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  • And Then There Were Four: NPSL North Matchweek Nine Recap

    David Baker

    July 9, 2017
    News
    And Then There Were Four: NPSL North Matchweek Nine Recap

    With one week left to play in the NPSL North, the two playoff spots will be fought for between four teams. All four teams have a shot at the conference championship; some with easier paths than others. VSLT was the lone team to be eliminated from playoff contention and Med City lost for just the second time this season. La Crosse had a bad week, but barring a nine-goal loss in its final game, will not equal its club-record worst average goal differential of -4.2 set in 2014.

     

    Dakota Fusion 7, La Crosse Aris FC 2
    July 5, 2017
    Jim Gotta Stadium (Moorhead, Minn.)

    Dakota bounced back from a home loss with a big win to bolster its playoff hopes, downing La Crosse on the back of a Jade Johnson hat trick. Isaac Kehson was the one to get things started, scoring in the fifth minute. Johnson put his first in the back of the net in the 36th minute, followed closely by George Gauld’s strike three minutes later. Dakota took a 3-0 lead into halftime; a lead they would build on just a minute after the second half began with Kehson’s second of the game. Johnson matched his teammate’s total in the 53rd minute. La Crosse finally had an answer with Derek Fuchsberger finding the net in the 66th minute. Johnson responded immediately, finishing off the hat trick a minute later. Kaden Bergman notched a consolatory goal for Aris in the 81st, but Jack Hartley put away the hosts’ seventh goal of the night just a few minutes later.

     

    La Crosse Aris FC 2, Minnesota TwinStars 5
    July 8, 2017
    Viterbo Sports Complex (La Crosse, Wis.)

    La Crosse suffered its second loss of the week at the hands of Minnesota TwinStars. With both teams out of playoff contention, Aris made use of all but one of its allotted substitutions. Uncharacteristically, the hosts were in the position of defending an early lead after Nigel Nielsen converted a third-minute penalty. The advantage lasted a half an hour, Barinedum Kordah’s goal pulling the Dragons back level. Karim Darbaki gave his team its first lead of the game in the 41st minute and secured the brace in the 53rd. A flurry of goals came in the final twenty minutes, the first of which was scored by Chase Wright of the TwinStars in the 72nd minute. Abdulaziz Tahir made it 5-1 in the 79th minute and Christian Fernandez reduced the lead to three goals with his 84th minute strike. The season is effectively over for La Crosse, but TwinStars can still play spoiler by taking points off of Minneapolis City on Wednesday.

    Up next:
    La Crosse Aris FC at VSLT FC, July 15
    Minnesota TwinStars at Minneapolis City SC, July 12

     

    Med City FC 0, Duluth 1
    July 8, 2017
    Rochester Regional Stadium (Rochester, Minn.)

    Duluth put itself in the driver’s seat for the conference championship, securing a late, if controversial, three points on the road. Med City’s winless skid was extended to three games as it lost its chokehold on the lead in the standings. In a tense game, Med City controlled the first half and registered a few shots on goal. Duluth’s first shot on net didn’t come until the 50th minute, but Med City responded with sustained pressure of its own. The breakthrough came deep in second half stoppage time when Andrew Jenkins scored off a throw-in that the hosts claim was illegal due to the thrower’s foot crossing the sideline and onto the field of play. The goal stood and Duluth is now three points away from winning the conference.

    Read Louis Garcia’s full recap.

    Up next:
    Med City FC vs. Minneapolis City SC, July 15
    Duluth FC vs. Sioux Falls Thunder, July 15

     

    Minneapolis City SC 3, Sioux Falls Thunder 1
    July 8, 2017
    Yankton Trails Park (Sioux Falls, S.D.)

    Minneapolis City took another step toward the playoffs and remain in the thick of things after a comfortable 3-1 win in South Dakota. Miles Stockman-Willis put the visitors ahead with three minutes gone, finding his way past the back line to slot past the goalkeeper. The rout looked to be on in the 16th minute when Stockman-Willis put his second in the back of the net, but Sioux Falls responded well and put on some pressure of its own. Will Kidd put the Crows up 3-0 with his 52nd minute shot. The Thunder pulled one back in the 64th when Archie Maoh was played in behind the City back line and sent a rocket over the goalkeeper’s shoulder and into the ceiling of the net. The Crows were happy to defend the rest of the time and secured all three points.

    Read Kyle Eliason’s full recap.

    Up next:
    Sioux Falls Thunder at Duluth FC, July 15
    Minneapolis City SC vs. Minnesota TwinStars, July 12

     

    Dakota Fusion 5, VSLT FC 2
    July 8, 2017
    Jim Gotta Stadium (Moorhead, Minn.)

    Dakota continued its push for a playoff spot, eliminating VSLT from contention along the way with a dramatic late win. Jade Johnson tallied his second hat trick in as many games, starting in the third minute. Sunaj Beljulji doubled the lead in the 11th minute and the hosts were up by two within a quarter of an hour. Mark Boquin pulled one back for VSLT in the 15th minute. The score would stand there until Pedro Matias Diaz Galeano’s equalizer in the 69th minute. Fusion retook the lead just three minutes later and ran with it. VSLT allowed two stoppage time goals from Johnson as Dakota jumped back into third place but will need to rely on help from other teams to lock down a playoff spot or conference championship.

    Up next:
    Dakota Fusion at Minnesota TwinStars, July 15
    VSLT FC vs. La Crosse Aris FC, July 15

     

    NPSL North Standings

    Club Played Won Drawn Lost GD Points Possible
    Duluth 13 7 4 2 +17 25 28
    Med City 13 7 4 2 +11 25 28
    Dakota Fusion 13 8 0 5 +8 24 27
    Minneapolis City 12 7 1 4 +16 22 28
    VSLT X 13 6 2 5 +3 20 23
    TwinStars X 12 4 2 6 — 14 20
    Sioux Falls X 13 3 4 6 -2 13 16
    La Crosse Aris X 13 0 1 11 -50 1 7

    X = eliminated from playoff contention.
    NPSL first tiebreaker is head-to-head results between the tied teams.
    NPSL second tiebreaker is goal differential in the head-to-head matches


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    Dakota Fusion FC, Duluth FC, La Crosse Aris FC, Med City FC, Minneapolis City SC, Minnesota TwinStars FC, NPSL, NPSL North, Sioux Falls Thunder FC, VSLT FC
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    4 responses to “And Then There Were Four: NPSL North Matchweek Nine Recap”

    1. Jeffrey Michael Avatar
      Jeffrey Michael
      July 10, 2017

      Love the write-ups. Thank you. This is a fun league and I love being able to be a part of it up here in Fargo. Go Fusion!

      Reply
    2. nomadic loon Avatar
      nomadic loon
      July 11, 2017

      How many teams from this league are allowed to partake in the US Open Cup?

      Reply
      1. Kyle Eliason Avatar
        Kyle Eliason
        July 11, 2017

        There is no hard limit. Last season, the eight NPSL national quarterfinalists were given automatic berths into the qualifying rounds of the 2016 USOC.

        But other NPSL teams can apply for at-large bids. An additional six NPSL entered the qualifying rounds that way.

        Reply
        1. nomadic loon Avatar
          nomadic loon
          July 11, 2017

          thanks.. .i hope they all get in… and play teams in other leagues… maybe we’ll see des moines or milwaukee come visit NPSL north territory… a perfect excuse for a road trip to fargo, sioux falls, duluth, lacrosse, or rochester.

          Reply

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