University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, September 4
Omaha, NE
4 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
at
Creighton
Photo by: Dean Popejoy
Melsted Making Her Mark as Bears Prepare for Creighton
9/3/2026 9:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
GREELEY, Colo. – Through the opening four matches of the 2026 season, Northern Colorado goalkeeper Thordis Melsted has quickly established herself as a steady presence between the posts for the Bears.
Melsted has started all four matches and played every minute in goal as UNC has opened the season 1-1-2. She has recorded 30 saves, including season-high 13 in Northern Colorado's 1-1 draw against Denver on Sunday.
For Melsted, the early success has come from more than individual performance. She credits the trust of her teammates and coaching staff with helping her settle into her first season in goal for the Bears.
"The team overall and the coaches, just having them believe in me and getting the opportunity to start, because that's not a given thing," Melsted said. "Even if you make a mistake, they're always so encouraging and just keep you going."
That confidence has extended to her relationship with UNC's back line.
After joining the program in the spring, Melsted had the opportunity to build chemistry with the Bears' defenders before the start of the fall season. Months of training together have helped the group develop an understanding of one another on the field.
"Because we practice together, 99 percent of the time I know what my defender is going to do before they do it," Melsted said. "We see them in practice and know what they're going to do. I would trust those girls with my life."
That connection helped UNC earn its first clean sheet of the season in a scoreless draw against South Dakota. Melsted stopped all five shots on goal to preserve the shutout.
"It was just great for me and my entire back line to get the first clean sheet of the season," Melsted said. "It gave us a confidence boost, and we want more. We're going to get more clean sheets."
Three days later, Melsted and the Bears faced another challenge against Denver. The Pioneers consistently applied pressure, but Melsted's 13 saves helped UNC earn another result at Jackson Stadium.
Communication has played a major role in handling those moments.
"I would say my communication with both the defense and midfielders has been really great," Melsted said. "My distribution, my kicks and throws, I feel like I've made the right decisions. Then obviously shot stopping is always something you can work on."
Finding a Home in Greeley
Melsted's journey to Northern Colorado has included multiple stops, injuries and challenges, but the Iceland native believes she has found the right environment in Greeley.
"I felt like the coaches believed in me. My teammates believed in me, and it was a great switch," Melsted said. "This is my third school, I've been through a lot of injuries and a lot of ups and downs, but this is the first place where I feel at home."
While Melsted has found a second home in Greeley, support from her family in Iceland remains an important part of her match-day routine.
With a six-hour time difference between Colorado and Iceland, her family sometimes stays awake into the early morning hours to watch her play.
"My family lives in Iceland, so they're not here, but they stay up and watch every game," Melsted said. "Even when I'm walking to the field on game day, I'll take five minutes before I show up to talk to my mom and dad and clear my mind of anything else that's going on."
For a 7 p.m. match in Colorado, kickoff comes at 1 a.m. back home. Melsted said her family will stay awake through the match and wait for her postgame phone call, sometimes until nearly 4 a.m.
That support has accompanied Melsted through a start that has also helped reveal what she believes is becoming UNC's identity.
"I would say our resilience and our hard work," Melsted said. "Even from the girls that weren't on the field, you could feel their energy from the bench. Every single person on our team matters."
Bears Head to Creighton
Northern Colorado will now take that mentality on the road for the first time during the regular season when the Bears travel to Omaha, Neb., to face Creighton on Friday, Sept. 4 at Morrison Stadium with kickoff at 4 p.m. MT.
Creighton enters the matchup 2-2-1 and has found its rhythm defensively after dropping its first two matches of the season. The Bluejays have since recorded three consecutive clean sheets, including back-to-back 1-0 victories over Kansas City and Missouri.
The matchup presents another early-season test for a Northern Colorado team that has already battled through four tightly contested matches.
For Melsted, those first four matches have shown what the Bears are capable of when they play together.
"I think we're capable of anything," Melsted said. "We've proved that we can beat CSU, and I think we've proved that we can beat anybody. We just have to show up that day."
UP NEXT
Following Friday's matchup at Creighton, Northern Colorado returns to Jackson Stadium to host New Mexico on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 12 p.m. MT.
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Melsted has started all four matches and played every minute in goal as UNC has opened the season 1-1-2. She has recorded 30 saves, including season-high 13 in Northern Colorado's 1-1 draw against Denver on Sunday.
For Melsted, the early success has come from more than individual performance. She credits the trust of her teammates and coaching staff with helping her settle into her first season in goal for the Bears.
"The team overall and the coaches, just having them believe in me and getting the opportunity to start, because that's not a given thing," Melsted said. "Even if you make a mistake, they're always so encouraging and just keep you going."
That confidence has extended to her relationship with UNC's back line.
After joining the program in the spring, Melsted had the opportunity to build chemistry with the Bears' defenders before the start of the fall season. Months of training together have helped the group develop an understanding of one another on the field.
"Because we practice together, 99 percent of the time I know what my defender is going to do before they do it," Melsted said. "We see them in practice and know what they're going to do. I would trust those girls with my life."
That connection helped UNC earn its first clean sheet of the season in a scoreless draw against South Dakota. Melsted stopped all five shots on goal to preserve the shutout.
"It was just great for me and my entire back line to get the first clean sheet of the season," Melsted said. "It gave us a confidence boost, and we want more. We're going to get more clean sheets."
Three days later, Melsted and the Bears faced another challenge against Denver. The Pioneers consistently applied pressure, but Melsted's 13 saves helped UNC earn another result at Jackson Stadium.
Communication has played a major role in handling those moments.
"I would say my communication with both the defense and midfielders has been really great," Melsted said. "My distribution, my kicks and throws, I feel like I've made the right decisions. Then obviously shot stopping is always something you can work on."
Finding a Home in Greeley
Melsted's journey to Northern Colorado has included multiple stops, injuries and challenges, but the Iceland native believes she has found the right environment in Greeley.
"I felt like the coaches believed in me. My teammates believed in me, and it was a great switch," Melsted said. "This is my third school, I've been through a lot of injuries and a lot of ups and downs, but this is the first place where I feel at home."
While Melsted has found a second home in Greeley, support from her family in Iceland remains an important part of her match-day routine.
With a six-hour time difference between Colorado and Iceland, her family sometimes stays awake into the early morning hours to watch her play.
"My family lives in Iceland, so they're not here, but they stay up and watch every game," Melsted said. "Even when I'm walking to the field on game day, I'll take five minutes before I show up to talk to my mom and dad and clear my mind of anything else that's going on."
For a 7 p.m. match in Colorado, kickoff comes at 1 a.m. back home. Melsted said her family will stay awake through the match and wait for her postgame phone call, sometimes until nearly 4 a.m.
That support has accompanied Melsted through a start that has also helped reveal what she believes is becoming UNC's identity.
"I would say our resilience and our hard work," Melsted said. "Even from the girls that weren't on the field, you could feel their energy from the bench. Every single person on our team matters."
Bears Head to Creighton
Northern Colorado will now take that mentality on the road for the first time during the regular season when the Bears travel to Omaha, Neb., to face Creighton on Friday, Sept. 4 at Morrison Stadium with kickoff at 4 p.m. MT.
Creighton enters the matchup 2-2-1 and has found its rhythm defensively after dropping its first two matches of the season. The Bluejays have since recorded three consecutive clean sheets, including back-to-back 1-0 victories over Kansas City and Missouri.
The matchup presents another early-season test for a Northern Colorado team that has already battled through four tightly contested matches.
For Melsted, those first four matches have shown what the Bears are capable of when they play together.
"I think we're capable of anything," Melsted said. "We've proved that we can beat CSU, and I think we've proved that we can beat anybody. We just have to show up that day."
UP NEXT
Following Friday's matchup at Creighton, Northern Colorado returns to Jackson Stadium to host New Mexico on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 12 p.m. MT.
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Players Mentioned
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Friday, August 28
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