Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland returned to the pitch on Saturday as it welcomed Ottawa University to town. It was a tightly contested game with chances on both ends, but ultimately no one was able to find the back of the net as the match ended in a scoreless draw.
“We were not at our very best today and we were still able to be dangerous,” said head coach Josh Nakayama. “We were also able to keep a clean sheet. Very proud of those guys.”
The Braves started quicker, forcing Tomas Reyes into two saves before the Warriors’ first shot in the 17th minute. Midland then grew into the game, forcing Ottawa goalkeeper David Martinez to make three saves and hitting the crossbar before halftime. The Warriors went into the locker room having outshot the Braves 6-3.
Midland continued to apply pressure after halftime, forcing two more saves from Martinez in the first 15 minutes and hitting the post with a shot in the 62nd minute. The Warriors pushed for the winner, outshooting the Braves 11-8 in the second half, but couldn’t find the finishing touch. Their final opportunity came with just 20 seconds left as Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duranbroke free one-on-one with the keeper. He tried to chip the ball over the oncoming Brave, but it floated wide left to seal the 0-0 result.
Reyes played the full 90 minutes in goal, making four saves, while his Ottawa counterpart finished with seven. Offensively, Hugo Garcia led Midland with six shots, three of which were on goal.
Midland (5-1-1) will return to action next Saturday as it begins conference play on the road against Dordt (2-2-2) in Sioux Center, Iowa. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on Sept. 20.
“We’ve done a lot in the nonconference to show that we can compete with the big teams,” Nakayama said. “Now we need to focus on the conference. This is the real season.”
