Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. –Midland University hosted Hastings College in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) quarterfinals on Tuesday night, vying for a spot in Saturday’s semifinals. Hastings exacted revenge of its regular-season loss, ending Midland’s season with a 2-0 victory which sent the 5th-seeded Broncos past the 4th-seeded Warriors.
Despite the loss, Midland head coach Josh Nakayama showed gratitude towards his team and made great strides throughout the season. “I am so proud of this team! What a great group of men!”
The Warriors created early pressure, with Lucas Foreman‘s shot forcing a save from the Hastings keeper. However, the pace slowed as both teams settled in. Hastings outshot Midland 5-2 in the first half, though most attempts were speculative and failed to challenge Warriors’ keeper Hugo Sjoeberg. The closest came on a free kick that struck the wall.
In the second half, Hastings pushed for a breakthrough. A cross skipped past Sjoeberg in the 47th minute, but no Bronco was in position to capitalize. Moments later, Foreman set up Adnan Boulaghmal, who sent a shot over the crossbar in the 48th minute.
The breakthrough came in the 60th minute when Joe Vokins headed a cross back into the box to an unmarked Albert, who nodded in his first goal of the season to give Hastings a 1-0 lead. Albert doubled the advantage in the 68th minute after a corner kick created chaos in the box. The ball fell to Albert’s feet, and he struck it firmly past Sjoeberg to make it 2-0.
Midland responded a minute later with a free kick from Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran, who found Ruben Pernia in the box. However, Pernia’s header glanced off the crossbar, narrowly missing the goal. Despite outshooting Hastings 6-0 over the remainder of the match, Midland could not break through the Broncos’ defense.
Boulaghmal and Garcia led Midland with three shots apiece, while Sjoeberg tallied two saves over 90 minutes in goal.
“Thank you to our seniors who gave everything to this program. We can never repay you for all you’ve sacrificed and the foundation you’ve laid,” said Coach Nakayama. “Also, thank you to the staff and support personnel for making this a great year.”
In Nakayama’s fourth season, the Warriors finished with eight wins and four draws, and tied for third in the GPAC standings, just three points from the top. They’ll look to build on this season’s progress as they doubled their win total from a year ago.
“We will come back better because of all the players and people who have supported this program,” Nakayama concluded.
