MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis City’s postseason hopes were dealt a setback by first-place Bavarians as the Milwaukee club took all three points at South High School’s Les Barnard Field on Saturday. Former Minnesota Stars player Scott Lorenz and Patrick Ruhland scored for the visitors, with Bavarians winger Braden Andryuk tallying a pair of assists.

Milwaukee coach Patrick Hodgins set his charges up in a 4-2-3-1 to start the game, with Jim Jones in net. Dogara Zamani and Dennis Holowaty bracketed John Mau and Daniel Jarosz at the back, while Tighe Dombrowski (a former Minnesota Thunder player) and Logan Andryk formed the base of a midfield triangle. Logan’s younger brother Braden began the game on the wing opposite Kelmend Islami, and Lorenz started in the hole behind center forward Andre Francois.

For City, Keith Kiecker and Jeremy Iwaszkowiec opted for a familiar 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 shape but made use of a healthy roster to select a small, quick and technical front six. Matt Elder again got the nod in goal, playing behind City’s regular back four of Abdallah Bah, Trey Benhart, Nate Engel and Aaron Olson. Holding midfielder Max Stiegwardt returned the field for the Crows, playing behind Samuel Ruiz Plaza in the center of the pitch. Sam Forsgren made his second-consecutive start, playing on the wing opposite Will Kidd. Matthew Gweh started at center forward while Andy Lorei began the game on the bench, and Ben Wexler took up his usual role of central attacking midfielder.

First Half

The Bavarians began the game with more possession and the run of play, prompting Iwaszkowiec to encourage City’s players to increase their pace of play and press higher from the technical area along the touchline.

The game’s first real chance came in just the second minute. A short clearance attempt fell to Logan Andryk, but the Milwaukee midfielder’s 25-yard effort went high and wide of Elder’s right post.

The first half saw a number of intense duels between the younger Andryk and Bah. The Bavarians winger was twice nearly able to get around the Crows fullback inside of City’s 18-yard box, only to be thwarted by well-timed, last-ditch slide tackles from Bah.

Bavarians would place their first shot on target in the 6th minute when Braden Andryk advanced the ball just short of the 18-yard box, and loosed a low shot. The effort forced Elder to dive to his left, but the keeper was able to hold comfortably.

City responded a minute later when a nice give-and-go between Wexler and Forsgren provided Wexler with enough space to square a shot from 25 yards out. Unfortunately for the Crows, Wexler’s attempt sailed just a bit wide of Jones’ right post.

The Grumpy Cats pawed away Milwaukee’s first real scoring threat in the 26th minute. Dribbling along the edge of City’s 18-yard box, Braden Andryk pulled the ball back on the ground for Francois, but the pass led the center forward a bit too much. The extra steps Francois needed to reach the ball allowed Elder the opportunity to come off his line, and the keeper was able to charge and smother the forward’s shot.

City’s best scoring chance in the first half would come in the 30th minute. In a reversal of the usual order, it was Gweh that played Bah through on goal, exchanging passes as the fullback charged ahead on the counter. Bah’s pace was sufficient to get around Zamani, but his touch let him down. The fullback’s last dribble proved just a bit too long, and Jones was able to come off his line and block Bah’s effort low.

Then, in the 36th minute, Milwaukee drew first blood. Braden Andryk, letting one of his teammates do the running on the counter for a change, slipped a ball through City’s ranks to put Lorenz through on goal. The attacking midfielder acquitted himself well, placing the ball in the far upper corner. The shot left Elder, diving to his right, with no chance to keep the game scoreless.

“Scotty Lorenz had a really good finish,” said Hodgins of his midfielder. “That’s all we can ask for, is guys to create chances and other guys to put them away.”

Second Half

Having regrouped at halftime after going down goal, it was City that got out of the gate faster in the second half.

Gweh received a pass at the edge of the 18 in the 47th minute, and executed a nice turn to square himself with the goal. But a Bavarian defender managed to take much of the force off Gweh’s strike, and the deflection bounced straight and true to a waiting Jones.

Gweh called Jones into action just 2 minutes later, driving with the ball to the edge of the 18-yard box, and smacking a shot on frame. But Jones, diving low to his right, was able to reach and hold the ball.

The Crows were imposing themselves on the game to a greater extent than they were able to in the first half, but the Bavarians remained dangerous on the counter.

In the 50th minute, the Francois was played into space by a ball lofted over City’s back line. Engel, more fleet of foot than Milwaukee’s center forward, was able to run Francois down, but the Bavarian used his body well to shield Engel. Francois attempted a shot off the half volley while holding off the City centerback, but topped the ball, sending a weak, bouncing effort directly at Elder.

The 54th minute saw the introduction of A.J. Albers for Stiegwart, and the physical midfielder left his mark without delay. Challenging for a free kick sent in the direction of Milwaukee’s goal, Albers collided with Jones. The play drew the ire of several Milwaukee players as Jones needed time to gather himself in the immediate aftermath.

A few minutes later, a challenge from Albers sent a Bavarians player to the ground in discomfort, and drew words of caution from the referee.

Andy Lorei was then subbed on in the 57th minute for Wexler, as the latter reaggravated a neck strain suffered in training earlier in the week.

“I was a little surprised not to see Andy Lorei in their starting lineup,” offered Hodgins. “I thought he wasn’t there, and then we he came on in the second half, I got a bit worried, because he’s a really good player.”

In the 60th minute, the Grumpy Cats would come inches from leveling the match when Bah, again pushing forward from the back, cut the ball back from the edge of the 18 to the top of the arc, where Ruiz Plaza was waiting. The midfielder’s shot had Jones beat, but found the foot of Mau who cleared it off the goal line.

Eight minutes later, the game was swung in Milwaukee’s favor. A turnover allowed Braden Andryk to spring forward with the ball, into City’s penalty area. Coming in from a narrow angle, Elder appeared in good position to make a save with much of the shooting angle covered. However, as he approached the Crows keeper, Andryk chopped the ball across the mouth of goal. The slow, hopping-then-rolling effort meandered towards the back post until the arrival of second-half substitute Patrick Ruhland converted the pass into an easy goal.

“When you get a goal scored on you like that, on kind of a slow roller, and everyone else is jogging back… It takes it out of a team,” said Olson, City’s fullback. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to respond the way we wanted to.”

Not willing to give up without a fight, Olson found himself in a footrace with Ruhland in the 81st minute. The Bavarian winger—bearing down on goal shoulder-to-shoulder with Olson—ripped a shot off the laces of his boot and headed for the upper corner inside Elder’s near post. But City’s keeper proved equal to the task and made an impressive reaction save, using two hands to push the powerful effort around the post for a corner.

Olson drew complaints from Milwaukee after giving Ruhland a bit of a shove as he shot, but the referee seemed content that the Bavarian had gotten off a dangerous attempt on target, and was unwilling to award Milwaukee a penalty already up a pair of goals, late.

As City searched for a way back into the contest, Lorei employed a bit of fancy footwork in traffic to open up a lane to cross the ball toward Milwaukee’s back post, in the direction of Kevin Hoof, who had come on for Ruiz Plaza following the Bavarians’ goal. Hoof, finding himself in space, rose and stretched for the ball, but the cross proved a foot or so too high to reach.

The Bavarians would put a free kick over Elder’s crossbar from 25 yards out in the 89th minute, providing the game’s last shot on goal. The two teams had exhausted their substitutions by the 85th minute, and the 4 minutes of added time passed without any play of note, and only a touch of gamesmanship from Milwaukee.

Reactions

For Milwaukee, the victory meant it retained a three-point lead atop the table with a game in hand, heading into the following day’s game at Cedar Rapids. For Minneapolis, the loss and lack of even a single point at home were a missed opportunity, and made its regular-season home finale against Cedar Rapids a must-win game.

“Coming here and playing these guys, we knew it was going to be a tough game. To come out 2-0 is a really good result for us. To get three points is huge,” Hodgins stated. “Matthew Gweh was giving us some problems early on in the first half. I thought, when Lorei came in, it was going to change the game a little bit. But our guys did a good job of absorbing a lot of their pressure. Through that second half, for the first ten minutes, we didn’t really come out with the attitude we needed to. But the second goal was a good response.”

Hodgins had high praise for the younger Andryk, who asked questions of City’s defense down the wing all game and set up both Milwaukee goals.

“Braden has been a workhorse for us this season. He’s come up huge for us when we’ve needed him to, and today he made two good plays to set up our goals.”

Andryk offered his own thoughts on the day, stating, “It’s always tough on the road, to come into a new place. We had to drive five hours on the road to get here. It’s just getting our legs under us, getting into the game a little bit, finding a way to work together as a team, and grinding out a win. Everyone stepped up when they were called.”

For City, a battle-worn Olson reacted to the loss.

“We came out excited. The field looked good. The heat kind of sapped our energy a little bit, but they’re a good team,” the fullback said. “They’re in first place for a reason. We’ve got to get to that next level somehow.”

Wexler was more succinct, stating, “They put their chances away. We really didn’t.”

“The Bavarians are the best team in our league and it showed today,” added Iwaszkowiec. “They’re very tactically savvy, they capitalized on our mistakes, and they’re a good squad.”

“First half, I felt like we didn’t match their intensity, we didn’t match their athleticism and physicality. That hurt us a little bit. Second half, I felt like we came out pretty strong. Really unfortunate on the second goal, we made a bad mistake in our own defensive third and they capitalized. That’s soccer, you know?”

On whether or not he thought the Crows could have benefited from Lorei’s hold-up play, or Albers’ presence in midfield from the start of the match, Iwaszkowiec reflected, “It was a gamble, and there were some tactical reasons. Maybe it backfired. I think we learned a lot. This is the first time we’ve had that 18 together, and we wanted to see certain combinations. We saw some things we really liked, and we saw some things that aren’t going to work.”

“I felt, yes, A.J. [Albers]’s physicality was a welcome addition in the second half,” continued Iwaszkowiec. “I felt Lorei worked hard up top, and did what he does in the second half.”

Looking Ahead

Making Minneapolis’ path to the Premier League of America tournament an even rockier one, Milwaukee fell 2-0 to Cedar Rapids on Sunday. The result places the Bavarians and Rampage tied on 15 points, though Bavarians lead on goal differential.

City now finds itself three points back of its next opponent, Cedar Rapids, with two matches left to play by both teams.

Following Saturday’s loss, City was already turning its focus to next weekend.

“Two games, two wins and we’re in,” said Wexler. “We’ve played the teams were playing already, and we know what they’re going to bring. Just have to be ready for them.”

“It’s like we discussed earlier—every game is the most important game,” Iwaszkowiec remarked. “We’re still in the mix, and we’ve got to take care of our next game. Then, the one after that. Right now, it has to be game-to-game for us.”

“It’s fun. It’s tight. We’re in the mix, which is right where you want to be. Soccer is a funny game, and anything can happen.”

Minneapolis City will host a friendly against FC Fargo when the two contest the Summit Keg on Friday night. Then, City will face Cedar Rapids Rampage in its PLA home finale on Sunday afternoon.