The win was the first for Drake in a season opener since 2003 and pushed its record to 1-0, while the Bison fell to 0-1.

“In the momentum of the game there were moments where North Dakota State had us on our heels,” Drake head coach Lindsey Horner commented.  “We have to stay composed and organized and today we lost our composure and became frantic and had too many unnecessary fouls close to goal.”

The Bulldogs overcame being whistled for 13 fouls in the game, including 10 in the second half and overtime combined, to net the victory.

In overtime, Woerle took a pass from freshman Laura Moklestad (Des Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt) just outside the box in the 95th minute (94:55) and fired a shot past North Dakota State goalkeeper Kathy Kelsey to propel Drake to the triumph.

Woerle paced the Drake attack with four shots, while redshirt sophomore Ali Walsh (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) and senior Melissa Lewis (Edina, Minn./Edina) added three and two shots, respectively.  Lorraine Thompson led all players with eight shots for the Bison.

“In our attack we were creative and moved the ball well, but we need to do a better job of getting the ball on frame,” Horner said.  “It was good for our girls to fight back and win the game.”

The Bison broke into the scoring column first as Thompson found the back of the net in the 25th minute (24:30) to give North Dakota State a 1-0 lead.

Moklestad squared the contest at one connecting on a laser past Kelsey at the 34:36 mark to register her first career goal.

Sophomore Kourtney Arnold (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk) pulled in four saves for the Bulldogs, while Kelsey was credited with three saves for North Dakota State.

Drake opens its home campaign on Sunday (Aug. 23) as the Bulldogs entertain 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Kansas in a 1:00 p.m. matinee affair in Drake Stadium.