Duluth FC vs. Minnesota TwinStars
Public Schools Stadium | Duluth, MN
May 18th, 2022 | Game #3
Current 2021 Records (W-L-T):
Duluth: 2-0-0; 1-0-0 at home/on the road
Minnesota: 1-1-0 ; 0-1-0 at home/on the road
Goals:
23’ – Blake Perry (DFC)
33’ – Jessie Juarez (DFC)
38’ – Blake Perry (DFC)
44” – Santiago Erazo (DFC)
90’ – Peter Oyetunji (DFC)
Starting XI: Samuel Thornton, Blake Perry, Peter Oyetunji, Kostyantyn Bomaratsky, Felipe Oliveira, Andres Solares, Cian Gantley, Jessie Juarez, Jake Starling, Santiago Erazo, Michael Garrihy.
Another stunning night for some BlueGreen gameplay and it did not disappoint as they took down the Minnesota TwinStars in a one-sided matchup that ended with a score of 5-0. This is Duluth’s first time playing TwinStars this season and they did so by setting a standard for games to come. We are supposed to dominate.
The match started out at a slower pace with both teams feeling each other out with a couple of minutes of cautious play. This would then turn into an all-out attack by the Bluegreens with some great chances generated by Blake Perry and Kostyantyn Bomaratskyy early. This combined with an always aggressive defense that helped settle the ball in enemy territory for the majority of the game.
Jake Starling did a wonderful job attacking the ball, making the right decisions, and getting clears all game. His clears also sparked the first goal scored as one was cleared to Samuel Thornton who quick dished it to Blake Perry for the score at the 23rd-minute mark. Passing that was a little lackadaisical in the beginning really picked up and the squad started to look like they had been playing together for the last 10 years.
The second goal was threaded in the top corner by Thornton of a beautiful chip pass from Jaurez who splits two defenders as well for his first assist of the season. Only minutes later the ball ends up in Minnesota’s zone where Bomaratskyy was able to battle the ball away from defenders and plop it out to a locked and loaded Blake Perry who shelves it in for his 4th goal of the season.
The TwinStars defensive rotation this match seemed a little out of balance and had a tough time clearing effectively in the first half which led to ample opportunities. The amplest of them all occurred within one minute left of the half when Bomaratsky launched a corner kick right in front of the net where Minnesota’s Goalie got tangled up with Peter Oyetunji. This led to some slight confusion, lapsed judgment by the defense, and an easy goal for Santiago Erazo.
The TwinStars came out in the second half with alot more energy, which impressed many as other teams in this situation may just throw in the towel. Regardless of their amped-up effort the half consisted mostly of many defensive battles and clears that led to a whole lot of nothing for either side.
That is until the very end of the match when Blake Perry, the man who has been on an absolute mission, crossed the ball beautifully into the box where Peter Oyetunji was nicely set up to finish the play with a nifty header and his first goal of the season.
The BlueGreens will receive a much-deserved 10 day rest and continue their season again at home battling La Crosse Aris FC on May 28th at the Public Schools Stadium.
