Bemidji State Beavers and St. Cloud State Huskies met in an NCAA fixture that ended 3-2 to the hosts on October 3rd. The game carried weight given the table positions, with the Huskies sitting second and the Beavers fifth. Both sides arrived with nothing to lose after recent results.
The match unfolded without any dramatic swings in momentum that would have been easy to spot from the stands. Home supporters watched as their side gradually took control, though neither team dominated possession for long stretches. By then, the visitors had already begun to look tired after their recent heavy defeats.
St. Cloud State had played twenty-eight games before this encounter, accumulating eighteen wins and eight draws. Bemidji State had competed in thirty matches with twelve victories and eighteen draws. Neither side carried points into the fixture, which meant the standings would shift after tonight.
Both teams came into this game on shaky run. The Beavers had lost three of their last five, including two heavy defeats to Augustana Vikings. The Huskies had also struggled, dropping matches to Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs and North Dakota Fighting Hawks in quick succession.
Here is the thing, we had backed the home side at 43 per cent confidence before kick-off. The reasoning was straightforward: both sides were out of form, but the Beavers had the home advantage and nothing to lose. It played out exactly as we expected.
The result moves Bemidji State up the table while St. Cloud State drop further from second place. Three goals from the hosts versus two for the visitors suggests a tight contest decided by margins. The gap between the sides narrowed considerably after this result.
