Two players leave team
Two players, including the team’s third leading scorer, have left the NDSU soccer team, head coach Pete Cuadrado said Tuesday.
Forward Jestina Orlando, who had 14 points last season as a sophomore, and midfielder Ali Ramaeker, who played in just 10 games as a freshman, are both transferring.
“I don’t even focus on those types of things,” Cuadrado said. “You just hope they do it for the right reasons and everything works out for them.”
Cuadrado said he learned of the players decisions this spring.
The coach also said that Ramaeker decided to leave because, “of an opportunity to play with Northern Michigan.”
Northern Michigan competes at the NCAA Division II level.
Cuadrado said he wasn’t certain what Orlando’s plans were.
“You just keep moving forward,” Cuadrado said of losing the players. “You usually lose a player each year. It has never slowed us down before.”
Orlando, a native of suburban Chicago, was one of five Bison players to start all 21 games last season.
She was second on the team with 20 shots on goal.
As a freshman in 2005, Orlando started all 17 games and tied for second on the team with 10 points.
Ramaeker, of Menomonie, Wis., didn’t start a game last season and tallied just one assist.
Playing without Orlando and Ramaeker last Sunday in its final games of the spring season, the team won the Gopher Spring Classic hosted by Minnesota.
After beating Wisconsin-Green Bay 4-0, the Bison tied Minnesota 0-0.
During the regular season, Minnesota beat NDSU 2-0.
“We have come very close in the past, so it was nice to get a tie there,” Cuadrado said.
The Bison have signed four players to letters of intent for next season.
Three of the four will play forward or midfield at NDSU.
“I am very happy with our recruiting class and our how team is progressing,” Cuadrado said.
The Bison finished 13-7-1 in 2006 and took second at the United Soccer Conference tournament.