NDSU at Minnesota State University-Moorhead – October 18, 2006

The Bison ended their regular season on a sour note, losing a gut-wrenching game to MSUM on a very chilly Wednesday evening in Fargo. NDSU started the game with tons of promise, dominating the first ten minutes of the match with quick passing, solid marking, and aggressive play. They created a bunch of scoring opportunities and were able to get an early goal in the 11th minute. Kellen Nesvig intercepted a clearing pass from a Dragon defender and launched a hard shot from about 25 yards out. The ball skimmed over the keeper’s outstretched arms, hit the bottom of the crossbar and the amazing shot went in to give the Bison a 1-0 lead. NDSU continued to play well for the next several minutes, but slowly the Dragons started taking over the game. MSUM used quick passing and good movement off the ball to get the Bison out of their defensive game plan. Instead of marking up on their opponents, NDSU midfielders and defenders scrambled around chasing after the ball. In the 27th minute, the Dragons evened the score with a nice run down the right side of the field and a perfectly placed chip shot over NDSU keeper Zach Schneider. The goal really energized the Dragons as they put pressure on the NDSU net for the remainder of the first half. Schneider and the Bison defense of Bob Smith, Dan Salyards, Sham Funk and Jared Misialek were able to keep the score even going into halftime.

Both teams played the second half as intensely as possible, with players flying up and down the field for the entire 45 minutes. The Bison held a slight edge in possession, but their touch on the attack was extremely disappointing throughout the second stanza. Every time a forward or midfielder made a great run in the open, the outlet pass or through ball went wayward out of bounds or too far ahead of its intended target. Even the simplest passes appeared to be a chore for the Bison—while the effort was definitely noticeable, the play was below its usual level. The Dragons were eventually able to take advantage in the 76th minute, when a quick set of passes caught the Bison defense off guard and left a forward open just inside the penalty area. He put a nice shot into the upper left corner of the net to give MSUM the lead late in the game. Schneider had made a handful of great saves to keep the score even until then, and his phenomenal play in net definitely kept the Bison in the game throughout. Realizing there wasn’t much time left, the Bison came out firing on all cylinders for the last 15 minutes of the game. They tried their best to salvage at least a draw by sending people forward, but once again their touch in the attacking third of the field kept disappointing them. The Bison had a number of shots on goal get deflected at the last possible moment or miss the goal by a matter of inches in the last few minutes, but unfortunately nothing would go in as the Dragons held on for the win. The loss ends NDSU’s regular season with a 9-4-3 record (7-4-3 in the GPSC) while MSUM finished up with an 8-3-3 record.