Courtesy of Midland Athletics
COLUMBIA, Mo. – (RV) Midland University returned to the pitch on Wednesday against (RV) Columbia College, looking for its third straight win. The Warriors used a dominant first half to power past the Cougars, earning a 6-1 victory as four different players found their way onto the scoresheet.
“Very proud of our boys today,” head coach Josh Nakayama said. “We performed at a good level today.”
Columbia applied pressure early with three corner kicks and three shots in the opening five minutes, forcing Tomas Reyes to make a save in the 5th minute. Midland’s defense absorbed the pressure and countered, with the ball falling to Matus Vlna at the top of the Cougar box. He spun past his defender and found Marco Reyes Ruiz, who fired a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute.
The Warriors doubled their lead just eight minutes later when Adriano Pelloni broke through the Cougar defense on a through ball. He drew the defenders to the left before cutting the ball back to a wide-open Nacho Salmeron, who slotted it into the top-right corner for a 2-0 advantage in the 16th minute.
Salmeron struck again in the 26th minute, finishing a counterattack after a Columbia corner kick. Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran played him through on goal, and Salmeron calmly tucked his shot past the keeper for a 3-0 lead.
Midland’s offensive push continued as Garcia-Rosado Duran netted his sixth goal in six games this season in the 30th minute, finishing a left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner. The Warriors went into halftime ahead 4-0, leading in shots (7-2) and shots on goal (5-1).
Columbia opened the second half with several chances, including a shot that struck the crossbar. Midland responded in the 63rd minute when Juan Villadiego crossed from the end line to Salmeron, who buried his third goal of the night for a 5-0 lead.
“Breakout performance for Nacho,” Nakayama said. “Our efficiency in front of goal right now is very important and is key to our current success.”
Vlna added a goal in the 67th minute, cleaning up a rebound after a Villadiego shot. Columbia got on the board two minutes later as Faraj Shee converted a penalty to make it 6-1.
The Cougars pressed late but were unable to cut further into the deficit as Midland closed out the 6-1 win.
Salmeron led the way with three goals, while Garcia-Rosado Duran and Vlna each tallied a goal and an assist. Reyes Ruiz opened the scoring, with assists also credited to Pelloni, Elia Salvatore, and Villadiego. Reyes played 73 minutes in goal, making three saves and allowing one score, while Laurin Lettow closed out the final 17 minutes with one save.
“We need to stay grounded and focus on our next challenge,” Nakayama said.
Midland (5-1) will look for its fourth straight win on Saturday when it hosts Ottawa (1-1-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Heedum Field in Fremont.
