Sep. 23—GRAND FORKS — The statistics didn’t look great for UND.
The Fighting Hawks were out-attempted 41-11 during their two games in Idaho two weeks ago. Boise State and Idaho State put 19 of those shots on target. UND put four shots on net.
But the Fighting Hawks went undefeated on the trip.
UND tied Boise State 0-0 and beat Idaho State 1-0 as highly touted sophomore goaltender Grace Miller once again showed her value.
Miller now has four shutouts this season.
“Grace Miller was a big factor in this,” UND first-year coach Henrik Sohn said. “Grace Miller had a fantastic weekend. Overall, defensively, having two shutouts is really, really good. Grace did her job. . . really well.
“It’s just maturity that happens from freshman to sophomore year. You just get more experience. She’s been working hard. She has a lot of potential. She’s going to continue to get better.”
UND is off to a strong start in the Sohn era.
The Fighting Hawks, who hadn’t won on the road in two years, opened the season with 6-0 and 3-0 road victories. They’ve already surpassed their 2023 and 2024 win totals.
They return home this week to begin conference play.
The Fighting Hawks (6-3-1) host Summit League traditional power Denver at 3 p.m. Thursday at Bronson Field.
“Denver is a very, very good team — a historic program within the conference,” Sohn said. “It’s going to be a tough challenge.
“But the goal is that if you’re going to come to North Dakota, it’s going to be a very, very difficult game. No one in this conference should like to come to UND and play here. We’re going to put our best foot forward and bring an intensity, bring the fire to win that game. Then, who knows what’s going to happen. I’m very confident in the players, I’m very confident in what we have going on, so I feel good about it.”
UND did not win a Summit League game last season and only won one in 2023.
“It’s a very physical conference,” Sohn said. “It’s a very good conference. So, we need to be ready to battle for every single ball. Nothing is given to you. You have to earn everything. That’s the intensity I want to see.”
UND’s improvements are across the board.
Offensively, the Fighting Hawks need just two more goals to match last season’s total.
“I’m in my fifth year here,” senior defender Alexis McPhail said. “I’ve had the joy of getting to see it progress. I really think the biggest thing — we’ve always had the skill and the talent, that’s not the issue — I just think our coaching staff and our team has really bought into this whole intensity (mindset) and competition to bring each other up. I think that’s really shown.”
It helps having Miller, too.
“She’s phenomenal,” McPhail said. “I get a unique perspective because I’m a center back. So, I get to play directly with her. She’s always been phenomenal. I think the maturity piece helps. You can see there’s a little more confidence coming from her, just getting that year under her belt. The team has a lot of trust in her.”
UND’s next goal will be making the Summit League tournament. Since joining the Summit in 2018, the Fighting Hawks have only qualified for the tournament twice — 2019 and 2022.
The Fighting Hawks have yet to win a game — or score a goal — at the Summit tournament.
“We’re just really excited for conference to start,” McPhail said. “I think all the games are fun, but conference brings another level of competition to it, because it really is make-or-break.”
UND players are enjoying the newfound success under Sohn.
“I’ve loved all my years here,” McPhail said. “but this team is really special. We’ve seen a lot of young players come in and step up to the occasion from the beginning. The upperclassmen made it clear, ‘This is our culture, this is what we do here, this is the expectation.’ None of them backed down from the challenge.”
When: 3 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Bronson Field, Grand Forks.
TV: Midco Sports (GF Ch. 27/622 HD).
Records: UND 6-3-1, Denver 3-3-3.
Of note: The first 100 students receive a free UND soccer scarf.
