UPSL Men's Spotlight: Minneapolis City Futures U21 v Worthington Community FC
UPSL Men's Spotlight: Minneapolis City SC U21 v Worthington Community FC
Saturday 18th:
18×26 Academy 4-1 Granite City FC
Worthington Community FC 2-1 FC Minneapolis
Austin Villa FC 2-1 Minneapolis City U21
Sunday 19th:
Leon FC 8-2 Superior City FC
St Croix Legends II 2-0 St Paul Blackhawks
Saturday 25th:
St Paul Blackhawks 7-1 Austin Villa FC
Superior City FC 1-5 Vlora FC
Saturday Spotlight – Minneapolis City U21 4-3 Worthington Community FC
Two goals from Mizael Harris and solos from Carter J Hermanson and Tomas S Menna proved the difference for ten men City against the Toros, who got goals from Miguel M Perdomo, Juani Mackrey and Jonathan A Banegas.
Sunday 26th:
FC Minneapolis 2-3 18×26 Academy
Granite City FC 0-7 Leon FC
Wednesday 29th:
Vlora FC 1-0 Granite City FC
Leon FC 4-0 FC Minneapolis
Austin Villa 0-1 St Croix Legends II
18×26 Academy 3-5 Minneapolis City SC Futures U21
Worthington Community FC 1-7 St Paul Blackhawks
Coming Up:
Tonight
Minneapolis City SC Futures U21 v Leon FC
Sunday
Granite City FC v Superior City FC
St Croix Legends II v Worthington Community FC
Wednesday
Worthington Community FC v Austin Villa FC
18×26 Academy v St Croix Legends II
Leon FC v St Paul Blackhawks
USL-W Match Preview: MN Aurora FC host RKC Third Coast
One week into the Heartland Division's 2024 season, MN Aurora returns to TCO Stadium on Thursday night after adding two away results to a regular season unbeaten record that dates back to their inaugural match in 2022. With plenty of new faces - including the entire coaching staff - joining stalwart returnees, Aurora has shown a continuation of the "Aurora way" on the road, but the first week of Heartland results highlights the increasing parity across the division and the W-League standard as a whole.
Aurora [at] Aurora [University in] Aurora [Illinois]
Aurora opened the season in Aurora, Ill., playing two matches at Aurora University. The opener was what everyone has come to expect from Aurora: Goals, early and often. The second match proved that there is room for growth and competition in the regular season.
On Thursday, May 23, Aurora outplayed the Chicago Dutch Lions 8-0. Given that the Dutch Lions lost to River Light FC by the same score on May 19, Aurora's eight goals may have taught us more about the Lions than Aurora. However, the variety of play-makers, goals, and goalscorers, kept the match intriguing.
The goals:
- 6' Sophie French, assisted by fellow returnee Jill Zbiljic from the corner
- 25' Giada Zhou makes her mark in her debut
- 50' French bags a brace
- 53' Tess Werts, who entered for Zbiljic after the break, scores just 8 minutes into her debut
- 57' Mariah Nguyen, back for year three, assisted by Werts
- 59' Werts notches the brace from distance (Yes, that's two goals and one assist less than 15 minutes into her shift)
- 75' Lydia Ruppert, another third-year returnee, assisted by newcomer Taylor Shell
- 77' Ruppert tallies Aurora's third brace and final goal on the night
Two returnees and one debutante accounted for six of the eight goals; the ever-improving Nguyen and confident newcomer Zhou added the other two.
On Saturday Aurora returned to Aurora University, this time to face the aforementioned River Light FC. After going into halftime scoreless, Aurora was the first to concede. River Light took the lead with a goal from Mya Nugent in the 53rd minute. Minutes later, Aurora leveled with a Sophie French header (off of a freekick this time) in the 55th. After that quick succession of goals, the two sides continued to battle it out in midfield without finding the goal. The 1-1 tie was Aurora's first since the club's inaugural home opener in 2022.
“River Light brought a great game against us, and we’re excited to have an opponent like this in the division," said first-year head coach Colette Montgomery. "Our players responded well to the game plan we put out there and the strategy we wanted to put in place today."
Both clubs made the USL-W Power Rankings for the week, with Aurora coming in at 10th and River Light 11th. Judging by the standings, River Light's performance on Saturday may have been a harbinger of a tough[er] season. Aurora has only been outscored by River Light and Chicago City SC but has a game in hand on both clubs. Aurora will get their first look at Chicago City this coming Sunday (at Chicago's Loyola University), but will first face RKC Third Coast.
Welcoming RKC Third Coast
RKC Third Coast opened their season at home on May 19, losing to Chicago City 4-2. After a week's rest, they traveled to Rochester FC, where they lost 3-2. Brielle Rochester scored both goals in the opening match while Haley Christianson tallied both goals against Rochester. RKC has returned 13 players from their inaugural 2023 roster but they do not have as many experienced players as Aurora.
In 2023, RKC's inaugural season, Aurora outscored them 18-1 across two head-to-head matches. Aurora's 2024 roster of 29 players features 12 returning players, a number of whom have already moved up a few rungs on the franchise's all-time goals and all-time points ladders.
Preseason thoughts from the coaches
"We've got exceptional leaders in the group and I'm very thankful for the returning players," Coach Montgomery said following at an open training session in preseason. "They know the Aurora Way and I'm learning that and bringing my pieces of that and seeing how we can collaborate." She reiterated later, "I'm very thankful for the veteran players that are here. This is a collaborative effort."
Goalkeeper coach Lucca Shimanuki is genuinely thrilled about the new experience, telling NLF after that same training session, "It's been amazing, to be honest, just working with Colette [Montgomery]. She's a fantastic coach, I know her from the past, I learned a lot from her, and just to be here in this new environment, which - it's where every soccer coach wants to be, at the highest level possible, and it can't get much better than this."
Returning goalkeeper Taylor Kane played every minute of the two matches on the road. Every indication is that she will get the nod again on Thursday at home. Shimanuki was impressed with the level she brought to training before the season started: "[Aurora] has always had solid goalkeepers and our defense was always something that we're proud of and we want to maintain that for this year. We have Taylor, a returner, and she's just been getting better and better every day. Every season, she's been fantastic."
Thursday evening will be many fans' first opportunity to see in-person the collaboration between the first-year staff, new players, and veteran players. It is also the first match of the season to be broadcast on TV, returning to Fox 9+ (TV) and Fox9.com. Northern Lights Football will also be there for live coverage and to recap all aspects of the event so follow along.
Recap & Photos: Aurora 2 Draws 3-3 with Granite City
Month: May 2024
Aurora2 hosted Granite City FC on Saturday, May 25 – Aurora’s third match in seven days. The fatigue showed but Aurora managed to play the Rocks to a high-scoring draw, 3-3. It started early with Leah Brown finishing a ball from Sophia Haase in the 8th minute to put the Rocks up 1-0. But it only took Aurora six minutes to level with Ava Westlund scoring in the 13th. Despite some big saves from Aurora keeper Bayliss Flynn, Haase was able to add one more goal before halftime, making 2-1 Granite City at the break.
“The first half, first of all, was definitely not up to the levels that we expect from the group and they understated that,” said Aurora2 head coach Mandy Pochobradsky. “You know, we did underperform but with that being said, it’s been a long week – three games in seven days is a lot to ask of a player so we were able to get some new players in which was good to see.”
Haase tallied a brace for the visitors in the 48th minute, converting from the penalty spot to go up 3-1. But Westlund added a brace of her own in the 62nd minute, with an assist from Mandy Elton – returning the favor from Wednesday’s match. “Both are incredibly creative players, players that we like to get on the ball, want to have them be in dangerous positions and let their creativity shine in the final third specifically,” Pochobradsky said.
Granite City goalkeeper Kaitlyn Krengel did a lot of work to keep Aurora2 from equalizing but Ellie Primerano beat her in the 81st minute. The sides traded shots for the last ten minutes but had to settle for a shared point.
Aurora2 improves to 2-0-1 (W-L-D) with the result and will face NOSC Blast at Spring Lake Park High School on Wednesday, May 29.
WPSL Spotlight: Minnesota Thunder v Joy Athletic Club
Month: May 2024
Spotlight Match: Minnesota Thunder 2-0 Joy Athletic Club
Last year’s national leading goalscorer Kaitlyn MacBean returned for another Summer and led Thunder past their neighbors, with tallies in the 13th (from Rilyn Rintoul) and the 90th (from half-time sub Ashley Thirk).
Other Results:
Joy Athletic Club 1-5 Salvo SC
Salvo’s Khyah Harper opened the scoring within 45 seconds, completing a high press with a curled effort past Mallorie Benhart in the Joy goal. Harper added a second in the 19th minute, driving in towards goal from the right before shooting low into the goal. In the 22nd minute, Harper netted her hat trick, driving down the left wing before cutting inside and blasting another shot past Benhart. It was 4-0 in the 25th minute when a right wing corner was recycled to Emily Heslin for Kaitlyn Beulke to hammer a shot high into the net from the back post.
In a half with plenty of midfield action, an Emily Heslin free kick on the top of the box, drilled into the bottom left corner of the Goats’ net was the only goal until the last kick. With that last kick, Ari Vargas broke the Goats scoreless stretch, chipping Ayden Gagner in the Salvo net from 30 yards out.
Coming Up:
Friday
Mankato United v Minnesota Thunder
Rochester United v Sioux Falls City
Sunday
Joy Athletic Club v Sioux Falls City
MapleBrook Fury v Mankato United
Manitou FC v Mankato United
NPSL Spotlight: Sioux Falls Thunder v Joy Athletic Club
Month: May 2024
Spotlight Match: Sioux Falls Thunder 1-1 Joy Athletic Club
Owen Salzwedel opened the scoring for Joy Athletic Club in the 19th minute, but the Goats were unable to hold off Sioux Falls, with the Thunder equalizer coming courtesy of Natinael Ayalew in the 79th minute.
Other Results:
Wednesday:
Duluth FC 0-0 Dakota Fusion FC
Saturday:
Dakota Fusion FC 3-1 Duluth FC
After a relatively even opening ten minutes, close refereeing dominated the opening exchanges before a goalkeeping error by Vicent Sanchis gifted the ball to Edouard Nys, who slotted it calmly past him for a Duluth lead in the 20th minute. Fusion’s first real chance came in the 35th minute, deflected wide by a defender and the subsequent corner went wide.
The second half saw multiple chances for Duluth but the BlueGreens were unable to capitalise. Then in the 70th minute, the hosts began to string together more close possession in the Duluth penalty area. Nonetheless, the equalizer took a moment of class by Inchun Han, who dribbled in from the right wing and smashed a shot past the previously imperious Zeke Foltz’s far post.
Fusion went ahead when a free kick was lobbed into the area and Foltz was beaten to a header by Gael Gonzalez, with the clock barely in the 90th minute.
Duluth mounted a counter offensive, but a couple of corners were wayward and in the fifth minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, a quick breakaway down the Fusion left was squared for a tap-in by Ryosuke Miyata.
Siouxland United 2-1 Minnesota TwinStars FC
The Outlaws secured another win courtesy of goals from Magloire Makila and Nick Walker. TwinStars tally came from Chigozie Eneje.
Joy Athletic Club 3-2 Minnesota Blizzard
A back-and-forth match ends in favor of the hosts, with goals from Eric Riera, Grant Luce and Zinedine Kroeten. Blizzard scored through a brace from John-Terry Broughton
Coming Up:
Monday:
Minnesota Blizzard FC v Sioux Falls Thunder FC
Wednesday:
Siouxland United FC v Dakota Fusion FC
Minnesota TwinStars FC v Duluth FC
Saturday:
Sioux Falls Thunder v Duluth FC
Minnesota TwinStars FC v Siouxland United FC
Dakota Fusion FC v Joy Athletic Club
Recap & Photos: Aurora 2 vs Northern Tide
Month: May 2024
Aurora2 played their home opener on Wednesday night, hosting Northern Tide FC at Sea Foam Stadium in St Paul, Minn. It was a convincing 3-0 win for Aurora, who improved to 2-0 on the season.
The home side got off to a quick start when Ava Grate scored in the 8th minute from Angie Knies’ corner service – Aurora’s second corner kick of the match. Aurora continued to put in crosses and corners, challenging Northern Tide goalkeeper Samantha Swidorski who held her own until a bobble in the 39th minute allowed Ellie Primerano a chance to tap in a rebound. One minute of stoppage time saw Aurora make the score 3-0 before the break.
Ava Westlund tallied the assist on that third and final goal and described the build up “Ellie [Primerano] had it up the middle. I made the run out wide, she timed it perfectly, played me; I sliced it across and then Mandy [Elton] finished it, two-time. It was a perfect combination.”
Northern Tide was able to put together a few runs to challenge Aurora’s midfield in the second half but, as in the first half, Aurora closed them down early and often. Westlund credited home pitch advantage for the shutout: “With our first game, we were getting into the group but being back to home field is totally different because we train here, we’re used to the field, the surface, everything […] The environment, the field, the team, we all came together really well.”
Aurora2 will play at home again on Saturday, hosting Granite City FC in front of a larger, mid-afternoon crowd.
Photo Gallery: Minneapolis City SC v St Croix Legends
Month: May 2024
Minneapolis City SC held their home opener in the Deep North Division of USL League Two on Wednesday night. The Crows welcomed St. Croix Legends to Edor Nelson field in Minneapolis. The Legends claimed all three points as they squandered the Crow’s hopes of a happy home opener. Take an on the field look from the perspective of our photographer’s with this photo gallery as the Legends defeated the Crows 3-0.
USL League Two Spotlight: Minneapolis City SC v St Croix Legends
Month: May 2024
Nathan Donovan proved to be the decisive factor in a combative Twin Cities derby, scoring in the 15th and 52nd minute and laying on the assist for the Legends’ third goal in the 90th minute from Dylan Olson, at which point the Crows had been reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of Max Kent for a second bookable offense in the 80th minute.
Other Scores:
Rochester FC 1-4 Bavarian United
UPSL Women's Spotlight: MN TwinStars v MN Aurora 2
Month: May 2024
Spotlight Match – Minnesota TwinStars FC 1-2 Minnesota Aurora FC
Minnesota Aurora’s new reserve squad opened play on the road at Minnesota TwinStars, who have had a women’s side intermittently throughout their history but who are also new to the Women’s division of UPSL.
After a fairly even opening few minutes, with no clear chances for either side, it was Karlee Torisk who broke the deadlock with an audacious chip of the TwinStars goalkeeper from 25 yards out.
The home side hit the side netting from a corner in the 37th minute but it was the closest they would come in the first half. Five minutes later, Molly Knoblauch swept a free kick in from 20 yards out on the right wing and Mandy Elton blasted home from the middle of the box.
TwinStars scored their first goal of the season, in the 75th minute as Mikala Bocan beat a defender to a long free kick from midfield to flick past the Aurora keeper from the penalty spot with her head.
Other Results This Weekend
NOSC Blast 7-0 Skills FC
Berit J Parten notched four goals as Blast ran riot. Jessica M Eischens and Hannah L Kvant also scored from open play and Evie Birk from the penalty spot.
Vlora FC 0-3 Tonka Fusion Elite 2
Abby Missman scored twice and Ella Wade once for the visitors.
Northern Tide FC 3-2 St Croix Legacy II
Ana Munyon and Julie Bergan scored for NTFC. Ariana Green and Preslee I Nepote scored for Legacy.
Granite City FC 3-3 Superior City FC
Two goals by Anna Tobias and one from Gwendolyn Lilly for Superior City were met by two goals from Chloe Voss and one from Sophia Haase.
NPSL Round Up: Week 1
Wednesday:
Duluth FC 3-0 Joy Athletic Club
Duluth FC's Charlie Wood had a couple of good chances with 5 mins on the clock, but the crosses in from the left were missed. Two corners back to back eventually resulted in an easy catch for the Joy keeper. Joy's best early chance was a turnover by Jamie Colvill in his area in the tenth minute. Limmer forced a save in the 12th minute. The breakthrough came in the twenty-fifth minute, as Liam Pritchard stole the ball in midfield and played in last season's club-leading goalscorer Tyler Limmer. The initial shot was stopped by the trailing foot of Joy's keeper Oscar Herrera but Limmer picked up the rebound. BlueGreens' Nathan Porter missed from point-blank in the thirty-third minute. Joy's Dinielsen Martinez received a straight red card in the forty-fifth minute for a confrontation with Colvill, who received a yellow card. Felipe Santos made it 2-0 on a penalty kick, after he himself was taken down in the eighty-third minute. Limmer scored his second, and Duluth's third, tapping in a pass from Manny Morales in the eighty-ninth minute.
Saturday:
Duluth FC 2-1 Siouxland United FC
Duluth FC win a wild one on a 65th minute winner from Myles Edmondson. Charlie Wood opened the scoring for the BlueGreens in the 47th minute but the visitors answered right back, their first ever goal, through Flynn Faulkner. In the 62nd minute, Rory Doyle was sent off, reducing the hosts to ten men, but the numerical disadvantage became a scoreboard advantage. SUX saw their own red card, to Hibiki Mizutani, in the 84th minute.
Dakota Fusion FC 4-0 Minnesota Blizzard FC
The brand new Blizzard, fresh from a narrow defeat in their opening game against TwinStars, met a Fusion side who have retooled under a new coach and the departure of league-leading goalscorer Yu Tsukanome to MLS Next Pro side Tacoma Defiance. It was the hosts who would have the bulk of possession and the most threatening chances.
Within the opening three minutes, Fusion had pinned Blizzard in their own half and the first chance came soon after, with Toshiki Makimoto on the front foot - a recurring theme in a busy game for the man from Hiroshima.
Blizzard's first chance came on a long free kick into the Fusion penalty area from midfield, eventually cleared for a goalkick after a scramble, but only a minute later, Alberto Romano Sanchez made it 1-0 Fusion from a Makimoto assist in the 12th minute.
Chances continued to come for the hosts as Blizzard defenders, and goalkeeper Shae Wirt, blocked the way to goal until the 27th minute, when Makimoto drove in from the left and Lucas Peruzo slotted home for 2-0. With more pressure from Fusion to finish the first half, it could have been a more emphatic scoreline if it weren't for shots over the crossbar and so the first half ended with the score only 2-0.
Four minutes after the break, Makimoto himself made it 3-0, with the Fusion high press forcing a turnover before he slotted it past Wirt from close range.
It was the 65th minute before Blizzard had a sustained period of possession, down their left, but they could not threaten the Fusion goal. The home side yet again threatened Wirt's goal in the 76th minute, but a curled shot rose just past the angle of post and bar. It would be academic as half time substitute Kairi Saito blasted one low past Wirt in the 78th minute for a 4-0 scoreline. There would be further shots on target but the game finished as a comfortable home win.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
Sioux Falls Thunder FC v Joy St Louis Park
Saturday:
Siouxland United FC v Minnesota TwinStars FC
Dakota Fusion FC v Duluth FC
Joy St Louis Park v Minnesota Blizzard FC
UPSL Men's Round Up: Week 3
Saturday
Worthington Community FC 0-6 Superior City FC
The Navy rolled into the home of 2-0-0 WCFC and left with all three points courtesy of a devastating display of attacking. Ryan Tomsche scored twice and David Lopez Perez, Henrico Zena, Siji Gonzalez and Bruce Boldt all claimed solo tallies.
St Paul Blackhawks 2-2 Mpls City U21
Mikaelle Daniel and Sam W Kaeding scored for the Young Crows. Liam K Hafenbrack and Samuel C Hoyt scored for the Hawks.
18x26 Academy 1-2 Vlora FC
Vlora's goals were scored by Suad Suljic and Franklin P. Schwendimann. 18x26 returned with a goal by Mubashir A Nour.
Austin Villa 7-1 Granite City FC
Villa saw a hat trick by Jose Valladares and single goals by Lucas Monteiro, Sergio Traitel, Julio Hernandez and Luis Armando Lofego. Granite City could only muster one goal in response, from Eli B De Jongh.
Sunday Spotlight Match
St Croix Legends II 3-2 FC Minneapolis
The first half saw a number of Legends corners and the ball in the net more than once, only to be ruled offside. In the end, FC Minneapolis went down to ten men in the first half an hour and subsequently broke the deadlock in the 51st minute through Pedro Belmont.
Legends equalized at the hour mark with a scrambled effort by Porter Ball off a long throw into the penalty area. With only 10 minutes left, Luca Contestabile scored a free kick, after consultation between the referee and his assistant, to put the Legends back ahead. The Lion Kings levelled it with a screamer from the top of the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time, courtesy of Andrei Filho but there was still enough time for a last sting in the tail as Will Kidd finished, from a Contestabile corner with the stopwatch reading 90+12.
Wednesday
Mpls City U21 5-3 St Croix Legends II
Mitchel M Munzing and Tomas S Menna scored two each and Camel Htoo got a single goal for the Crows. Gora G Gora scored twice and Carter E Thiesfeld scored a solo effort for the Legends.
FC Minneapolis 1-1 Austin Villa
Austin Villa survived a red card to claim a point on the road.
Thursday
Granite City FC 0-1 Worthington CFC
The Toros stole a late winner on an own goal.
Friday
Vlora FC 1-1 Leon FC
A strange evening in Burnsville, where a match only lasted 70 minutes due to bad weather. In between the interruptions, a match broke out, with both sides notching breakaway solo efforts. Franklin Schwendimann scored for Vlora, Medo had the reply.
Coming Up:
Saturday:
18x26 Academy v Granite City FC
Worthington Community FC v FC Minneapolis
Austin Villa FC v Minneapolis City U21
Sunday:
St Croix Legends II v St Paul Blackhawks
Photo Gallery: Minnesota TwinStars FC vs Minnesota Blizzard FC
Month: May 2024
The 2024 NPSL North got underway with an early match-up when Minnesota TwinStars FC hosted league newcomers Minnesota Blizzard FC.
Take a look back with our photos of North Conference opener where the TwinStars secured a 3-2 win.
NPSL Season Opener: Minnesota TwinStars v Minnesota Blizzard
(Photo by Seth Steffenhagen/Steffenhagen Photography)
UPSL Men's Round Up: Week 2
Spotlight Match:
Vlora FC 0-3 Worthington Community FC
It took 5 mins for either side to find a shot on target and only a minute after Vlora had their first look, Worthington really should have gone ahead with theirs as the ball was intercepted in midfield from a high press by WCFC but the shot from the top of the box sailed high and wide. The Toros continued to press high and force Vlora into defensive miscues. A long ball over the top in the 11th minute was missed by Jesus Galvan-Garcia attempting to head it back to Austin Gunkel in the Vlora net, and the Worthington shot was just fractionally wide. In the 18th minute, a snapped header by Robert Cooper from close range was plucked out of the air by Worthington keeper Ricardo Maldonado. A free kick in the 23rd minute was a good chance for Vlora, claimed by Maldonado.
The break through came only two minutes later as Worthington made a strong diagonal pass from right to left which was slide tackled out for a corner. Chris Cerda's delivery was whipped in from the left and Miguel Perdomo rose to nod it home.
Only one minute after scoring their first, another WCFC counter attack led to a shot wide from the top of the box. Vlora returned fire up the other end, a shot off a corner was deflected out for another corner, a sequence repeated almost exactly a second successive time but while Vlora maintained possession, it could not threaten the goal again.
The second goal came after a scrappy passage of play where the ball was ineffectively cleared a number of times before falling to Juani Mackrey, who swept it home from close range with half an hour gone.
Mackrey netted his second and Worthington's third when after a period of back and forth play, a cross was driven in from the right wing by Cerda and tapped in by Mackrey in the 39th minute.
The second half saw neither side firing on all cylinders as it took 15 minutes for either side to muster a further corner and Vlora saw their best chance of the second half go begging as a corner was whipped in from the right but missed everyone's head and was claimed in a scrum by Maldonado. Worthington's own corner from their right was comfortable for Gunkel.
Vlora managed to hit a shot off the gridiron crossbar and saw another shot deflected over, with a third shot just wide in the 75th minute. Esteban Badillo applied some pressure of his own for the home side but his shot was wide. As the home side pressed forward, a ball was lofted in in the 86th minute for Vlora, but another header went wide. Ortega had a strong shot on the Worthington goal in stoppage time, but it was secured by the goalie.
Vlora FC fall to 0-2 on the young season, with their visitors ascending to 2-0.
Worthington CFC #19 Juani Mackrey celebrates with #21 Anton Cordes and #20 Alex Ruiz Garcia during the Vlora Football Club v Worthington Community Football Club match on Saturday, May 5, 2024 at Bob Pates Stadium in Burnsville, Minnesota. (Photo by Jason Morales Ortiz)
Other Results:
Sunday:
Superior City FC 4-1 Austin Villa
Bryce Boldt opened the scoring for the Navy in the 5th minute, Austin Villa equalized but Boldt puts the home team back ahead soon after. Ryan Tomsche made it 3-1 in stoppage time and the scoring was completed by Mally Lumsden in the 84th minute.
Granite City FC 0-9 St Croix Legends II
The Legends put up a touchdown at St Cloud Tech, and didn't stop at that. Nathan Donovan got a hat trick (and two assists!), Will Miers scored two and there were single goals for Porter Ball (and a assist), JT Olson, Carver M. Tierney (and an assist) and Minneapolis City's all-time leading goalscorer Will Kidd. Will Heinen got two assists and Alex Paredes and Agostino Quadrio Curzio also got assists.
Thursday:
Superior City FC 1-2 FC Minneapolis
The Lion Kings opened up the scoring through Yushi Nagamatsu in the 17th minute. Superior City equalized late in the first half through center back Matti Sysimaki from a corner. The visitors were reduced to ten men after Ayodele Gafer was sent off for handling outside the penalty area in the 65th minute, with Michael taking over as goalie. Aerial Gbalenchey then followed him into the away showers in stoppage time. Mally Lumsden finally broke the deadlock in the fourth minute of stoppage time, off a long cross-field pass from David Lopez Perez. The match ended with 11 yellow cards, 4 of which turned into 2 red cards.