Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. — Midland University battled for first place in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) on Saturday as it took on Northwestern College, the team it was tied with atop the conference standings. It was a hard-fought match that saw 13 cards, but the Warriors ultimately fell 2-1 after the Red Raiders scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute.
The game got off to a slow start, with just two shots in the first 20 minutes and no shots on target before each goalkeeper was forced to make a save midway through the first half. Northwestern struck first when Diego Quinero put the Red Raiders ahead in the 29th minute on just their second shot of the game. After a corner kick from Juan Miranda was crossed into the box, the ball bounced around and fell to Quinero, who powered it into the bottom right corner. Midland tried to respond but found it difficult to break down Northwestern’s defense, mustering just one shot the rest of the half. The Warriors went into halftime down 1-0.
Midland made adjustments at the break and scored just 45 seconds into the second half. The Warriors went right down the field after kickoff and earned a corner kick. Nacho Salmeron took the corner and found the head of Thomas Gibson, who directed the ball into the net to tie the game at 1-1.
Midland looked to take the lead seven minutes later when its top scorer, Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran, rose up and headed the ball toward goal. However, Northwestern goalkeeper Edoardo Alessandrini was up to the task, saving Garcia-Rosado Duran’s header before also stopping the rebound attempt from Lucas Foreman to keep the game tied.
The Warriors appeared to take control in the second half, continuing to press for a go-ahead goal and firing three more shots that didn’t find the target. Northwestern continued to fend off Midland’s attacks until it mounted a counterattack in the 72nd minute off a Midland corner kick. The Red Raiders took advantage as Daniel Lindahl found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Lindahl shifted to his right, went around the keeper, and blasted the ball into the back of the net to give Northwestern the lead against the run of play.
Midland pushed bodies forward in search of an equalizer, allowing Northwestern through on goal again in the 80th minute. This time, Ruben Pernia took down the attacker outside the box and was shown a red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. The Warriors weren’t down a man for long, as Northwestern’s Gonzalo Domingo received a straight red card for a foul just seven minutes later. Pau Vivas then received a yellow card for a foul in the 90th minute and was immediately shown a second yellow for dissent, becoming the third player sent off in the final 10 minutes as Midland fell 2-1.
Midland outshot Northwestern 13-7 overall, but the Red Raiders were more accurate, finishing with five shots on target compared to Midland’s four. Defensively, both goalkeepers made three saves in 90 minutes of action. Tomas Reyes returned to the starting lineup for the Warriors after missing the previous two games.
The Warriors will return to action Oct. 29 to close the regular season against Hastings as they look to secure the No. 2 seed in the GPAC tournament. The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at Heedum Field in Fremont.
