Buffalo forward Cade Nissen said Rochester John Marshall goalkeeper David Carter wasn’t just the best keeper he’d seen this season.

He was the best keeper he’d tried to score on, ever.

But with a dozen minutes left in the No. 2-seeded Bison’s Class 3A state quarterfinal against the Rockets on Wednesday, Nissen curled in a back-post shot from the edge of the 18-yard box, finally breaking through the stalwart back line for a one-goal lead that became a 1-0 victory at Spring Lake Park High School.

“Every time I score, I celebrate way too hard,” said Nissen, who immediately ran to the sideline to celebrate.

“Perfect, incredible shot,” senior defender Brandon Rodenwald said. “To beat that goalie, 6-foot-6 … man.”

Nissen’s 10th goal of the year extended Buffalo’s undefeated season (16-0-4) and booked the program’s first semifinal ticket. The Bison are back at state for the first time since 2004.

“None of them were alive, and I was in, like, second grade,” Buffalo head coach Jordan Danielson said.

“We go into Culver’s after a game, and there’s just a random 80-year-old that just knows what we’re doing,” Nissen said. “It just feels great that people I’ve never even seen in my life understand what we’re accomplishing. It just really helps us get to the next level.”

In the semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium on Tuesday, Buffalo will face the winner of No. 3 seed Maple Grove vs. Eagan, to be played at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Shakopee West Middle School.

The Bison’s undefeated record — the only one left in Class 3A — is all the more impressive considering the teams it came against. Buffalo has the smallest enrollment in the Lake Conference, which produced Class 3A’s top four seeds. The Bison were joined by No. 1 Edina, No. 3 Maple Grove and No. 4 Wayzata.

“They’re the best teams out of the best conference, and we beat up on each other all year long,” Danielson said.

Three games into the regular season, the Bison defeated Edina 4-1, the first time the current group of Bison seniors had beaten the Hornets. It was a signal to the players that they had the depth to put together their program’s best-ever season. The went on to tie Wayzata and Maple Grove, both games finishing 1-1.

“I genuinely think that we have, at every position, a top-10 player in the state, and I trust every one of them,” Rodenwald said.

• State tournament brackets

The Bison’s latest win didn’t come easy. Each team had a goal waved off in the second half.

On a Rockets free kick two minutes after halftime, senior defender Zachary Moos’ header goal was scrapped because of a prior whistle on the play.

With 26 minutes left, it looked as if Buffalo’s leading scorer, senior Owen Seestrom, had broken the deadlock. He put away the rebound on yet another save by Carter, an All-Minnesota keeper and Mr. Soccer finalist who recorded 15 shutouts this season and helped the Rockets return to state for the first time since 2014.

The goal was waved off because of the offside positioning of a Bison teammate. Nissen would give the Buffalo crowd — a deep student section, all clad in black, that had made the hour drive — another reason to cheer, soon after.

“The resiliency, it’s been there all season. … Sometimes you’ve just got to grind, you’ve got to suffer,” Danielson said. “They’re a team that believes they can win it all. … We’re willing to go 10,000 extra miles for each other.”

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Class 3A

No. 4 Wayzata 3, No. 5 Blaine 1

George Soefker scored twice in the first half at White Bear Lake High School, and Wayzata (11-2-5) won its way into the semifinals. The Trojans will take on the winner of Thursday’s game between top seed Edina and St. Paul Central on Tuesday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Class 2A

No. 4 Northfield 1, No. 5 Sartell 0

Kevin Baez’s second-half goal boosted Northfield to a victory over Sartell at Monticello High School. Northfield (12-3-5) will play top seed Blake in a semifinal Tuesday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Random draw St. Paul Como Park 4, No. 3 New Ulm 1

Hamza Abdi scored twice, helping Como Park (14-5-1) pull off an upset at Farmington High School. Como Park awaits the winner of Thursday’s game between second seed Simley and Delano.

Class 1A

No. 2 Stewartville 2, random draw Mounds Park 1 (OT)

Cole Kropp scored in overtime, propelling undefeated Stewartville into the semifinals. Stewartville (20-0-0) will play the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal between third seed St. Cloud Cathedral and Cristo Rey Jesuit. Leyton Hudson scored for Mounds Park Academy (7-8-0) in the first half. Cody Clark tied it with a second-half goal.