Courtesy of Midland Athletics
YANKTON, S.D. — Midland University returned to the pitch Wednesday as it traveled to Yankton, South Dakota, to take on Mount Marty University. The Warriors took an early lead before falling behind 2-1 in the second half, but a late equalizer with less than a minute remaining earned them a 2-2 draw.
Midland struck first in the 8th minute when Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran‘s close-range shot was blocked by a Lancer defender. The rebound fell perfectly to Nathan Powis, who was well-positioned inside the box. Powis slotted the ball into the left side netting with his right foot for his first collegiate goal, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
The Warriors dominated the rest of the first half, outshooting Mount Marty 10-1, but were unable to extend their lead. The Lancer defense stood strong, making six saves to go into halftime down by just one goal.
Coming out of the locker room, Mount Marty appeared rejuvenated, firing the first shot of the second half and forcing a save. In the 57th minute, the Lancers found the equalizer when Sebastian Diaz delivered a corner kick into the box. Rex Chiles rose to meet it, heading the ball down past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
Midland pushed to regain the lead, firing four of the next five shots in the match. However, Mount Marty capitalized on the Warriors’ aggressive positioning. In the 70th minute, Zachary Hebda got on the end of a long ball and found himself one-on-one with Midland goalkeeper Tomas Reyes. Hebda slotted the ball between Reyes’ legs to give the Lancers a 2-1 lead.
The Warriors responded with urgency, firing the next six shots and ultimately outshooting Mount Marty 18-6 in the second half. Just as the clock ticked under one minute remaining, Sid Gunton-Day broke past the back line and went one-on-one with the goalkeeper. After drawing him out, Gunton-Day squared a pass to Lucas Foreman, who calmly passed the ball into the net in the 90th minute to secure the 2-2 result.
Offensively, the Warriors outshot the Lancers 28-7, including 17 shots on target compared to Mount Marty’s seven. Individually, Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran fired 11 shots, with five on target, and earned one assist. Nathan Powis and Lucas Foreman each scored, while Tomas Reyes made three saves in 90 minutes of action.
The Warriors (6-1-2) return to action Saturday, Sept. 27, when they host Morningside University (2-5-1) for Homecoming at 5:30 p.m. at Heedum Field.
