NDSU at
It was a typical “trap game” for the Bison as they headed
into Sioux Falls – they had just won a big game over SDSU on the road, and they
were taking on a team they had beaten 7-0 earlier in the year. Unfortunately, NDSU fell victim to a
difficult loss following a great win as they lost 1-0 to a determined Augustana
Vikings squad. The Bison started the
game with the wind at their backs, but it proved to be more of a disadvantage
on the below average soccer field. The
field was rather small, played very fast due to short grass and (believe it or
not) baseball infields took up a large portion of two corners; the Bison had a
difficult time finding their touch.
However, no matter how poor a field’s conditions are, both teams have to
play on the same field, and Augustana seemed to be better adjusted to the
unique pitch. Although the Bison created
quite a few chances in the first half, they weren’t able to muster very many
shots on goal. NDSU’s best chance came
off of a header from forward Jesse Masloski that careened off the
crossbar. The Vikings did a good job at
quickly clearing the ball while the Bison simply couldn’t put any sort of
finesse on the ball. The halftime score
was 0-0, which increased Augustana’s confidence that they could hang around
with NDSU. The Bison hoped to have a
better showing in the second half, but if anything they played worse. They couldn’t seem to connect on passes, and just
looked sluggish overall. In the 61st
minute, the Vikings struck on a very long shot from about 35 yards out to give
them a 1-0 lead. This inspired
Augustana, and they seemed to play with more energy for the remainder of the
game. The Bison didn’t just roll over,
as they tried to even the score with numerous shots and corner kick opportunities. Defender Bob Smith had two shots that looked
like they were headed in only to be deflected by a defender at the last
moment. Augustana made sure they were
back on defense and cleared out the majority of the Bison’s attempts to get the
ball towards the net, and they were able to hold on for the victory. The Bison’s first road loss of the year
dropped them to 6-4-2 on the season, while the Vikings improved to 3-7-1.