COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - North Dakota State found the back of the net twice in the first half, then clamped down defensively on Northern Colorado to earn the 2-0 victory at the Falcon Invitational.  The victory improves NDSU to 6-4-0 on the season and snaps the Bison's three-game losing streak.

In a bit of role reversal, it was North Dakota State that got on the board early as junior forward Nicole Rand took a deflection off a corner kick and put a shot past Northern Colorado (3-5-1) goalkeeper Heidi Owens in the 13th minute.  The goal was Rand's first of the season, with senior Michelle Martinez registering the assist to earn her 11th point of the year.

NDSU extended its lead in the 32nd minute as senior Jami Rozell took the feed off a free kick from freshman Abbey Stratton and headed a shot past Owens to give the Bison some breathing room.  From then on, NDSU controlled the tempo of the contest while sophomore goalkeeper Monica Morgan made two key saves to record her third shutout of the season and preserve the victory.

"It was an up and down weekend, to say the least," said head coach Pete Cuadrado.  "I was pleased with the way we made some changes and rebounded on Sunday, and played with confidence.  Hopefully, we can put this rough stretch behind us as we get back into conference play."

The win was the third straight for NDSU over Northern Colorado, and the Bison improved to 4-7-0 all-time against the Bears.  With UC-Irvine's 2-1 victory over the Air Force Academy on Sunday afternoon, all four teams finished the Falcon Invitational with 1-1 records.  The tiebreaker for the tournament was number of goals scored, giving NDSU a third-place finish (3 goals).

The Bison now return home to resume Summit League play on homecoming weekend.  NDSU hosts IUPUI on Friday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m. at the Ellig Sports Complex.  IPFW then makes the trip to Fargo on Sunday, Oct. 7, with a 12 p.m. kickoff.