LA GRANDE, Ore. –In a true defensive battle, a single field goal was the difference as the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers came up short in their second home game of the season, falling 3-0 to Valley City State University on Saturday afternoon at Community Stadium. 

The Mountaineer defense was relentless from the opening kickoff, holding the Vikings to just 199 total yards of offense. Conversely, the EOU offense was limited to just 166 total yards. The cross-division match up was a turnover-filled affair, with the  Vikings forcing two interceptions and a fumble recovery, while the Mounties recovered two fumbles of their own.

Individual performances highlighted the aggressive Mountie defense. Nehemiah Medrano and Jason Grant proved to be key contributors in yet another game, each recording a sack and leading the team with 10 and 9 tackles, respectively. The Mountie defense combined for a total of five VCSU sacks and forced multiple turnovers. However, the Mountaineers' offense struggled to find its rhythm. Quarterback Elia Kirisimasi faced constant pressure, completing only 13 of 27 passes and throwing two interceptions. 

The only scoring play of the afternoon came in the third quarter when VCSU's kicker connected on a 24-yard field goal. While the Mountie defense held strong to keep the Vikings out of the end zone, VCSU was able to get into field goal range to break the scoreless deadlock. The kick capped the 14-play, 62-yard drive that proved to be the decisive possession of the match up. 

With just under five minutes left on the clock, the Mounties produced a 10- play drive to get into field goal range in an attempt to tie the game and head into overtime, but a wide kick sealed the team's fate.

The loss brings the Mountaineers record to 1-2, while the Vikings improve to 2-1 . Eastern Oregon will look to rebound from the loss next week as they travel to Montana State University- Northern for the second Frontier Conference Division Crossover. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM MT on Saturday, September 27.