Dordt University men's soccer opened Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play on Saturday evening with a hard-fought 2-1 loss to (RV) Midland University at the Defender Soccer Complex.
Midland (6-1-1, 1-0 GPAC) struck twice in the first half to take control of the match. Thomas Gibson opened the scoring in the 39th minute, finishing off a pass from Jaime Jerez. Just three minutes later, Pau Vivas doubled the Warriors' lead with a goal assisted by goalkeeper Tomas Reyes.
Dordt (2-3-2, 0-1 GPAC) responded in the second half with increased pressure, outshooting Midland 7-0 after the break. The Defenders broke through in the 75th minute when
Marco Laenen found the back of the net off a well-placed ball from
Levi Jaeger and
Anton Forsch. Despite several late chances, including a shot off the post by
Tyson Reitsma in the first half and a high attempt from
Pablo Martin Domingo in the closing minutes, Dordt couldn't find the equalizer.
The Defenders outshot Midland 10-5 overall and held a 3-1 edge in corner kicks during the second half. Goalkeeper
Shad Jaeger recorded one save, while Reyes made a key stop in the second half to preserve the Warriors' lead.
By the Numbers:
- Dordt held a 10-5 advantage in total shots, including a 7-0 edge in the second half
- Midland, however, had three shots on-goal compared to two by the Defenders
- Shad Jaeger (2-2-1) made one save
- Laenen and Forsch both had one shot on-goal
- the Defenders entire backline of Shad Jaeger, Levi Jaeger, Pedro Menezes and Anton Forsch all played the full 90 minutes
- Tomas Reyes (5-1-1) made one save for Midland
- the Warriors offense was led by Matus Vina, Pau Vivas and Thomas Gibson all with one shot on-goal each
Defender Notes:
Up Next:
- Dordt will play Dakota Wesleyan on Wednesday, Sept.24 in Mitchell, S.D., the first of two road games next week
