NDSU vs. University of Mary – September 25, 2005

The Bison lost their second straight game against the University of Mary on a soggy Sunday afternoon in Fargo. Their miscues once again proved to be the difference in a close game – 6 minutes into the game, NDSU scored an own goal for the second consecutive game. Selam Ahmed tried to clear the ball on a corner kick, but the ball ended up in the back of his own net. However, Ahmed would make up for his mistake in the 18th minute. Eric Stanley left Ahmed an excellent pass in front of the net, and Selam put a nice shot away to tie the game at 1. The field was very slick due to recent rain, and the Bison had a very difficult time adjusting to the conditions. Passes that would normally be right on skipped past their targets and the ball tended to sneak under NDSU’s trap attempts. The remainder of the first half was played evenly, although rather sloppily by both teams, leading to a 1-1 halftime score. Just two minutes into the second stanza, the Marauders regained the lead thanks to some quick passes and a well placed shot. The lead didn’t remain for very long as the Bison struck back in the 56th minute. Ahmed worked the ball along the baseline and sent the ball across the net to Fernando Bales. Bales headed the ball to Stanley, who calmly put the ball past the Mary keeper to tie the game once again. It seemed NDSU would take the lead minutes later, when Taylor Zimmerman broke past the Marauder defense into the penalty area. Zimmerman was taken down in the box, but the referee did not call a foul. In the 73rd minute, Mary took the lead for good when they sent a cross over Bison goalkeeper Nate Fitterer to an open forward. Fitter blocked the initial shot, but the University of Mary knocked in the rebound. Only five minutes later, the Marauders struck again by sending another cross from the right side to a wide open forward, who easily headed the ball in to give the University of Mary a 4-2 lead. The Bison pulled to within one goal late in the game when Brad Bateman sent in a corner kick that deflected off the Marauder keeper and into the net; however, they weren’t able to get the equalizer, and the game ended 4-3. The loss dropped the Bison’s record to 3-3-2, while the University of Mary improved to 2-3-1.