GRAND FORKS, N.D. - After a scoreless first half Sacramento State exploded for five goals in the second half, including three scores within a two minute and 20 second span late in the contest, in a 5-0 thrashing of North Dakota on Friday.

Playing with temperatures in the mid-30s with wind chill, the Hornets recorded their highest scoring output since a 9-0 win over Menlo in 2010. The five goals were the most for the program against a Div. I opponent since a 6-0 win at Idaho in 2006. The team had not scored more than two goals in any game this season prior to the five spot in the second half on Friday.

Sacramento State (7-9-0, 2-5-0 Big Sky) came through in a must-win game to keep its Big Sky Tournament hopes alive with just three more conference games to play. North Dakota (1-11-1, 0-6-0 Big Sky) remained the only winless team in Big Sky play and has now been outscored 36-6 this season with one goal scored in six conference games.

Josie Jogwe, Alexa Heinzer, Presley Strother, Adaurie Dayak, and Kristen Bridges were the five Hornet goal scorers. Bridges scored her team-leading third goal of the season, Strother and Dayak each scored their second goal of the year, and Jogwe Heinzer scored for the first time in 2014. Sacramento State has now had 14 different players score goals this season.

Senior goalkeeper Kimberly Mata didn't face a lot of pressure but did come up with a couple big saves for her fifth shutout of the season. In the first half she made a leaping save on a shot by UND's Kristen Olson, and in the second half she stopped a penalty kick attempt by Olson after the Hornets were whistled for a foul in the box.

Mata finished with three saves while North Dakota goalkeeper Kristi Hestdalen, who ranks second in the NCAA in saves this season, made eight stops despite allowing the five goals. Sacramento State had a 24-10 overall shot advantage while putting 13 shots on goal, 12 of which came in the second half.

North Dakota actually had a 6-5 edge in shots in the first half and held Sacramento State to just one shot on goal in the first period. Things started to change early in the second half as just two minutes into the half Jogwe took a feed in the box and beat Hestdalen inside the near post.

Heinzer doubled the lead with her first career goal in the 62nd minute as she found herself unmarked in the box to finish a corner kick taken by sophomore Maggie Pleis. Less than two minutes later UND had a chance to cut the deficit to 2-1 but Mata stopped the PK attempt with a short dive to her left.

The Hornets blew the game open over the last five minutes, starting with a goal in the 85th minute by Strother on an open breakaway off a pass from Dayak. Less than three minutes later Dayak scored a goal of her own on a finish to the top corner, and just 40 seconds after that Bridges put home a shot from 35 yards out to complete the rout.

The win pulls the Hornets within three points of the final Big Sky Tournament qualifying spot pending other conference results later today. Sacramento State figures to face a tougher task at 11 a.m. Pacific time Sunday at Northern Colorado, which takes a 3-2-0 Big Sky record into its match tonight against Portland State.