Dakota Fusion FC 2-0 Sioux Falls Thunder FC

Fusion fans brought a drum. The team proved them worthy of the accompaniment. 

Fusion dominated possession in the opening 10 minutes but the first Fusion shot on goal came via Brandon Garcia at 9:45. Sioux Falls Thunder’s keeper Jack Howard played much of the match either out of his area or out of his goal, and in the 14th minute, Fusion took a snap shot with Howard out of his net, wide. 

Fusion spent much of the opening half knocking on the door,  including a flying volley by Nicolo Lai, saved by Howard diving one way and using his opposite hand. The first half would end goal less, chiefly courtesy of scrambling defense by Howard and center-back Colin Burke.   

Just before the hour mark, a blasted clearance by Fusion defender Ahmad Hijaz from within his own half took a lucky deflection off a Thunder player for a corner. Lai was the first to a ricocheting ball in a goalmouth scramble, to poke the ball home for a home lead. 

After yet more Fusion attacks were repelled by Thunder, the match took an unexpected turn in the 74th minute as a free kick for Fusion in their own penalty area led – for reasons that were unclear – to Lai being sent off for dissent.

The Thunder man advantage made no substantial difference to the flow of the game, and the match ended 10 v 10 as the visitors saw their own red card in the 87th minute. With nothing left to lose, Jack Howard fully released the hand brake and spent the last 5 minutes of the game in the Fusion penalty area. It was the hosts who scored, though, when a long clearance from Will Devine in the Fusion net in the second minute of stoppage time came all the way through to a Fusion attacker who was fouled. Takumi Sato hammered the penalty kick off the crossbar and down for the death blow.

Duluth FC 7-1 Minnesota TwinStars

The BlueGreens got revenge in grand style, putting up a touchdown against the TwinStars. Goals from Liam Pritchard and Jake Starling, a brace from Eduoard Nys and a hat trick by Jireh Oyebamiji were the emphatic answer to a third minute go ahead goal by the visitors – Fatorma Conneh seizing on a weak header back by Dylan Zavatini.

Siouxland United FC 5-0 Minnesota Blizzard FC

Early and then often, the home side turned over the Blizzard. Kenny Hewitt, Magloire Makila and Ben Shields made it three, and Nick Walker scored twice in the 89th minute, the last one a penalty kick. 

 

Here are how the teams stand:

The conference table for the North Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (source: NPSL)

Coming Up:

Wednesday

Sioux Falls Thunder v Dakota Fusion

Joy Athletic Club v Siouxland United

Minnesota Blizzard v Duluth FC 

Friday:

Sioux Falls Thunder v Siouxland United 

Saturday:

Minnesota TwinStars v Sioux Falls Thunder

Joy Athletic Club v Dakota Fusion