NDSU at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology – September 8, 2007

It was a brisk windy night in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Bison started their 2007 season against the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Miners. NDSU started a bit sloppy after the nine hour drive from Fargo. They quickly ended this play in the 22^nd minute when senior midfielder Taylor Zimmerman made a pass up the middle to Luanga Njoya who stepped between two defenders and sent a rocket past the goalie from about 18 yards out. This goal, along with the 80 foot ceramic dinosaur overlooking the field, really motivated the Bison. Both teams played strong the rest of the first half with NDSU controlling most of the play. However, with some shady marking and poor communication in the defense, NDSU allowed a breakaway against Bison goalkeeper Tom Erickson. The SDSMT forward took his shot which Erickson deflected off the post and in to bring the game to a tie. This score would hold for the rest of the first half.

The Bison entered the second half with lots of energy and they continued their dominance over the Miners. They were rewarded for their hustle in the 59^th minute. Rob Choiniere made a beautiful cross from the right side; Njoya came in off a picturesque run to the near post for the header and the goal. After fighting off several great SDSMT attacks, the Bison made a counter attack that concluded in a long goal from Eric Johnson after a nice clearing pass from defender Allen Wilkens. The Bison defense played tough the rest of the game to preserve the 3-1 win. The victory opened the Bison's record at 1-0-0 while SDSMT fell to 0-1-0 to start the year.