso
The Bears and Beacons will compete for just the second time since the inceptions of their programs and the first time since 2003. UNC leads the all-time series 1-0 with their last meeting ending in a 2-1 victory for the Bears in Valparaiso. Northern Colorado now hopes to add a home victory to their record against Valpo for the teams' first competition in 19 years.

To stay up to date on all things UNC Soccer, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Kaya Lindberg

Haley O'Nan

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