Thunderbirds Fall at North Dakota State

Fargo, N.D. – Southern Utah came back after falling behind early in their match with Summit League leader North Dakota State Friday, but the Bison tallied the final two goals of the game for a 3-1 victory.

North Dakota State got on the board in the games opening minutes when freshman defender Tristyn Walczak put in a rebound off a shot by teammate Brooklyn Dyce for her first goal of the season. The Thunderbird defense would then tighten, holding the score at 1-0 in favor of the Bison for the remainder of the first half.

Southern Utah continued its strong play in the second half as the offense sought to secure an equalizer. The Thunderbirds would break through and level the score when senior midfielder Riley Bassett blasted a shot off the crossbar that was gathered by Sabrina Hernandez and put into the net knotting the score at 1-1. The score gave Hernandez her second goal of the season while Bassettt recorded her third assist.

The Bison recaptured the lead just a few minutes later as senior midfielder Michelle Gaffaney beat Thunderbird goalkeeper Breana Fitzgerald to a loose ball and sent a shot past her into the goal, giving NDSU a 2-1 advantage.

The home team would tack on another goal in the 82nd minute when Anisha Kinnarath was able to score on a free kick to set the final margin at 3-1 in favor of the Bison.

With the win North Dakota State improves their overall record to 8-2-1 on the season and is 1-0 in the Summit League. Southern Utah is now 0-2 in league play and 2-6-2 overall. The Thunderbirds will return to the pitch this Sunday as they visit South Dakota State. The match is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. (MT)

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Players Mentioned

#10 Riley Bassett: MF; 5' 11"; Senior

#30 Breana Fitzgerald: GK; 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore

#20 Sabrina Hernandez: F; 5' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#10 Riley Bassett
: 5' 11"; Senior
: MF

#30 Breana Fitzgerald
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore
: GK

#20 Sabrina Hernandez
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: F

Players Mentioned

#10 Riley Bassett

#30 Breana Fitzgerald

#20 Sabrina Hernandez

Players Mentioned

#10 Riley Bassett

#30 Breana Fitzgerald

#20 Sabrina Hernandez