NDSU vs. University of North Dakota – September 24, 2005

The Bison fell to the Fighting Sioux 4-2 on a chilly, breezy Saturday afternoon in Fargo. NDSU made some critical mistakes throughout the game, and UND was able to take advantage and get the road win. The game started with the Bison having the wind advantage, and the first 10 minutes of the game was full of chances for the home team. However, it was UND that struck first in the 13th minute. A speedy Sioux forward was able to get behind the Bison defense and he took a short-angled shot that snuck past NDSU keeper Nate Fitterer inside the near post, who was leaning the other way. The Bison still maintained most of the possession throughout the first half, but they weren’t able to get a definitive touch on the ball to get the equalizer until the 35th minute. Midfielder Brad Bateman stole a pass from a UND defender and sent an excellent crossing pass to forward Selam Ahmed, who put the ball away to provide a 1-1 halftime score. In the second half, the Bison had a few critical breakdowns, and the Fighting Sioux capitalized on almost all of them. Just two minutes into the second stanza, UND put together a couple of passes and regained the lead with a shot that rolled past Fitterer just inside the far post. The Bison tried to tie the game back up, but they weren’t able to mount much of an attack due to some sloppy passing and miscommunication up front. In the 60th minute, Fitterer made a solid save on a UND shot that went out for a rebound. Bison defender Josh Sanderson attempted to clear out the ball, but ended up accidentally putting the clearance into his own net to give the Sioux a 3-1 lead. Four minutes later, UND seemed to put the game out of reach when miscommunication between the NDSU midfield and keeper led to a Sioux forward sneaking a shot past everyone to put the score to 4-1. In the 75th minute, the Bison were able to get one goal back when Bateman was taken down in the penalty area. Eric Stanley put the kick away to make it closer, but that was the last goal scored in the game. The loss sent the Bison to a 3-2-2 record on the season, while the win extended UND’s conference-leading mark to 5-1.