NDSU vs. University of Mary – October 24, 2004

The Bison fought to record their sixth straight victory, beating the University of Mary Marauders on a chilly, soggy Sunday afternoon in Bismarck. NDSU started the game very well, controlling the flow of play with excellent passing. Just eight minutes into the game, Bismarck native Dave Witham scored his first goal of the season. The goal was set up by an excellent run from Tim Pohfal along the goal line, and Pohfal made a quick pass to a wide open Witham to put the Bison up 1-0. NDSU didn’t let up after the goal, continuing to play at a high level throughout the rest of the first half. After some close calls on missed shots, the Bison put another goal in right before halftime. Taylor Zimmerman sent a brilliant pass towards the net to Pohfal, who relayed a crossing pass to Nathan Shubert. Shubert tapped the ball past the University of Mary keeper to give the Bison a 2-0 halftime lead. In the second half, fatigue began to set in for the Bison, and their play wasn’t nearly as efficient. The passes that seemed effortless in the first half turned into misplays and poor decisions, and this let the Marauders put more pressure on the NDSU defense and keeper Ian Costello. The University of Mary scored on a rebound in the 64th minute to pull them within one goal. However, that was the closest that they would get. The Bison improved their play, and although they weren’t able to get an insurance goal, they still left with another conference win. With one game to play, NDSU’s record stands at 11-2 in the Great Plains Soccer Conference and 12-4 overall. The University of Mary dropped to 8-2-2 on the season.