Courtesy of Midland Athletics
ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Midland University traveled to Orange City, Iowa to face off Northwestern College in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Quarterfinals on Wednesday night. The teams, who previously played to a 1-1 draw in the regular season, played another closely contested game, this time in Orange City. Despite a valiant effort from the 7th-seeded Warriors, they fell to the 2nd-seeded red Raiders, 1-0.
Both teams came out with strong defensive strategies in the first half, as Midland and Northwestern headed into halftime tied at 0-0. The Red Raiders had a slight edge in shot attempts, 4-3, with each team getting 2 shots on the frame.
After the intermission, Northwestern started to add pressure to Midland. As the time dwindled down in regulation, the Warriors committed a foul just outside of their defensive box. The Red Raiders took advantage of the opportunity, sending a free kick into the box where it was headed past the keeper to score in the 73rd minute. The Warriors attempted to battle back with close shot attempts on goal but fell short to end their season.
Northwestern had the edge in shot attempts, 12-6 overall, with 5-4 on the frame for the game. Marco Moresco played the full 90 minutes in goal, picking up two saves in his final game as a Warrior. He finishes the season with 72 saves.
“First off, thank you to the seniors! They have been massive for our program,” commented head coach Josh Nakayama. “As for the match, it was a tough loss to end the season. We had a great game plan and had the best chances of the game. Unlucky not to take them. We dealt with their speed and attacking threat, giving them only a few half chances. At the end of the day, they took their chance, and that was enough to secure the win.
“I’m excited for what the future holds,” added Coach Nakayama. “I believe this team is set for big things. It has been a learning and growing experience for our young players. We will be back.”
In their third season under Coach Nakayama, the Warriors picked up four wins and five draws and finished seventh in the GPAC Standings. They will look to use this season’s experience to grow and come back stronger next year.
