Facing elimination, Hawks blank South Dakota 1-0 for berth in Summit League tournament

Oct. 23—GRAND FORKS — Last season, the UND women's soccer team finished 3-13-1, winning one conference game and missing the Summit League postseason tournament

The Hawks returned a good chunk from last season's team. And they remain young But they're improving — evidenced by their 1-0 win over South Dakota on Sunday at Bronson Field. The win qualified UND for the coming league tournament.

It was win-and-in for UND, which was three points behind South Dakota for the sixth-and-final seed for the Hawks coming into the game. Had the game ended in a tie, South Dakota would have qualified.

UND will take on Omaha in a first-round game Friday in Omaha. The winner will move on to meet league champion and undefeated South Dakota State on Sunday.

"We started a process last year that we stuck to and the results are starting to come around as we thought," said UND coach Chris Logan. "We still have 19-20 freshmen and sophomores so we're still super young."

UND will head to Omaha with a 3-4-2 Summit record and a 7-8-4 overall mark.

UND freshman Amelia Loeffler scored the loan goal, that coming on a header at the 60 minute mark. Julia Briggs picked up the assist.

After the goal, UND knew the pressure from South Dakota would intensify. And it did, especially in the final minutes. South Dakota finished with 14 shots on goal, 12 coming in the second half.

UND goalie Madi Livingston came up with a season-saving stop with 20 seconds to go, leaping to stop a close range shot from right out front.

"The shot was a little nerve-wracking," said the senior, who finished with five saves.

Livingston is one of five seniors on the UND roster.

After last season, she said the Hawks set their sights on rejoining the league playoffs.

"This was our ultimate goal, to make the tournament," said Livingston, who is from Centennial, Colo. "It was scary it had to come down to the last game to make it. But we made it."

Logan said Livingston's play throughout the season has been solid.

"She makes a penalty kick save in the last two minutes at Kansas City, earning us a point," said Logan, referring to the 1-1 tie. "I'm biased but I think she's the best goal keeper in the conference."

UND and Omaha played to a 0-0 tie on Sept. 23 in Omaha.

"It was a good game there," said Logan. "I thought on that day, they were a little better than us. But we can play great as well. So hopefully, we give a more complete performance. And we're healthier now. So we're excited to see what happens."