Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted Doane University for a Great Plains Athletics Conference (GPAC) matchup on Wednesday night in Fremont. The Warriors earned the win on their home turf against the Tigers, 3-1. The win improves their record to 7-4-4 overall and 3-3-2 in the conference.
Midland saw the game shift toward their favor in the first half as Patrick Long found the back of the net off an assist from Connor Lambert in the 3rd minute of action. The momentum kept going as Riley Barratt collected the ball and notched the game’s second goal in the 6th minute of action.
Later in the half, the lead grew once more as Gonzalo Bocaz found himself fighting through the Tigers’ defense, and then won a one-on-one matchup against the goalie in the 24th minute. Bocaz glided the ball past the goalie to cement the Warriors’ lead.
As the end of the half drew near, the Tigers were eager to put a point on the board and did so with a goal in the 33rd minute.
After the break, it became a physical contest between the two teams. The Warriors played solid defense in front of Marco Moresco for the 3-1 win on their home pitch. Moresco collected five save on the night for the win.
Midland had a substantial lead in shot attempts (16-7) with seven shots on frame. Set pieces off corner kicks were even with each team having four opportunities.
“We are finally taking chances. The early goals set the tone for the whole match,” commented head coach Josh Nakayama. “Patrick is in great form and is now leading the team in goals. Credit to Riley for scoring in his second consecutive match. I am very glad for Gonzalo on opening his account this year. All of them were big goals. I would have liked to keep the clean sheet and score a few more, but a win is a win. We believe our depth is very strong and are confident we can keep the winning streak going.”
Midland (7-4-4, 3-3-2 GPAC) will play on home turf on Saturday, October 22 next. They will host Dakota Wesleyan (3-10-1, 2-6 GPAC) for a 3:15 p.m. start at Heedum Field in Fremont.
