FARGO, N.D.--Michelle Martinez scored a trio of goals to lift North Dakota State over Northern Colorado 3-2 in women's soccer at the Ellig Sports Complex on Friday, Oct. 14.  

Martinez, NDSU's leading scorer, got the Bison on the board in the 42nd minute by putting in a rebound off of a corner kick by Sarah Panzer at 41:50.

Less than two minutes later, the sophomore struck again with an unassisted shot from inside the box and into the opposite side of the net to give the Bison a 2-0 lead going into the second period.

The Bears countered quickly in the second frame with scoring plays by Jessica Zimmerman and Marika Johnson in the 62nd and 65th minute.

Directly off of another corner by Panzer, Martinez placed a header into the back of the net for the game-winning goal in the 82nd-minute of play.

With the win, the Bison improved to 8-4-1 on the year while UNC dropped to 3-7-2.

Karli Kopietz recorded five saves in the contest for NDSU. Dana Garrett played the entire match in goal for the Bears, recording two saves. UNC outshot NDSU 22-13.

"We try and stress taking quality shots," NDSU head coach Pete Cuadrado said. "Today we connected on our passes and finished our chances."  

The Bison return to action at home against Montana on Sunday, Oct. 16. Kickoff is set for noon.