NDSU at University of Minnesota-Maroon – October 16, 2005

The Bison played their second game in as many days against a University of Minnesota team on a wonderful afternoon for soccer in St. Paul. This time it was against the Maroon squad, and although the game was closer than the previous day, the Bison once again found themselves on the losing end. The game couldn’t have started any worse for the Bison – just seconds into the game, midfielder Thomas Larson sent a tough pass back to keeper Nate Fitterer. Fitterer couldn’t handle the pass, and a Minnesota forward took the ball and easily shot it into the net for a very quick 1-0 lead. Although the Bison were shocked at the terrible start, they didn’t lie down and played hard throughout the first half. The game was fairly even throughout the rest of the first half, with both teams trying to get a feel for the game and the bumpy field. When NDSU finally started to connect a few passes late in the first half, their play noticeably improved. The Bison were rewarded for their better play in the 42nd minute. A great series of passes involving Andrew Gustafson, Josh Sanderson, Pat Beaver and Brad Bateman resulted in finding forward Selam Ahmed open on the right side of the box. Ahmed sent a great cross to Bateman, who slid in and put the ball just inside the right post to even the score as the teams went to half. The goal revitalized the Bison and the second half started much better than the first. NDSU took the lead 8 minutes in when Ahmed sent a pass up to fellow forward Nate Shubert. The Minnesota goalie sprinted out for the ball, but Shubert got there first and blasted the ball into the upper left corner. However, the lead didn’t last long as the Minnesota forward who scored the first goal struck again three minutes later. He won a header off of a free kick that beat Fitterer to tie the game. In the 62nd minute, Minnesota scored again as the Gopher forward completed his hat trick. With the Bison defense pressing up, the Gophers quickly counterattacked with some nice passes and a solid finish to give them the lead. The Bison pressed hard to get the equalizer for the remainder of the game, but none of their shots could find the mark before the final whistle sounded. The non-conference loss dropped NDSU to a .500 record on the season (6-6-2).