Superior City FC drop close match to league leaders Minneapolis City SC
GAME SUMMARY:
Superior City FC traveled to Augsburg University to take on Minneapolis City SC Futures, the current first placed team in the UPSL Midwest-West division. The Crows have not been defeated in the past two UPSL regular seasons, and the Navy were planning to change that. The game started out well for Superior, with Minneapolis chasing the ball for spurts, but getting some great chances on quick movements on the outside of the field. The game was fast and physical, and Superior, after dropping points in each of their last three games, finally looked like the team that was undefeated through six games at the start of the season. In the 24th minute, Jordan Finneran slotted a ball past the Minneapolis centerback to Siji Gonzalez, who flicked the ball into the net, but the goal was called back for a very, very close and questionable offside offense. The Crows were fast on their wings, continuing to test Cloquet-native Dru Senich in net, but Senich stood tall. The Navy went into the half feeling good about their play, but the visitors needed more in the offensive-third.
The second frame saw the Crows come out strong, pressing the Superior defense at a higher rate. The Navy held their composure, and did well in their possession forward. Strong play from the visitors paid off in the 55th minute when Raggi Carvalho found space on the top-right side of the box. The UW-Superior midfielder took a touch to the side and curled the ball into the far left side of the net to put Superior up by one goal. After this, Minneapolis switched to a three-back and put numbers forward, desperately hoping for a tying goal. The Crows found the equalizer in the 67th minute, when a Crow forward was bodied out by 6'5" UM-Duluth centerback Matti Sysimaki, who won the ball, but got too much of the player's leg according to the official. Washington University's Zach Susee beat Senich low to tie the game up. The goal took the momentum out of Superior's hands and the Crows pushed harder, getting great chances only to be stifled by Superior's defensive midfielders and central defenders. Minneapolis found their break in the 85th minute, when Dru Senich was called for taking out the Crow forward's leg, and St. Johns University forward Carter Hermanson smacked the PK past Senich to give the home squad the lead. The game finished out without much action, besides a Crow midfielder hitting the post, and Superior went home winless in their last four games, although the game was very promising for the young club striving towards a potential postseason appearance.
BOX SCORE:
6-11/Edor Nelson Field/UPSL Premier League Game
Superior City FC...........................................0 1 - 1
Minneapolis City SC.....................................0 2 - 2
First Half - No Scoring
Second Half - SCFC - Raggi Carvalho (Unassisted) 55', MPLS - Zach Susee (PK) 67', MPLS - Carter Hermanson (PK) 86'
Saves: SCFC - Dru Senich (6 saves); MPLS - Bodean Gaustad (3 saves)
Looking Ahead:
Superior City FC (6-3-1) vs Vlora FC (5-2-1) | UPSL Premier League Game
Saturday, June 17th | NBC Spartan Sports Complex (Superior, WI ) | 5:00 PM CT
Tickets online or $10 at the gate | Livestream on iFan Sports Network | 66 degrees and cloudy
After three straight losses, Superior find themselves on the edge of the playoff picture. A win on Saturday should secure a playoff spot for the Navy, but a loss or tie would open up the door for St. Paul Blackhawks to sneak into the final playoff spot, pending a stronger goal differential. Vlora FC struggled at the beginning of the season, but have since found their stride. The team is led by former Minnesota United striker and MLS champion Pablo Campos, and Hamline University striker Robert Cooper.
Superior City Women shut out St. Cloud's pre-professional team
GAME SUMMARY:
Superior City FC made the trip to St. Cloud, MN to take on Granite City FC, who were winless going into the weekend. Looking to bounce back from a tie to St. Croix, the Beacons were ready to get back on track. The game was fairly even throughout the first half, but Superior were the only squad to find the back of the net. The visitors started the scoring early, when UW-Superior's Meagan Bergerson slotted the ball home in the 4th minute off of an assist from St. Scholasica's Avery Sutton. The ball didn't find the back of the net again until the 44th minute, when UW-Superior's Kamryn Hill beat a few defenders and slotted the ball home to put Superior up by two.
The second half kicked off, and the vast majority of the half was spent in Granite City's half. Superior dominated possession, pinning Granite and finding a third goal when Esko's Gwendolyn Lilly's shot deflected off of a defender and found twine in the 66th minute. Superior finished the scoring in the 78th minute when Duluth Denfeld's Alyssa Doyle beat a few defenders and slotted the ball past Granite City's keeper. Quinn Clarke and Gracie Meagher split time in net, earning a shutout win for the Beacons.
BOX SCORE:
6-10/Tiger Stadium/UPSL Women's League Game
Superior City FC.........................................1 1 - 2
Granite City FC...........................................0 0 - 0
First Half - SCFC- Meagan Bergerson (Avery Sutton) 4', Kamryn Hill (Unassisted) 44'
Second Half - SCFC - Own Goal 66', SCFC - Alyssa Doyle (Unassisted) 78'
Saves: SCFC - Quinn Clark (3 saves), Gracie Meagher (1 Save); GCFC - Maggie Fernholz (8 saves)
Looking Ahead:
Superior City FC (3-1-1) vs Northern Tide FC (1-0-2) | UPSL Womens Premier League Game
Saturday, June 17th | Conway Park (St. Paul, MN) | 2:00 PM CT
Tickets TBD | Livestream not likely | 85 degrees and raining
Superior travels to St. Paul to play Northern Tide FC, who are currently undefeated this season. Superior will travel light, depending on some of their depth to step up until Niya Wilson and Victoria Thorson return from injury. Quinn Clark has also been great in net, allowing only one goal in the past three games. Northern Tide, the women's pre-professional team for Wave SC of Eagan, MN, have kept games close all year. They are led in scoring by standout Mounds View HS forward Emily Johnson and UM-Duluth midfielder Miriam Marsan.
Wolfpack drop first leg of Connect Four Derby
GAME SUMMARY:
The Wolfpack traveled to Eau Claire for the first leg of the Connect Four Derby with a 13 man roster looking to get a result against bitter rivals Bateaux FC. The Wolfpack, with a good chunk of starters still healthy, started the game off strong. The game went back and forth, with both teams getting some solid time in the opposing end, and the Wolfpack keeping most of the play on the outside of the pitch in their defensive third of the field. Eau Claire finally broke the deadlock in the 28th minute when a ball found Ben Zumwalt open in space up on top of the box. Zumwalt slotted the ball past Nate Olson low, and the Pack found themselves down by one. Ten minutes later, David Ripplinger, again open on the top of the box, recovered a long rebound and slammed the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net to double Bateaux’s lead. The Wolfpack scrambled defensively for the remainder of the half, but didn’t let any more goals pour through.
The second half saw large swings of momentum throughout the majority of the half. Superior had some progress early, but couldn’t finish any of their chances. The game then swung in Bateaux’s favor, with Ripplinger scoring his second goal of the game in the 58th minute. The Wolfpack moved some defenders up the field in an attempt to salvage a result. Maison Oliver hit the crossbar, and Bateaux keeper Reid Renart made a great save on Kaden Bergman’s breakaway chance, leaving the Wolfpack without a goal heading into the final 15 minutes of the half. In the 75th minute, Bateaux started a great counterattack, which found Mason Sherman open, again, on the top of the box. Sherman booted the ball past Olson to solidify the win for Bateaux FC, who remain undefeated in WPASL play this season. In addition, Superior's Kaden Bergman received a red card in the 85th minute for dissent. The Connect Four Trophy is still up for grabs, but the Wolfpack will need to beat the goal differential in the return leg on July 16th in Superior to keep the trophy and bragging rights.
BOX SCORE:
6-10/Bollinger Field/WPASL League Game
Superior Wolfpack FC................0 0 - 0
Bateaux FC..................................2 2 - 4
First Half - BFC - Ben Zumwalt (Hugo Hernandez) 28', BFC - David Ripplinger (Unassisted) 38'
Second Half - BFC - David Ripplinger (Elliot Solberg) 59', BFC - Mason Sherman (David Ripplinger) 75'
Saves: SWFC - Nate Olson (5 saves); BFC - Reid Reinart (2 saves)
LOOKING AHEAD:
Superior Wolfpack FC (1-4-1) vs Dakota Young Stars (0-2-0) | WPASL League Game
Sunday, June 18th | Lincoln Park Middle School (Duluth, MN) | 2:00 PM CT
Tickets $5 suggested donation | Livestream TBD | 65 degrees and partly cloudy
Superior will face a winless Dakota squad as they look to get back on the winning path in a pivotal game on Sunday. Superior has been riddled with injuries the past two games, but will have a full team for the match, including the return of leading scorers Fawaz Ajao and Vince Trok. Dakota Young Stars will have a 7 hour trip from Sioux Falls, SD, and will come up to the Ports hungry after a rough start. The squad finished 3rd in the UPSL last season, but have yet to acclimate to the travel and environment of the lower-tiered WPASL.
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