FREMONT, Neb. – The Wednesday (Oct. 15) matchup between in-state GPAC rivals was an evenly-played clash until a laser of a shot by prolific attacker Hugo Garcia-Rosado Duran gave Midland the upper hand. His strike opened the floodgates as all Warrior goals came in the closing 18 minutes in what amounted to a 3-0 victory for the home team. The Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Soccer team was shut out by a GPAC opponent for the first time this season.
Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad fell to 6-8 overall (4-3 GPAC) after a 2-0 previous week within league play. Both Midland and Concordia entered the evening situated inside the top four of the GPAC standings.
“It was a good college game, minus seven minutes,” Weides said. “We had an awful seven minutes and they had a really good seven minutes. Unfortunately, during that time, we looked discombobulated and made some mistakes. Good teams punish you for that, and they did. It went from a battle that could have gone either way to losing 3-0. It doesn’t quite feel like a 3-0 loss. Hopefully that’s an example to us. I think our guys fought hard to try to get one towards the end. Their keeper made some amazing saves. Overall, it was a good performance.”
Midland executed its counter attacks to perfection in the latter stages of the contest. Duran scored the game’s first goal on a frozen rope of a shot from well outside the box in the 73rd minute. The Warriors proceeded to break down Concordia’s back line with a goal from Pau Vivas in the 77th minute and another from Tsubasa Abe in the 80th minute.
Each of the three goals were difficult chances for Bulldog goalkeeper Nolan Fuelberth, who finished with four saves. Fuelberth had preserved a 0-0 score in the 59th minute with a quick reaction save of a header from just a few yards in front of him. In the midfield, the likes of Oliver Balazs and Slade Leicht continue to put forth strong minutes. The sidelining of defender Adrian Wambua (later returned) during part of the nightmare stretch hurt the cause for the visitors.
Concordia had chances of its own on its attacking end. The shot count was nearly even (19-17 in Midland’s favor) while the Warriors led in corner kicks, 8-5. Midland keeper Sean Beatty turned in a fine night between the pipes as he made seven saves. In the 67th minute, he denied a 1v1 chance for Karlo Rodriguez, who got free of the back line while running down the right side. Hugo Garrote led the Bulldogs with three shots (one on goal).
Midland (11-2-2, 5-1-1 GPAC) began October ranked No. 25 in the NAIA coaches’ poll and rested at 23rd in the official RPI released on Monday. The Warriors effectively bounced back from their 2-1 home defeat endured this past Saturday at the hands of Dakota Wesleyan. Duran (11 goals this season) had been held to just one shot by Concordia through the game’s first 70 minutes. Duran also assisted his team’s second goal.
Said Weides, “We had a really good opportunity and we didn’t take it, but there’s more opportunity in front of us. We want to play our best soccer over the next couple of weeks and into November. Ultimately, the path to achieve what we want is through the conference tournament. Our goal is to win as many games as we can on the way there. We want to become stronger while suffering this loss together.”
A road trip of significant distance is coming up on Saturday when the Bulldogs will be headed to Mitchell, S.D., to take on Dakota Wesleyan (7-6-1, 5-1-1 GPAC) at 4 p.m. CT. The much-improved Tigers pummeled Waldorf, 6-1, in Wednesday’s action and are tied with Midland for second place in the GPAC standings. DWU has surpassed its GPAC win total from last season when it went 4-6 in league play.