Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland returned to Great Plains Athletic Conference action Saturday as it faced Morningside University at Heedum Field. The Warriors struck twice in the opening seven minutes and held that lead the rest of the way to secure a 2-1 victory over the Mustangs.
“Really proud of the boys being able to fight through things,” head coach Josh Nakayama said. “We’re really hard on them, but in the right ways, and they responded extremely well today.”
The home team wasted little time, as Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran scored just 20 seconds into the match. It was his seventh goal of the season, with Lucas Foreman and Nacho Salmeron assisting.
Six minutes later, Marco Reyes Ruiz broke free on a counterattack after a Mustang corner kick. He squared the ball to a wide-open Matus Vlna in the middle of the box, who calmly slotted it home to give Midland a 2-0 advantage on its first two shots.
Morningside answered three minutes later when Tobias Allerstorfer rose for a header off a corner kick. He glanced the ball into the far corner to cut Midland’s lead in half in the 10th minute.
After the early scoring burst, both defenses tightened. Morningside did not allow another shot on goal in the first half, while Midland conceded just two, forcing goalkeeper Tomas Reyes to make difficult saves.
In the second half, Morningside pressed for an equalizer, firing three shots on goal in the first 20 minutes. Reyes denied all three, while Midland managed just two off-target attempts during that stretch.
The Warriors gradually regained control, holding Morningside without a shot for 12 minutes between the 73rd and 85th minutes. The Mustangs made a late push, but Midland’s defense stood firm to secure the 2-1 victory and three points.
Reyes finished with 10 saves in 90 minutes of action. Midland totaled 12 shots, with Garcia-Rosado Duran scoring once on two attempts before leaving with an injury in the first half and Vlna converting his lone shot.
“It’s good to find our way through tough games—you’ve got to win ugly sometimes, and we did that today,” Nakayama said. “I think the boys are motivated, they understand it’s a game-by-game situation, and they’re focusing in right now.”
The Warriors (7-1-2, 2-0-1 GPAC) return to action Wednesday when they travel to Papillion, Nebraska, for their final nonconference match of the season against Bellevue (7-4-1, 0-2). Kickoff against the Bruins is set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1.
