NPSL Round Up: Week 7-8
Wednesday June 25th
Joy Athletic Club 2-1 Minnesota Blizzard FC
An ill-tempered and scrappy game ends the playoff hopes of the visitors and solidifies Joy in third. Minneapolis’s Dimitri Nair burst into the visitors’ penalty area from the right. He passed the ball onto Eagan, MN’s Phil Caputo, who slotted his 12th goal of a Golden Boot-caliber season into the opposite side netting with only 19 minutes played. However, Joy struggled all night to finish off Blizzard, and the visitors were level in the 41st minute when Ulsterman Jadon Morgan expertly volleyed a cross into the net at the far post, after a corner was only partially cleared.
On the hour mark, a give and go down the left released Hopkin’s MN’s Griffin Price, whose pass was side footed home by Buffalo, MN’s Carver Tierney. Even despite a red card, for violent conduct, by the St Thomas Tommie Bennett Kouame (out of St. Louis Park, MN) in stoppage time, Blizzard were unable to rally again.
Saturday June 28th
Joy Athletic Club 1-4 Sioux Falls Thunder FC
Things looked rosy for Joy as Phil Caputo scored a free kick, 30 yards out and dead central. However, the visitors scored four unanswered to vault themselves into a playoff spot. Nick North seized on a pass through the Joy defense in the 40th minute. Four minutes later, Thunder had the lead, AJ Bowman curling it past the keeper into the bottom corner.
Luis Waeschle added a finish to an intricate sequence down the right and Nick North added a counter attack goal in the second half.
Minnesota Blizzard FC 0-2 Siouxland United FC
The Outlaws spent an hour scoreless but sealed a win with goals from Dariel Contreras Portorreal in the 62nd, and Sergio Mijangos in the 80th minute, with a solo run down the right and a blast into the side netting.
Iowa Demon Hawks 0-1 Duluth FC
JJ Oyebamiji caught his own rebound after a point blank stop to secure the full three points for Duluth.
Wednesday July 2nd
Duluth FC 3-2 Siouxland United FC
It took half an hour, but an interception in midfield set up João Rocha for the opener by the visiting Outlaws, curled beyond Schenk in the BlueGreen net. In the 65th minute, a handball in the box allowed Duluth FC an opportunity to equalize from the spot, and the penalty kick by Felipe Oliveira slid underneath the Siouxland keeper. In the 81st minute, Siouxland United failed to clear for a period of two minutes and the ball leaked out to Peter Pearson, who blasted home from the top of the box. A late third by JJ Oyebamiji put the game beyond the reach of the visitors, even though United got their second in stoppage time through Sergio Mijangos.
Saturday July 5th
Siouxland United FC 1-2 Iowa Demon Hawks
With the seedings settled, Siouxland looked to stay healthy ahead of their rematch with Thunder. In the end it was the Demon Hawks who snuck the win. The visitors opened the scoring through an own goal in the 16th minute. Kyohei Eguchi equalized in the 31st minute but a Iowa PK by Jeanderson Pereira in the 70th secured the victory.
Coming Up:
The NPSL North Playoffs.
We look at the match-ups here