FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University returned home Saturday for its first game of the season at Heedum Field, facing Friends University. The Warriors staved off a second-half comeback to defeat the Falcons, 4-2.

“I’m very proud of the boys,” head coach Josh Nakayama said. “Winning our home opener is a huge deal.”

Midland dominated possession from the start, breaking through in the 24th minute when Adriano Pelloni cut inside from the left and fired a shot with his right foot. The Friends goalkeeper made the initial save, but the rebound fell to Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran, who buried the ball from five yards out to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

Pelloni doubled the advantage just four minutes later when he again cut inside from the left and struck with his right foot. This time, the ball sailed past the goalkeeper and into the side netting, putting Midland ahead 2-0 in the 28th minute.

After halftime, Tom Blaczek and Marco Reyer Ruiz combined for Midland’s third. The duo linked up with a one-two pass down the right side, leaving Reyer Ruiz one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He squared the ball across to Blaczek, who thumped it into the open net for a 3-0 lead in the 51st minute.

The Falcons answered quickly. In the 56th minute, Sora Shibata converted a penalty kick after a Midland defensive mistake. Just three minutes later, Andres Michael fired in a long-range effort from 25 yards out into the bottom left corner, cutting the deficit to 3-2 in the 59th minute.

“We need to deal with pressure and not get complacent in matches,” Nakayama said about the goals conceded. “We are still growing and cannot concede silly goals.”

Midland responded swiftly. In the 63rd minute, Hugo Fragueiro unleashed a rocket from 33 yards out on a free kick, restoring the Warriors’ two-goal cushion at 4-2.

That’s how the match finished, as Midland improved to 3-1-0 on the season. Four different Warriors scored, while Tomas Reyes made one save. Laurin Lettow added two saves without conceding a goal in his 23 minutes of action.

“Three players opened their accounts today. This is a great sign that we have a lot of dangerous players,” Nakayama said.

Midland will return to action Wednesday when it hosts York College at 5 p.m. The Warriors will look to extend their four-match unbeaten streak and three-match winning streak against the Panthers.