Courtesy of Midland Athletics
BELLEVUE, Neb. – No. 25 Midland University took to the pitch Wednesday for its final nonconference matchup of the regular season against No. 11 Bellevue University. The Warriors earned their second ranked win of the year after Hugo Garcia scored the game-winner in the 79th minute to defeat the Bruins 2-1.
“Great result and amazing mature performance by the team,” head coach Josh Nakayama said. “We knew we had to soak up some pressure tonight and the boys handled it really well.”
Midland started strong, firing off the first two shots of the match and forcing a save from Bellevue goalkeeper Kaden Simpson. The Bruins then grew into the game, outshooting the Warriors 5-1 over the remainder of the half. Neither team broke through, sending the game into halftime tied 0-0.
Just over seven minutes into the second half, Hugo Fragueiro‘s shot struck the post and ricocheted to Lucas Foreman, who buried the rebound to give Midland a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute.
The Bruins answered quickly. Jeremiah Hteh fed Adam Sherwood in the 62nd minute, and Sherwood slotted a low shot into the net to tie the game 1-1.
With time winding down, Garcia stepped up to a free kick from about 30 yards out. He fired the ball inside the near post to put the Warriors ahead once more in the 79th minute.
Bellevue managed one last attempt on goal, but Tomas Reyes made the save to preserve Midland’s 2-1 road win.
Both teams finished with 10 shots and three saves. Midland committed 17 fouls to Bellevue’s eight, while the Bruins held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Offensively, Garcia and Foreman each scored once on two shots. Nacho Salmeronrecorded three shots, and Reyes tallied three saves on four shots on goal in a full 90 minutes.
“Our two captains took responsibility and led us to victory,” Nakayama said. “We will enjoy this tonight.”
Midland (8-1-2, 2-0-1 GPAC) continues conference play Saturday, traveling to Sioux City, Iowa, to face Briar Cliff (4-4-1, 1-1-1). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Faber Field.
