FiftyFive.One

The East came down to the final weekend, but it was worth the wait. RWB Adria needed to beat Aurora Borealis by five goals in the final game of the season to overtake Toledo United and claim the East Division crown. Carpathia FC had a chance to make the playoffs with a weekend doubleheader during which they needed two heavy wins and an Adria loss. The rest of the games this weekend were either played purely for bragging rights or were pre-playoff tuneups, capping off an exciting first season in the Premier League of America.

Madison 56ers 0, Milwaukee Bavarians 3
July 22, 2016
Breese Stevens Field (Madison, WI)

Madison’s rough season came to a hard end while Milwaukee cemented its division championship with a 3-0 win in Wisconsin’s capital. Kelmend Islami scored early on to set the tone with an 8th minute goal assisted by Andre Francois. Bavarians controlled play for the rest of the half but were unable to add to the lead. The second half was started with another Bavarians goal; a 47th minute strike from Patrick Ruhland with an assist to halftime substitute Danny Jarosz. Not being a team to let off the gas pedal, Bavarians added a 90th minute goal from Reid Stevenson and walked off the field with a first place finish.

Up next:
Toledo United FC vs. Milwaukee Bavarians (PLA Semifinal), July 30

Oakland County FC 2, Carpathia FC 3
July 23, 2016
Stoney Creek (Rochester Hills, MI)

Carpathia needed wins this weekend, and big ones at that, if they were going to make it to the tournament next weekend. A 3-2 win away to Oakland County didn’t help much, but it was a thriller. Shawn Sloan started proceedings with a 10th minute rocket into the upper corner from 25 yards out. Oakland County took control from there, looking to be a much more dangerous side, but Ryan Williams did his best Sloan impression, scoring his own 25-yarder in the 31st minute. Despite giving up the goal, County kept dominating possession for the remainder of the first half. Carpathia came out firing in the second, with Dane Laird trying a shot that the keeper mishandled, giving Carpathia a 2-1 lead in the 47th minute. Much of the second half was back-and-forth, both teams getting chances in the attacking third, and both teams’ defensive lines holding firm. Sloan drew his team level in the 82nd minute after stealing the ball from the defender and pounding it home. In stoppage time ten minutes later, Carpathia hit the third long range goal of the night and held on for a 3-2 win.

Minnesota United Reserves 3, Minneapolis City SC 3
July 23, 2016
East Ridge High School (Woodbury, MN)

The Crows and the Loons ended their seasons with the second installment of the Twin Cities Derby, the home team needing a big win to finish ahead of its noisy neighbor. The Reserves controlled the play from the start of the game and scored the first goal  in the 18th minute. Miles Stockman-Willis slid the ball across the penalty area to Abbai Habte who slotted it home. City endured even more pressure before applying some itself. The 35th minute saw Matthew Gweh collect two of his own rebounds before finding the back of the net to equalize. Relying on the counterattack, Minneapolis scored two more quick goals. Samuel Ruiz Plaza crossed the ball into the box and found Connor Stevenson running toward goal. Stevenson buried it for a 2-1 lead. Just a few minutes later, Ben Wexler sent a shot in from 18 yards out after a nifty backheel from WIll Kidd. The Crows took a 3-1 lead into the locker room at halftime. A 50th minute corner from Benjamin Eastwell found Grant Bell who fired low and reduced City’s lead to one goal. A similar shot from Stockman-Willis seven minutes later drew the Loons even at 3-3. Andy Lorei nearly won it for Minneapolis on a last second header off a corner that hit the post, but the whistle blew and the derby ended as a draw.

RWB Adria 6, Aurora Borealis SC 0
July 27, 2016
Triton College (River Grove, IL)

RWB Adria needed to win by five goals to win the East Division championship. They won by six. Adria had to wait four days to break Toledo’s heart — the Saturday game being delayed until Wednesday because of rain. The hosts were up 2-0 at halftime and needed three second-half goals to secure a #1 seed for the postseason tournament. Less than 15 minutes into the second half, Adria had doubled their lead to 4-0 but waited until late to grab the championship. Two goals in the final ten minutes gave the Croatians the differential they needed and ended a forgettable first season for Aurora Borealis.

Up next:
Cedar Rapids Rampage United vs. RWB Adria (PLA Semifinal), July 30

FINAL TABLE

East Standings

Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
RWB Adria	10	7	1	2	16	22
Toledo United	10	7	1	2	15	22
CarpathiaX	10	6	1	3	0	19
Oakland CountyX	10	4	2	4	1	14
Aurora BorealisX	10	2	1	7	-12	7
Grand Rapids OleX	10	1	0	9	-20	3

West Standings

Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GD	Points
Milwaukee Bavarians	10	6	3	1	12	21
Cedar Rapids Rampage	10	5	4	1	8	19
Minneapolis CityX	10	3	4	3	0	13
MNUFC ReservesX	10	2	4	4	-4	10
Croatian EaglesX	10	2	3	5	-3	9
Madison 56ersX	10	2	2	6	-13	8

X: Eliminated from postseason tournament contention.