Duluth FC vs. Med City
Duluth East High School, Duluth, MN
5.29.19 | Week 5
Current 2019 Records (W-L-T):
Duluth: 1-0-2; 1-0-0 at home/on the road
Med City: 1-0-0; 2-0-1 at home/on the road
Lineup: Diaz, Viader, Westfield, Starling, Proctor (C), Jacobs, Barberio, Ciroi, Rice, Condone, Junior
Substitutions: Kowachek for Westfield, Torres for Barberio, Neto for Carlyle, Aidan for Damia, Mostajo for Condone
Goals:
‘56 – Alan Wismayer (Med City)
‘68 – Brooks Rice (Duluth)
In a night of chances for both sides, Duluth found themselves with a single point at the end of their home match with Med City FC. The first half kicked off with strong energy for the home side, who managed to create several threatening chances via the likes of Carlyle Junior, Brooks Rice, James Westfield, and Lucas Jacobs. However, a strong performance from the Med City keeper, Alexander Jarvis, left Duluth and the visitors goalless at the half.
The second half would throw both squads back into the fire, with Med City growing more to into the game and both sides making chances. The visitors from Rochester would prove the first to score when Alan Wismayer sent in a deadly glancing header into the side netting off of a cross in the 56th minute.
Both sides would continue to find chances, though Duluth would start to show more intent in hopes finding an equalizer. They found just that less than 10 minutes later when Brooks Rice found the ball, having been lobbed back and forth around the Med City 18-yard box, falling to his feet. Rice spiked the ball perfectly into the top of the goal, just past the crossbar, scoring his first of the season. Both Rice and Lucas Jacobs would find strong chances to score the winner, but neither would find the back of the net.
Med City kept the pressure going until the last minute, managing several chances of their own as they looked to potentially take all three points back home. The result, however, would end at 1-1, with both teams remaining undefeated in league play in 2019.
This leaves Duluth with 8 points earned in 4 matches, with 2 wins and 2 draws to their name, while Med City now have 10 points to their name. Duluth are the first team Med City haven’t beaten this season.
Brooks Rice was given the Man of the Match nomination by Head Coach Joel Person, with his threatening play throughout the match providing a sight to be seen. Rice’s equalizer was his fifth goal scored for Duluth, adding to the four he scored in 2018.
The result on Wednesday mirrors the history of tight results between Duluth and Med City, with 2018’s matches ending in a 0-0 draw and 1-0 Duluth win. A win for either side would have begun to paint a strong picture as to who we might expect in the playoffs this summer, but Wednesday’s draw instead shows that there is indeed plenty of season left for things to shift and form.
Duluth FC will now travel away on the weekend to face Minneapolis City in the first meeting between the two sides of 2019. The two clubs are the NPSL North’s only two champions and have a history of playing big matches, with City’s 4-2 win over Duluth last season sealing their conference title and Duluth’s 2-1 playoff win over City paving the way to the BlueGreen’s historic NPSL Midwest Regional title. This weekend’s match will surely prove an important one in the race for both the conference title and the two playoff spots.
