Duluth FC vs. Joy Athletic
Public Schools Stadium | Duluth, MN
May 22nd, 2021 | Game #1
Current 2021 Records (W-L-T):
Duluth: 1-0-0; 0-0-0 at home/on the road
JOY: 1-0-1; 0-1-0 at home/on the road
Starting Lineup: Brendan Dally, Jake Starling, Liam Condone, Martin Grzywa, Alex Pike, Jacob Daffern, Dylan Sumner, Aidan Hill, James Westfield, Sidney Warden, Michael Devlin
Substitutions: Caleb Tammi for Aidan Hill, Scott McCarthy for Alexander Pike, Eric Watson for Micheál Devlin, Dany Torres for Dylan Sumner, Scott Wilson for Martin Grzywa, Jonathan Faynik for James Westfield
Goals:
5’ – James Westfield (DFC)
21’ – Sidney Warden (DFC)
28’ – Phillip Capudo (JOY)
45’ – Emanuel Iwe (JOY)
62’ – Own Goal (JOY)
70’ – Dylan Sumner (DFC)
86’ – Sidney Warden (DFC)
Duluth FC started their 2021 season with an eventful 4-3 home win over NPSL North new arrivals Joy Athletic, marking the second time Duluth FC has started a NPLS season with a home win. Joy Athletic arrived having already played twice in a 4-1 win over the Dakota Fusion and a 2-2 draw with La Crosse Aris.
The night started strong for Duluth, as returning striker James Westfield scored off of Duluth’s first real chance early in the 5th minute. New face Sidney Warden would add a second goal in the 21st minute, starting an impressive night and giving Duluth a temporary 2-0 lead over the visitors. Joy Athletic, however, showed the same scoring prowess they started the year with and found two goals before half time. First with a diving tap in from Phillip Capudo and then a speedy run from Emanuel Iwe, who was one of Joy’s most impressive players on the night.
Duluth Head Coach Sean Morgan, making his coaching debut for Duluth, was left with a lot of work to do at half time, having watched his lead disappear. The second half would start poorly for Duluth, who found themselves on the wrong side of a momentum switch. Joy Athletic took the lead for the first time on the night with an own goal from a Duluth defender.
Their lead only lasted 8 minutes, however, as Dylan Sumner, making his Duluth debut, scored off of a wonderful cross which was headed back into the center of the box by Liam Condone. Despite all the odds, Sidney Warden would find a fourth goal for Duluth with less than ten minutes remaining, capping a hard work performance from the forward.
Warden would be nominated Duluth’s man of the match by Head Coach Sean Morgan for his strong debut, having already started the season as the temporary leader in Duluth’s top scorer race and managing to stay in the match for the full 90 minutes despite the humid conditions.
Duluth also earned strong performances from all of its returning players, with all four starting the match and two playing the entire 90 minutes. Liam Condone and Jake Starling both anchored the Duluth defense, while James Westfield opened the scoring and Aidan Hill made a promising start in the BlueGreens midfield. The night also marked DFC debuts for Eric Watson and Scott Wilson, who both appeared as substitutes. Both play collegiately for the University of Wisconsin Superior and recently won the UMAC Championship.
The result means that Duluth’s new head coach, former player Sean Morgan, starts his tenure with a win after waiting the entirety of 2020 to make his debut at the head of the club.
Duluth’s next match will be away against Minneapolis City SC on May 26th at Edor Nelson Field. Minneapolis City is the only other club that has won the NPSL North title, winning twice in 2018 and 2019, while Duluth won in 2017 and additionally won the Midwest Regional title in 2018.
