For the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) this year is a testament to their place in the women’s soccer world. This fall the program is celebrating it’s 30th anniversary, and 31st season.

Greg Cane has been there since day one becoming their first, and so far only, head coach in 1994.

“It’s tremendously meaningful to me personally being pretty much the depth of my career. Then, you know, the hundreds of relationships with players that you have. To see them gather, when we do, and retrace their steps, their memories, that’s pretty significant I think,” Cane shared.

The Bulldogs were the first Division II women’s soccer program in Minnesota, and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Cane is the longest active coach at UMD. He’s directed the Bulldogs to 18 winning seasons and three NCAA postseason appearances.

This year has also been coined ‘Ring Season’ by Bulldog upper classmen. Senior Captain Anna Tobias, and fifth year Victoria Thorson of Duluth, were left hungry for more after last season’s NSIC playoff push.

“That’s our little motto, we’re calling it ‘ring season’. We want to get that in everybody’s head so we can have that shared goal,” Tobias explained. “Other than that, we just want to build a sense of friendship. This isn’t just a team, it’s more than that. So we just want to build that throughout the team. And so far so good. We’ve only had one practice, but I’m loving what I’m seeing.”

“We wanted it to be ‘ring season’. We obviously want to make it further than playoffs, get a ring, that’s our overall goal. We are just putting that into our team, and even other UMD teams here in saying ‘ring season’,” Thorson said.

UMD kicks off their 2024 season September 5 hosting Northern Michigan University.