Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University was back in action for another Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) match on Saturday night as it faced off against Morningside University. The Warriors and the Mustangs battled for 90 minutes on the turf at Heedum Field but neither side could find a moment of clinical finishing as the game ended scoreless draw, 0-0
“This was a war. Proud of the team’s resilience,” said head coach Josh Nakayama.
Morningside began the contest with a good spell of possession, keeping the Warriors in their half but was unable to convert that into shots as it had two shots in the first 10 minutes. Midland started to grow into the game and continued to gain more possession, getting four shots off in nine minutes, forcing the keeper to make a save.
The first half was a fairly even affair as Midland outshot Morningside 10-7 and both teams forced the opposing goalkeeper into four saves as the game went into halftime, 0-0.
However, Morningside did lead lopsidedly in over-the-top physicality as the Warriors committed four fouls in the first half with the Mustangs committing 11.
The second half started with a flurry with five shots in the first five minutes forcing two saves from the Warriors and one save from the Mustangs.
Adnan Boulaghmal nearly got his third goal in two games for the Warriors in the 65th minute when a shot from range was tipped by the keeper before hitting the crossbar. The ball bounced back into the diving hands of the keeper to deny the closest either team had come to a goal.
As the period continued, both teams created chances that looked to give them a go-ahead goal but neither team had the finishing touch to put the ball in the back of the net as the game ended in a goalless draw.
“A bit of luck and we take this game,” added Coach Nakayama.
Joel Auther Bazayemekele and Thomas Gibson led the Warriors in shots with three while Hugo Sjoeberg racked up 10 saves in 90 minutes of action.
Next up for Midland (3-4-4) will be its last nonconference opponent as the Warriors welcome No. 8-ranked Bellevue (7-0-2) into Fremont for a home game next week. The two sides will meet up on Wednesday, October 2 at 7:00 p.m. at Heedum Field.
