Courtesy of Midland Athletics
MITCHELL, S.D. – Midland University returned to the pitch for another Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) game, this time against Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota. The Warriors secured a 4-0 victory over the Tigers, marking their fourth consecutive win and keeping them tied at the top of the standings with Morningside and Hastings.
“We’re keeping pace at the top of the table,” said head coach Josh Nakayama. “With two games left, we can put ourselves in a strong position to challenge for the conference title.”
The game began slowly, with both teams struggling to break through the opposition. Each side managed only a single shot in the first 19 minutes.
Midland broke down the Tiger defense with their second shot of the game. Adnan Boulaghmal dribbled toward the byline before crossing the ball into the box. It found a leaping Brandon Toledo at the back post, who headed it across the goal and into the net, giving Midland a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute.
Midland’s pressure and possession slowed the game and kept them in control. Both teams recorded four shots in the first half, forcing two saves, but it was the Warriors who had the advantage at halftime, leading 1-0.
“We executed our game plan very well,” said Nakayama. “We denied them from possessing the ball in our defensive third.”
The Warriors extended their lead early in the second half following a corner in the 62nd minute. The corner was taken short and crossed into the box. Ruben Pernia headed it closer to goal before Boulaghmal’s header struck the crossbar. The ball bounced back to Boulaghmal’s feet, and he made sure his second attempt found the back of the net, doubling Midland’s lead.
Boulaghmal didn’t wait long to score again. A misplayed pass put Dakota Wesleyan’s goalkeeper in a difficult position, with Boulaghmal pressing close behind. He stole the ball from the keeper, rounded him, and placed it into the open net to make it 3-0.
Though the Tigers pushed to get back into the game, outshooting Midland 5-1 for the remainder of the match, that one shot was enough to seal the win. With four minutes remaining, another misplayed pass to the Tigers’ keeper was intercepted by Colin Macke, who dribbled around the keeper and scored Midland’s fourth goal, sealing the 4-0 victory.
“We knew our press would be effective, and it created the chances for the third and fourth goals,” Nakayama concluded.
Boulaghmal recorded an assist as well as his eighth and ninth goals of the season, inching closer to the team and conference lead, just one goal behind teammate Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran. Toledo and Macke also added their names to the scoresheet, while Pernia tallied his second assist of the season. Midland keeper Hugo Sjoeberg earned three saves in his 90 minutes of work.
Midland (7-5-4, 5-1-2 GPAC) returns to action this Wednesday for its final regular season game at Heedum Field. The Warriors are set to host Mount Marty (4-8-1, 1-6-0 GPAC) on October 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Fremont, Neb.
