Courtesy of Midland Athletics
CRETE, Neb. – Midland University took a trip to Crete, Nebraska on Wednesday evening to take on Doane University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) matchup. For the fourth-straight contest, the Warriors earned a draw, tying the Tigers 1-1.
Both teams came out with solid defense strategies in the first half as they limited each offense to just three shot attempts and two attempts on target.
After the intermission, Midland broke the scoreless game in the 69th minute as Diego Saenz crossed the ball to Jovica Lazarevic. He came flying in and headed it past the keeper to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
With time winding down in the contest, the Tigers were able to get the equalizer in the 85th minute with a quick strike from five yards out. The Warriors’ defense withstood a last-minute opportunity as the teams ended in a 1-1 draw.
Doane held a slight edge in shot attempts overall, 12 to 9, and had a 5 to 3 advantage in shots on frame. The teams combined for 20 fouls in a physical game between conference rivals.
Hugo Sjoeberg earned his first start of the season in goal for the Warriors. He picked up three saves while playing the full complement of minutes.
“It was a really hard-fought game. I’m proud of the way the boys played,” commented head coach Josh Nakayama. “We didn’t get the three points we had hoped for, but the team’s effort and focus were there tonight. We are unbeaten in our last four matches and are heading in the right direction. We just need to win games.”
Midland (3-6-5, 1-2-5 GPAC) will travel to Mitchell, South Dakota to face Dakota Wesleyan (6-6-1, 2-5-1 GPAC) this weekend. The Saturday afternoon game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex.
