DENVER – Junior Hannah Adler (Oak Park, Calif.) scored her fifth goal of the season, including her fourth game-winning goal, in the 39^th minute to send the University of Denver women’s soccer team back to the top of the Summit League table with a 1-0 victory over North Dakota on Sunday afternoon at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.

“What a great job the grounds crew, some DU staff members and our men’s soccer team did getting the field ready. The field conditions felt like it didn’t even snow,” head coach Jeff Hooker said. “I thought that we were unbelievable in the first five or 10 minutes, getting crosses and chances in the box. I was really proud that we kept with what we were doing, because we could have got frustrated, but we pushed on and got our goal. In the second half we still created some good chances, and we handled them throwing numbers forward at the end well. Have to be really happy with the home win.”

Adler got Denver on the board in the 39^th minute off assists from Heather Turcios (Azusa, Calif.) and Esther Malers (Fort Collins, Colo.). Malers fed the ball into the middle of the field 25 yards out to Turcios, who found the run of Adler inside the area. Adler buried her 18^th career goal to put the Pioneers in-front. Adler’s goal was the eighth game-winning tally of her career. Turcios picked up her first assist since her freshman campaign, while Malers distributed her first career helper.

The Pioneers hit the post four times on Sunday, including two attempts that looked destined for the back of the net by freshman Camryn MacMillan (Littleton, Colo.). Overall, Denver outshot North Dakota 16-7 and held a 7-5 edge in corners.

Junior Brittany Wilson (Littleton, Colo.) made four saves in her 13^th career shutout, including her sixth this season.

Sunday’s match was delayed two hours due to the snow storm that hit Denver Saturday night into Sunday.  

In the other matches around the league on Sunday, North Dakota State beat South Dakota State 1-0 to make it now three teams in the league with one loss, including the Pioneers. Denver currently tops the league with 15 points, but both NDSU and SDSU have a game in hand and are just three points behind. Earlier this season, the Pioneers defeated North Dakota State 3-2, before falling to South Dakota State 1-0 in extra time.