WPSL Wrap Up: Week 4
Wednesday
Joy Athletic Club 2-0 Mankato United Soccer Club
Lakevillians Ashley Bennett and Brooke Quam were the key pieces in this home victory. Bennett opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a neat shot that slid under the keeper Ella Lysne from a Quam pass. Quam doubled the lead in the 59th minute, from a Bennett assist to secure a home win for the Goats.
Minnesota Dutch Lions FC 0-2 Minnesota Thunder
Harvard commit and France U-17 international Lou Ruffien put Thunder ahead in the 25th minute and University of Northern Iowa Panther Abby OBrien (out of White Bear Lake, MN) secured the win in the 83rd minute.
Manitou FC 1-2 MN Bliss FC
St Paulite and North Dakota State Bison Loretta Wacek and Bemidji State Beaver Ella Wade, also out of the Twin Cities metro, tipped Bliss over the top against Manitou FC.
Friday
Manitou FC 0-2 Minnesota Thunder
Hastings, Minnesota's Paige Peltier got both goals for Thunder, as they climbed to second in the standings.
Saturday
St Croix Legacy 1-1 Minnesota Dutch Lions FC
A Legacy side short-handed due to Father's Day wrapped up their home slate with a hard-fought win against the Dutch Lions. The visitors have yet to win, but have drawn three times. The visitors opened the scoring in the 63rd minute through Adriana Brenengen's neat strike coming in off the right to blast it underneath Hadley Johnson in the Legacy net. However, the Winona High School kid's go ahead goal would not last as ten minutes later, Legacy attacked down their left, and Lake Elmo, MN's Amara Smith (who goes to Minnesota State -Mankato) slotted calmly past the goalie.
The last drama came in the 81st minute when a Legacy player nipped in ahead of a defender and the two collided. Free kick awarded, 30 yards out. The ball was driven in, and it went into the Dutch Lion net, but as the Legacy players headed back to the center circle for a goal, the Dutch Lions players protested and after an interlude the goal was chalked off for handball but no further action - such as a caution - was taken.
Sunday
Minnesota Thunder 2-0 Mankato United Soccer Club
Mankato United's Tea Opitz stood on her head on the Academy of Holy Angels Stardome field where she played as a kid, anchoring a defense which kept the prolific Thunder off the scoreboard for 70 minutes but in the end, Paige Peltier slotted past Opitz after a pass down the middle by Matigann Vixayvong split the defense open. The second goal was a scramble in the 83rd minute, finished off by the Minneapolis born Wisconsin Badger Kiya Gilliand from a corner kick by Paige Peltier.
MN Bliss FC 0-8 Salvo SC
There were 10 minutes on the clock when Salvo unlocked the Bliss defense, a run down the left culminated in a pass across the top of the box for Davy Mokelke to slide the ball home. An interception in midfield set up the second, again calmly slotted away by Becca Smith in the 17th minute. Bliss had a spell of possession around the 20th minute but Salvo had made it three by the 24th, through Mya Nugent. Mokelke added a fourth before half time.
Salvo salted away the victory with a fifth goal in the 53rd minute when Nugent swooped on the rebound after a spectacular close range save by Sarah Martin. It was 6-0 in the 72nd minute when an interchange down the right ended with the ball being bundled home for an own goal. The seventh goal in the 78th minute by Alma Beaton was a swallow dive from the edge of the area, dipping and swerving past Martin. The eighth went in through Ceilidh Whynott in the 85th minute.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
Joy Athletic Club v Minnesota Thunder
Saturday
Minnesota Dutch Lions FC v Mankato United Soccer Club
Sunday
Minnesota Thunder v MN Bliss FC
Manitou FC v St Croix Legacy
Salvo Soccer Club v Joy Athletic Club
WPSL Wrap Up: Week 2
Wednesday
St Croix Legacy 2-1 Salvo SC
St Croix Legacy played back from the kick off to the final whistle, absorbing the much higher line of Salvo's pressure and countering. That strategy netted the go-ahead goal courtesy of a connection between two St Croix locals - a header from Concordia St Paul's Stella Nielsen connecting with ferocity on a corner in the 20th minute from CJ Fredkove, currently going to St Thomas.
Salvo, on the other hand, also seemed wedded to a strategy - high tempo, close passing despite the relentless defense of Legacy in their personal space. The first half was seen out with Sophia Barjesteh peppering corners in to the St Croix area with no finish.
The visitors equalized in the 65th minute after a cross by another Tommie, Sofia Englund was neatly tapped home by Lauren Eckerle of South Dakota State. Salvo pushed further forward, but with the literal last play of the match, CJ Fredkove got her second assist of the contest, with a searching ball down the left wing in stoppage time. Tatum Trettel tight-roped the left sideline and drove towards goal, before slotting the ball past Ayden Gagner in the Salvo net and into the far side netting. The only action left in the match was the final whistle. I think Trettel might still be running.
Friday 30th May
Mankato United SC 1-3 Salvo SC
Riley Lijewski (An Ohio State Buckeye out of River Falls, WI) scored twice - once each from open play and the penalty spot to key an easy victory for Salvo. Katelyn Beulke (out of Hugo, MN and currently a South Dakota State Jackrabbit) also scored for the metro side and Mankato United claimed a consolation from Jade Jackson (one of the many players on the roster who plays for MN State University Mankato).
Minnesota Bliss FC 3-1 Manitou FC
Mergers and co-ops are all over the youth soccer landscape, so I guess it was inevitable that they would impact the next step in the women's football pathway. Minnesota Bliss FC's predecessors and parent clubs reach across the West Metro from Plymouth, Wayzata, Shorewood, Minnetonka, Deephaven to Maple Grove and Brooklyn Park in the Northwest of the Twin Cities. MapleBrook played the Fury in WPSL last season and Tonka Fusion Elite played very successfully in UPSL W. This year, the two clubs joined up to field Bliss FC. The new venture showed a high level of cohesion in their first match, blitzing the visitors from White Bear Lake, MN with incisive passes from midfield through the center of the Manitou FC defense.
30 seconds in, North Dakota State's Loretta Wacek, out of Saint Paul, MN, broke away down the middle and slotted home the opener. An absolute blast from outside the area in the 20th minute by Bemidji State Beaver Ella Wade, who's from Rogers, MN, made it a two goal lead. Manitou's consolation was scored by Madeleine Thompson (who is still a high school student, at White Bear Lake).
Minnesota Dutch Lions FC 1-1 Joy AC
Another club to go through a change this offseason is Rochester United FC, who became the 11th side in the sprawling Dutch Lions FC organization. The home side broke the deadlock in the 45th min, with a blast from Viterbo and Brookfield, WI's Abby Mumm on the edge of the area. Brooke Nast equalized, barely 5 minutes after half time.
Sunday 1st June
Mankato United 1-1 Minnesota Dutch Lions FC
Good cross in from the left by Kiera Laney in the 24th minute, was headed firmly past the Dutch Lions keeper Anna Lundeen by Allie Hartig to put the home side ahead. Abby Mumm is two-in-two, after a wedge over Ella Lynse to equalize in the 63rd minute.
Minnesota Bliss FC 3-0 Joy AC
Driving in from the right, Ella O'Keefe (from Plymouth, MN) slotted past the Joy keeper in the 34th minute for Bliss. The hosts doubled their lead in the 48th minute, a pinball header from Loretta Wacek off a right wing corner. Wacek set up her own second, bursting down the left wing, then popping up in the box to finish the move and make it 3-0.
Minnesota Thunder 1-6 Salvo SC
Unaccountably a blowout victory for the road team. Minnesota Golden Gopher Avery Petty opened the scoring for Salvo after only 4 minutes with a volley from the top of the box past the Colorado Buffalo Brooke Goerish. South Dakota State's Katelyn Beulke then doubled the lead in the 20th minute, weaving her way down the center of the box. Another quarter hour passed, with play going from box to box but neither team scoring before Sofia Barjesteh (St Thomas), teed up and then volleyed into the top corner from the top of the Thunder box.
In the 50th minute, a Thunder ball in from the right saw the attacker in the middle miss her kick and Salvo countered clinically, Salvo's Davy Mokelke (Another Gopher) finishing it off. The fifth goal came only three minutes later, another fast break by Salvo, finished off by Elle Wildman (Iowa) after a defense splitting pass from Molly Fiedler (most recently the Head Coach of St Olaf). Another three minutes went by, and Ashley Thurk (Yet another Minnesota player) made a mazy run and finish, all the way up from right back.
Thunder's sole goal went in the hole after Vivian Rojas-Collins's (most recently Pomona), whipped cross was converted by Kendall Stadden (Former MN Golden Gopher, now a North Dakota State Bison).
All in all, an unusually large margin for Thunder to lose by, but not at all unusual a goal difference for Salvo. They don't have long at all to wait for a rematch.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
Salvo SC v Minnesota Thunder
St Croix Legacy v MN Bliss FC
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club v Manitou FC
Sunday
Minnesota Thunder v St Croix Legacy
Mankato United v MN Bliss FC
Salvo SC v Minnesota Dutch Lions
NPSL Round Up: Week 3
Tuesday
Duluth FC 1-0 Minnesota Blizzard FC
When you aren't destroying teams, just find a way to win. A draw is possible in this game we love, but that was not to be for the visitors, who conceded a fatal late free kick, 20 yards out on the right wing.
Duluth FC had a couple of half chances in the opening ten minutes but the Blizzard were steadfast in their defense. The Blizzard's first chances came shortly after back to back corners resulted in an unmarked shot from the top of the box, wide. Luis Vergara shot high from a corner in the 19th minute for Duluth, and the BlueGreens saw a goal disallowed for offside in the 25th. The home side's first corner took 27 minutes to arrive, and it resulted in a counter for Blizzard, albeit ended by a Mark Donaldson interception. Adrian Mejia nearly broke through for the hosts in the waning moments of the first half but the shot went wide. Blizzard had 5 corners in the opening 45 but could not threaten the goal.
Devan DiGrado (a St. Thomas graduate) provided the first shot in anger from the Blizzard in the second half, but it was blocked before it could make the box. Duluth had their own shots around the hour mark. Donaldson had the closest chance, side footed just wide from the edge of the Blizzard area in the 62nd minute. Bryant + Stratton's Cian McGoey (out of Limerick, Ireland) whipped the ball across the six yard box two minutes later for Blizzard, but it remained tied. The visitors' Evan Moreno (a Northern Arizona grad) received a red card, which turned yellow after consultation with the assistant referee in the 69th minute.
The rule (Law 12) governing denial of a goalscoring opportunity is convoluted, so I'm going to quote it:
Where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offender is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball; in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.), the offending player must be sent off.
João Magalhaes, who was fouled, saw his PK saved by Evan Siefken (formerly of St Johns and Minneapolis City) . The Mineiro Felipe Oliveira (who plays at Wisconsin-Superior) saw his shot blocked at point blank range in the 81st minute by Siefken.
Stoppage time degenerated into a sequence of fouls by Blizzard, the last of which was a killer for the visitors. The ball was whipped all the way from the right wing over to the left, then headed back across the penalty area and tapped into the goal by the Quiteño[Teddy Miranda (William Carey University) from inside the 6-yard box in the 6th minute of second-half stoppage time.
Friday
Sioux Falls Thunder 2-4 Joy AC
So what's new for Joy Athletic? Philip Caputo (a local product, and original St. Cloud State Husky) scored a first half hat trick, totaling 7 in his last two games. The first came courtesy of a ball into the left channel, expertly controlled and slotted across the keeper into the far side netting in the 15th minute. The second was a penalty kick fifteen minutes later. Caputo sealed his hatty with a lung busting run down the left wing, again finished into the far side netting.
The Goats kept pushing forward, but it would be the 60th minute before their fourth, a 25 yard free kick from Shakopee, MN's Jessie Juarez - who transferred into Hamline from Augsburg and has previously played for Duluth FC. The ball whipped over the wall and past the keeper at full stretch into the side netting.
Thunder scored their first after a left wing corner pinballed around and was poked home by local product and Gustavus Adolphus Gustie Tallen Dobson in the 70th minute. 3 minutes later, a counter attack made it 4-2 through the Canary Islander Aran Hernández Vivar, currently attending Western Iowa Tech. Unfortunately for the crowd at Bob Young Field, there would be no rousing rally this time.
Saturday
Sioux Falls Thunder 2-1 Minnesota Blizzard
It didn't take the Thunder long to break into this game, Hooper hammered the ball into the roof of the Blizzard net from the top of the penalty area with only 7 minutes on the clock, after the visitors failed to scramble the ball clear. However, a free kick on the right side in the 15th minute hit the wall and Devan DiGrado hammered home the rebound to equalize from close to 20 yards out.
2 mins into the 2nd half, the home side reasserted control. A burst down the left wing by local product Nick North, who attends SD School of Mines, culminated in an easy finish for Aran Hernández Vivar inside the six yard box. A draw might have been a fairer result, but 8 mins of stoppage did not yield a game changing goal and the home team secured their second win of the season.
Siouxland United 5-0 Joy AC
It took half an hour for a side to break the deadlock in Sioux City, and it was the Carioca product of Lewis and Clark Community College, João Lutz beating the defense down the middle to put Siouxland United ahead. Two minutes after half-time, Takumi Sato slid in a second at short range from a right wing cross. It was 3-0 in the 63rd minute, as Outlaw center back and St. Bonaventure player Xavier Davidson connected on a right wing corner. The game was iced in the 77th minute, when the Ontarian Christian Piewe Tientcheu (who goes to school at West Virginia Tech) tapped in on a counter-attack. A fifth goal was scored in the 86th minute on the counter again by Keitatsu Yoshida (From Osaka, Japan and currently lacing them up for Cowley College). Remarkably, Siouxland United's Yotaro Furutani (from Tokyo, via Munroe University) received a second yellow card in second half stoppage for a late challenge.
Duluth FC 3-1 Iowa Demon Hawks
In the 28th minute, Duluth took the lead after a header from Alejandro Ruiz Garcia squirmed past the Demon Hawks' keeper. A 37th minute penalty kick put the BlueGreens up two at half time. Iowa's sole goal came in the 47th minute through Saiheed Jah (Moline, IL via Drake). Bayerische Tobias Gerber (NE Community College) scored the third home goal in the 55th minute.
Sunday
Siouxland United 4-1 Minnesota Blizzard
The week's last action came in less than favorable weather conditions, high 80 degree heat and wildfire smoke triggering hydration protocols. It took the Outlaws of Siouxland United just 15 seconds after resumption from one of those hydration breaks to score the first goal via Keitatsu Yoshida. Daniel Contreras Portorreal doubled the lead. Christian Piewe Tientcheu made it 3-0 and Yoshida scored his second and SUX's fourth in the 71st minute. Carter Hermanson drifted a free kick in, and Ryan DeBois placed it past Bradley Ironside for Blizzard's only tally of the game in the 85th minute but a rally was not forthcoming. After starting their season with two losses, Siouxland United are now 2-2 and sit second, three points behind Duluth but with a game in hand and the two sides meeting next Saturday at Bishop Heelan in Sioux City.
Coming Up
Friday June 6th
Sioux Falls Thunder v Duluth FC
Joy Athletic Club v Iowa Demon Hawks
Saturday June 7th
Minnesota Blizzard v Iowa Demon Hawks
Siouxland United v Duluth FC
NPSL Round Up: Week 2
Wednesday May 21st
Sioux Falls Thunder 3-0 Iowa Demon Hawks
After a promising opening 10 minutes for the Thunder at Bob Young Field, the Demon Hawks grew into the match. A back-and-forth period finished with the visitors opening the scoring in the 31st minute as Jeanderson Pereira hit the ball low from the penalty arc and it deflected before spinning away from Joseph Valler in the Thunder net. The hosts refused to lie down but the Iowa lead was doubled in stoppage time at the end of the first half when Saiheed Jah hammered home from the left side of the penalty area, from a square pass from the right.
Thunder had their chances to lessen the score-line but failed to break through, and their chances were further hurt by a 66th minute injury to Valler. The substitute keeper Aimar Aramendia would concede the final goal 10 minutes later. Mauricio Groppo crossed from the left and Robin Vanderwalle sliced it home.
Saturday May 24th
Iowa Demon Hawks 1-6 Joy AC
Two games in the week, two lopsided losses. This time it was Joy who took advantage of the Hawks. Philip Caputo, who has been in the Joy system since he was 8 years old and just left St Cloud State as an original member of the 4 year-old program - and an all time statistical leader for the Huskies - decided tonight was the night to light up the NPSL North too. His first goal came in the 21st minute, blasting low at the goalkeeper's near post from the edge of the area. Two minutes later, Carver Tierney hammered a ball into the roof of the net from the right, also at the keeper's near post, to make it 2-0. In the 32nd minute, Caputo chipped Tom Gallagher in the Demon Hawks net from the top of the box to make it 3. The Hawks' sole goal came from Guilherme Lima, only a minute later - slotting home from a quick counter. However, it was Caputo's game, and the striker completed his hat trick with an almost identical strike to his first, snapped hard and low to the keeper's near post with the first half not yet over.
Caputo truly put his seal on the game in the 71st minute when a ball straight down the middle from Joy split the Demon Hawks defense and he raced on to slot home his fourth goal. Tierney completed the rout in the 87th minute with his second, a self-made half-volley from the penalty spot.
Coming Up:
Tuesday May 27th
Duluth FC v Minnesota Blizzard FC
Friday May 30th
Sioux Falls Thunder v Joy AC
Saturday May 31st
Sioux Falls Thunder v Minnesota Blizzard
Siouxland United v Joy AC
Duluth FC v Iowa Demon Hawks
Sunday June 1st
Siouxland United v Minnesota Blizzard
WPSL kicks off in the Land of the Lakes
Sunday 18th May
St Croix Legacy 4-3 Joy AC
In a back and forth battle, the home team finished on top courtesy of Tatum Trettel's chip of Joy Athletic Club goalie Sydney Potter in the 88th minute. Jillian Brown opened the scoring in the 10th minute for Joy, and Trettel equalized in the 35th minute. Joy went back ahead with 5 minutes left in the half.
After 15 minutes of possession by Legacy and counters by Joy, it was a Legacy counter which created the equalizer. Trettel squaring the ball to Amara Smith in the 6 yard box to make it 2-2. Smith herself then forced the ball off a Joy defender in their penalty area and then broke past Potter to make it 3-2 in the 65th minute. The patterns reasserted themselves for 17 minutes before Sophia King took matters into her own hands and drove down the Joy left before blasting it past Prates in the Legacy goal from the top of the box for the equalizer.
Finally, after scoring the fourth goal, Trettel had a chance in stoppage time to seal her hat trick but Potter pushed it away at full stretch.
Thursday 22nd May
Salvo SC 6-0 Manitou FC
Three goals in six minutes set the seal on a lethal first half display by the hosts. Riley Lijewski headed home from a corner, Elle Wildman finished a neat passage of close passes through the middle of the Manitou defense and Davy Mokelke darted in from the left wing to finish her second. Mokelke had earlier put Salvo ahead, controlling a difficult, bouncing ball into the box before volleying it home.
The second half saw both teams show moments but Salvo again showing some furious finishing, with Davy Mokelke wrapping up a hat trick from the left and Elle Wildman making it a brace from the right.
Coming Up:
Wednesday 28th May
St Croix Legacy v Salvo SC
Friday 30th May
Mankato United SC v Salvo SC
Minnesota Dutch Lions FC v Joy AC
Minnesota Bliss FC v Manitou FC
Sunday 1st June
Mankato United v Minnesota Dutch Lions FC
Minnesota Bliss FC v Joy AC
A new North is unveiled by NPSL
There are no brand-new clubs to the North Conference of the NPSL, but it is getting longer and shorter at the same time with Dakota Fusion's hiatus and the entry of former Gateway Conference members Iowa Demon Hawks.
Of the four playoff qualifiers from the North in 2024, two (Dakota Fusion and Minnesota TwinStars) are not part of 2025's festivities. The TwinStars leave after 20 years at this level and a 30-year history overall that made them by far the oldest club in this division.
Duluth FC will be defending their region with a new head coach for the first time since 2020, with the departure of Sean Morgan. Their fellow playoff team, Joy Athletic Club, is joined by Lakeville's Minnesota Blizzard (who also play in MASL2 alongside the Demon Hawks) as the only presence in the Twin Cities metro.
The Demon Hawks arrive in the North, having lost in the Regional Semifinals to Duluth FC (as Des Moines United). The Demon Hawks are also an established MASL2 indoor team. There is a possible fresh rivalry between the Des Moines-based Demon Hawks and the Sioux City-based Siouxland United. On the subject of the latter, the Outlaws bring in Alex Trent as head coach off the back of his undefeated regular season with Fusion. Lastly, Sioux Falls Thunder remain in the conference and at Bob Young Field as another potential rival to the Iowans.
Also, a little note about the US Open Cup. The tournament saw Duluth FC seize a priority bid as regional winners and it turns out that Fusion were offered a spot (turned down because of hiatus) as spectacular regular season participants. The BlueGreens are on the road against Forward Madison of USL League One for the second consecutive year, largely as a consequence of two things: Relatively close proximity and a desire to match all amateurs against a pro side in the 1st round. We will be covering that for you.
NPSL North Playoff Semi Finals
Wednesday
(#= Conference seeding/National ranking)
#1/6 Dakota Fusion 2-1 #4/38 Joy Athletic Club
Fusion v Joy is the league's stingiest defense against the joint Golden Boot winner Philip Caputo.
It took Joy Athletic 20 mins to register a chance, in a first 40 minutes dominated by the home side. Nonetheless, it was Joy’s Zinedine Kroeten who put the visitors ahead with the first of two penalty kicks this evening. The lead lasted barely a minute, as Takumi Sato headed in a left wing corner in the 41st minute.
The second half was much more even, but Ryosuke Miyata made the decisive blow, a smooth, sliding finish from a right wing cross in the 83rd minute. In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Fusion goalie Vincent Sanchis nearly conceded again after a header back to him went over his head and he palmed it away.
Fusion Men's Head Coach Alex Trent talked to us after the game:
Playoffs always bring a new challenge. Our guys showed great resilience, which I'm really proud of. We know Duluth will give us their best and we are looking forward to another good matchup with a trophy on the line.
#2/31 Duluth FC 2-0 #3/39 Minnesota TwinStars (Game halted because of red cards)
Duluth FC v TwinStars went into extra time tied at 0-0, with TwinStars down to ten men following a melee in the 90th minute. Dylan Sumner broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 98th minute. Felipe Santos made it 2-0 in the 105th minute before a fifth red card for the visitors triggered a forfeit in the 115th minute.
Coming Up:
Dakota Fusion FC v Duluth FC Saturday at 7pm.
WPSL Wrap-Up: Week 8
The battle for the North was all set up for a showdown on Friday, albeit with an unexpectedly tight result in Maple Grove.
Wednesday
St Croix Legacy 1-0 Mankato United
This was a Spotlight Match of the week, full gallery here.
Minnesota Thunder 11-2 Rochester United
Caroline Bailey scored a hat trick, Kiya Gilliand scored two and Vesna Dennison, Taylor Heimerl, Paige Peltier, Paige Kalal, Izzy Engle and Allison Flies all scored once for Thunder. Kylie Miranto and Sydney Tucker scored for the Lions.
MapleBrook Fury 0-1 Salvo SC
A penalty kick from the prolific Khyah Harper kept Salvo's season perfect.
Friday
Dakota Fusion 0-4 Joy Athletic Club
A strong second half by the Goats, yet another defeat for Fusion. Brooke Quam scored twice, Ashley Bennett and
Sioux Falls City 1-0 Salvo SC
Mia Bosch sealed the Conference title, and hosting rights for the playoffs, with a winner in the 60th minute, from a Mia Mullenmeister pass and off a despairing Ayden Gagner in the Salvo net.
Saturday
Mankato United 5-0 Manitou FC
Jadyn Chee, Kelsey Heller, Lucy Weninger, Ava Stanchina and Marit Klagge all scored for United.
Sunday
Dakota Fusion 0-2 Rochester United
Rochester United travelled to Fargo with only 11 players but matched up with a team who rostered only 12.
A back and forth opening few minutes marked by few chances, often only just missed by both sides.
Right on half time, a free kick for Rochester, bounced high over the Fusion keeper Quinn Carter but was somehow scrambled clear.
Fusion’s Sarah Burgum, missed a chance, over the crossbar, from inside the 6 yard box and only ten minutes later, Rochester United had a two run lead. Sydney Tucker benefited from a long ball down the middle which bounced free of the Fusion offside trap, slotting past a disgruntled Carter. Two minutes later, Kylie Mirango made it 2-0 to the visitors, slapping home a ball which found her in the six yard box from a midfield free kick.
Fusion finished the game on the front foot but failed to spoil the clean sheet. With that result, the team from Fargo-Moorhead head to MapleBrook next week hoping for a two win season but with the chance for a transformatory three-win season gone by the way.
Joy Athletic Club 1-0 MapleBrook Fury
Ashley Bennett scored the winner in the Goats last game of the season. Ben VanWyk has a full Spotlight gallery here
St Croix Legacy 0-1 Sioux Falls City
Taylor Thomas's early strike is enough to give the Northern Conference Champions a perfect regular season. Jason Morales Ortiz has the Spotlight coverage here.
Coming Up:
Sunday July 7th:
MapleBrook Fury v Dakota Fusion
WPSL Spotlight: Joy Athletic Club v MapleBrook Fury
Ben VanWyk brings our WPSL spotlight to the match up of MapleBrook Fury and Joy Athletic.
The rest of the week’s coverage, including multiple other Spotlights, will be published soon.
NPSL Round-Up: 23-29 June 2024
Wednesday
Duluth FC 10-0 Minnesota Blizzard
Tyler Limmer scored a hat trick, Dylan Sumner scored twice, Myles Edmondson, Felipe Santos, Felipe Carli, Manny Morales and Golden Boot leader Eduoard Nys all scored one.
Sioux Falls Thunder 0-0 Minnesota TwinStars
Siouxland United 3-0 Joy Athletic Club
Ahmed Dosso, Magloire Makila and Marcus Harwood scored for the Outlaws.
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club 4-0 Sioux Falls Thunder
Bennett Kouame, Mika Folstad, Philip Caputo and Zinedine Kroeten scored for the Goats as they lock the TwinStars in every category other than head to head (which the Goats lead)
Minnesota Blizzard 0-2 Minnesota TwinStars
Abdoulsalam Akinola and Sadra Golzarian led the TwinStars past the Blizzard.
Dakota Fusion 3-2 Siouxland United
An end to end opening 10 minutes led into a straight red card for Queenslander Flynn Faulkner from Siouxland United for verbal abuse of an opponent in the 15th minute.
Even as the team with the numerical advantage, it took another 15 minutes before Fusion scored, through Gael Gonzalez. Only 5 mins after that, Sho Toda finished a passage of intricate passing to make it 2-0 and it looked like the home side were going to play out a copy of their smash and grab 2-0 on the road in Sioux City.
Outlaws came out with renewed vigor in the second half, and Kenny Hewitt broke through for Siouxland, poking home from a corner in the 62nd minute. Felix Buabeng made it 3-1, capitalizing on a square pass by a Siouxland defender to break away and score in the 81st minute. Marcus Harwood scrambled home a second goal from a ball over the defense, in the third minute of stoppage time but they were unable to tie it up.
The win takes Fusion clear of Duluth FC at the top of the Conference.
Speaking to us after the win, Dakota Fusion head coach Alex Trent had this to say:
We were great in possession in the first half and then we got away from what was working halfway through the second half. Proud of the effort of the team to get into good areas offensively and put the ball in the back of the net, but we had a few lapses on things defensively that normally we're great at. We're looking forward to another challenge on Tuesday against TwinStars.
I have reached out to Siouxland United and will update the story when I hear back.
Coming Up:
Tuesday:
Siouxland United v Sioux Falls Thunder
Dakota Fusion v Minnesota TwinStars
Minnesota Blizzard v Joy Athletic
Saturday:
Minnesota Blizzard v Dakota Fusion
Siouxland United v Duluth FC
Minnesota TwinStars v Joy Athletic Club
WPSL Wrap-Up: Week 7
With so much action in the league this week, we spotlighted Salvo's comprehensive victory over Manitou. The other results are as follows:
Tuesday
St Croix Legacy 3-2 Rochester United
Lexi Huber (from Kallianne Mogler) and then Lainey Murdzek (from Avery Murdzek) put Legacy ahead 2-0 within the opening half-hour. Sydney Tucker got a double (both unassisted, in the 62nd and 69th minutes) to tie the match but Lainey Murdzek popped up in the 85th minute (this time from Claire Cater) to steal the three points for the hosts.
Wednesday
Mankato United 2-1 Joy Athletic Club
Goals from Ella Huettl and Jadyn Chee for the hosts carried United past their visitors' late goal from Ashley Bennett.
MapleBrook Fury 1-6 Minnesota Thunder
Kendall Stadden's tally for the hosts was met with thunderous intent with goals by Grace Estby, Caroline Bailey, Paige Kalal, Izzy Engle and Paige Peltier.
Friday
Dakota Fusion 0-5 Sioux Falls City
Sioux Falls City kept pace with Salvo, with an explosion of scoring from Katharina Oelschlager - three goals in seven minutes (although one was probably an own goal) providing the dagger. Oelschlager is credited with four goals overall from the game and Yui Fujii opened the scoring, after an opening 30 minutes where they had repeatedly failed to connect on final passes but had otherwise knocked on the door.
Saturday
Manitou FC 1-3 Joy AC
The basement battle went the way of the team from St Louis Park. Brooke Quam put Joy ahead, before Tatum Trettel equalized. Brooke Nast and Ashley Bennett made sure of the points.
MapleBrook Fury 2-1 St Croix Legacy
Sunday
Minnesota Thunder 7-0 Dakota Fusion
Izzy Engle scored a hat trick, Grace Estby picked up two and Paige Peltier and Caroline Bailey scored single goals.
Sioux Falls City 5-0 Mankato United
Hailee Christensen with two, Katharina Oelschlager, Yui Fujii and Mia Bosch kept Sioux Falls in the hunt for the playoff spot.
Rochester United 0-6 Salvo
Khyah Harper scored a hat trick, Sophia Baresteh got two and Katelyn Buelke scored as the team from the Twin Cities lined up a potential playoff decider on Friday in Sioux Falls.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
St Croix Legacy v Mankato United
Minnesota Thunder v Rochester United
Friday
Dakota Fusion v Joy Athletic Club
Sioux Falls City v Salvo SC
Saturday
Mankato United v Manitou FC
Sunday
Dakota Fusion v Rochester United
Joy Athletic Club v MapleBrook Fury
St Croix Legacy v Sioux Falls City
Sunday July 7th:
MapleBrook Fury v Dakota Fusion
NPSL Round-Up: 16-22 June 2024
Tuesday:
Joy Athletic Club 2-1* Minnesota TwinStars
This back and forth match was brought to a halt in the 48th minute by torrential rain and high winds. Grant Luce put Joy ahead in the 14th minute. Akinola equalized for TwinStars five minutes later. Philip Caputo put the hosts back ahead in the 35th minute.
If this result stands, Joy have taken 4 points off teams around them in playoff positioning in the past two matches. Next visitors to St Louis Park on Saturday, a Duluth side needing to keep winning to fight for first place.
Wednesday:
Duluth FC 6-1 Sioux Falls Thunder
Eduoard Nys notched another two goals and Jireh Oyebamiji also got two. Dylan Sumner and former Thunder player Tyler Limmer picked up solo goals. Thunder made it 2-1 briefly with a penalty kick.
Minnesota Blizzard 2-3 Siouxland United
Blizzard opened the scoring in the 53rd minute through Landon Atkins. Flynn Faulkner equalized in the 84th minute before Atkins instantly put Blizzard back ahead. The Outlaws stole the three points for their journey home with a penalty kick from Marcus Horwood in the 90th minute and a goal from open play in stoppage time from Hibiki Mizutani.
Saturday Spotlight Match
Our full coverage of Minnesota TwinStars v Dakota Fusion is here.
Joy Athletic Club 4-2 Duluth FC
Joy continued their trend of taking points off their fellow playoff contenders, Phil Caputo scoring four on the way to a home victory. Eduoard Nys continues his red hot form, opening and closing the scoring for the BlueGreens.
Sioux Falls Thunder 1-1 Minnesota Blizzard
In a game of dueling penalty kicks, Thunder dispatched theirs in the 30th minute but Blizzard missed one just before half-time. However, Max Just provided the equalizer in the 85th minute.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
Duluth FC v Minnesota Blizzard
Sioux Falls Thunder v Minnesota TwinStars
Siouxland United v Joy Athletic Club
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club v Sioux Falls Thunder
Minnesota Blizzard v Minnesota TwinStars
Dakota Fusion v Siouxland United
WPSL Spotlight: Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy
Wednesday
Minnesota Thunder 8-0 Manitou FC
Doubles by Grace Estby and Caroline Bailey and single goals from Isabela Engle, Maddie Poor, Paige Peltier and Paige Kalal rocketed Thunder past Manitou.
St Croix Legacy 0-3 Salvo SC
St Croix made Salvo work in the opening hour, but a penalty kick from Khyah Harper broke the deadlock. The visitors added goals from Katelyn Beulke and Maddie Ishaug to close out a league leading fifth win, in the back and forth fight for the Northland’s playoff spot with Sioux Falls City.
Friday
Dakota Fusion FC 2-0 Manitou FC
This is Fusion’s first WPSL win since July of 2019 – a season when they accumulated the only two wins in team history. According to my research and the records of our predecessor E Pluribus Loonum, this is also their first ever clean sheet in 6 years of WPSL play. So the magnitude of this win may reverberate much further than just the 2024 standings for a club slated to launch a pro side in 2026.
As for the match on this humid Moorhead evening, Manitou travelled with just twelve players and Mandan, ND’s Sarah Burgum provided both the goals in a match otherwise dominated by shots nestling in the gloves of both goalkeepers.
Rochester United SC 0-1 Mankato United SC
Avery Korsching was the difference in the 88th minute, with a breakaway for the visitors.
Saturday Spotlight Match
Joy Athletic Club 1-1 St Croix Legacy
Dare Kroeten equalized two minutes after a St Croix lead given by Lexi Huber in the 53rd minute.
Sioux Falls City 5-0 MapleBrook Fury
City continue to apply pressure at the top of the Northern conference, with goals from five different scorers: Hailee Christensen, Jordan Tenpas, Katharina Oelschlaeger, McKenna Lehman and Mia Mullenmeister.
Sunday
Mankato United 6-0 Dakota Fusion
On a hot and humid day in Mankato, the home side rolled over Fusion. Goals were scored by Anna van Wyngarden, Avery Korsching, Jadyn Chee, Mia Deprenger, Marit Klagge and former Fusion player Maria Zanotti. Clare Longueville shut down the few chances the visitors had.
Coming Up
Tuesday
St Croix Legacy v Rochester United
Wednesday
Mankato United v Joy Athletic Club
MapleBrook Fury v Minnesota Thunder
Friday
Dakota Fusion v Sioux Falls City
Saturday
Manitou FC v Joy AC
MapleBrook Fury v St Croix Legacy
Sunday
Minnesota Thunder v Dakota Fusion
Sioux Falls City v Mankato United
Rochester United v Salvo
NPSL Spotlight: Joy AC v Dakota Fusion FC
Wednesday
Sioux Falls Thunder 0-2 Dakota Fusion
Fusion continue to set the pace, with goals from substitutes Felix Buabeng and Takumi Sato and riding out five mins down to ten men due to a second yellow card for captain Gael Gonzalez.
Minnesota Blizzard 0-3 Duluth FC
Edouard Nys scored twice and Jireh Oyebamiji got one as Duluth kept up the pressure on the top spot.
Joy Athletic Club 4-1 Siouxland United
Philip Caputo netted a first half hat trick and Zinedine Kroeten scored in the 79th minute to lift the Goats over the Outlaws, who spoiled the clean sheet through Magloire Makila.
Friday:
Sioux Falls Thunder 3-0 Siouxland United
Saturday Spotlight Match
Joy Athletic Club 0-0 Dakota Fusion
Joy held serve at home, rattling the crossbar and missing a penalty kick but failing to take three points which at times seemed to be coming their way. Fusion, on the other hand, lacked a finisher in a season when seven men have scored two goals, but no one man has more than two.
Minnesota TwinStars 3-1 Sioux Falls Thunder
Goalscorer information is not available at time of publication.
Since this is the last time the top two clubs will be on even games played until July, here is the table:
Coming Up:
Tuesday:
Joy Athletic Club v Minnesota TwinStars
Wednesday:
Duluth FC v Sioux Falls Thunder
Minnesota Blizzard v Siouxland United
Saturday:
Minnesota TwinStars v Dakota Fusion
Joy Athletic Club v Duluth FC
Sioux Falls Thunder v Minnesota Blizzard
WPSL Wrap Up: Week 5
Week 5 of WPSL action sees the last two clubs in the North finally make their season debut (in St Croix’s case, after two postponements). More about that match later, here’s the full recap of the week’s action.
Wednesday
Salvo SC 1-0 Minnesota Thunder
A lone goal by Khyah Harper, from Molly Fiedler, gave last year’s national finalists a win against the defending conference champions.
Friday
Salvo 3-0 Mankato United
Khyah Harper from Riley Lijewski broke the deadlock in the 65th minute. Becca Smith from Khyah Harper in the 79th minute made it sure and there was a late own goal.
Dakota Fusion FC 0-3 St Croix Legacy
St Croix came into Fargo-Moorhead having seen two successive season openers (one at home and then one on the road) postponed. For Fusion, this is the regularly scheduled opener. They are the only two sides in the ten-team WPSL Northern Conference not to play yet this season. Legacy finished fourth in the conference standings having managed to finish the season without a single draw and a record of 5-4 in their nine games. Fusion also did not draw a single game, but accumulated a conference worst record of 0-9 and a goal difference of -43. The hosts have a new head coach, in the shape of Chris Andreasen, who was director of coaching at Red River Soccer Club before they merged with Fusion in the offseason.
After a strong opening to the match, two goals in six minutes provided some scoreboard separation as Avery Murdzek swept home from the top of the box in the twentieth minute and then her sister Lainey tapped in off a rebound after a blast from the middle of the box.
It would remain 2-0, as the visitors missed a number of chances to widen the margin but it would be the home side with the best chance, a penalty kick after a tangle of legs near the top of the box in the 51st minute. Unfortunately, the shot was hammered off the post and the rebound saved.
Five minutes later, Legacy hit the crossbar with a shot and near chances for Legacy would continue to be a theme, albeit with Fusion providing some of their own. Their best chance from open play cane in the 66th minute as a Fusion free kick just outside the box culminated in a shot on target, punched wide by Kendall Ellis.
The icing on the St Croix performance came when Lainey Murdzek tapped in, off the post and in from a Henneman cross in the 75th minute. Both clubs would force flying saves from the opposing keeper but it finished 3-0.
Sioux Falls City 2-0 Minnesota Thunder
Thunder fell further behind in the race for the conference, with Sioux Falls City getting goals from Mia Mullenmeister and Yui Fujii.
Joy Athletic 1-3 Rochester United FC
A twenty minute flurry for Rochester saw two from Kylie Miranto and one from Savannah Maley, before Lennon Folstad scored the home team’s only tally.
Sunday
Salvo SC 7-0 Dakota Fusion FC
Salvo steamrolled Fusion, with braces from Angela Gutierrez, Khyah Harper and Sophia Barjesteh and a solo goal from Alma Beaton.
📹 FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
All of @SalvoWPSL’s goals in one spot! pic.twitter.com/2A8dT8uYY2
— Equal Time Soccer (@EqualTimeSoccer) June 10, 2024
Manitou FC 0-6 Sioux Falls Thunder
Keyera Harmon, Yui Fujii, Katharina Oelschlaeger, Mia Mullenmeister and a double from Kaydence Ramirez put Manitou to the sword.
St Croix Legacy 2-1 Minnesota Thunder
Lainey Murdzek and Lexi Huber put the Legacy into the lead. Thunder got a consolation in the 78th minute, the well-practised combination of Paige Kalal to Paige Peltier with the goal.
Rochester United FC 0-0 MapleBrook Fury
Here is the top of the WPSL Northern Conference standings ahead of tomorrow’s games:
Coming Up:
Tonight
Minnesota Thunder v Manitou FC
Friday
Dakota Fusion FC v Manitou FC
Rochester United SC v Mankato United SC
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club v St Croix Legacy
Sioux Falls City v MapleBrook Fury
Sunday
Mankato United v Dakota Fusion