October 4, 2023

TIGERS STRUGGLE TO FIND THE BACK OF NET IN 2-0 LOSS AGAINST NORTHWESTERN

Dakota Wesleyan 4-5-1, 0-4-1

Northwestern 8-3-1, 4-1-1

Final

Dakota Wesleyan (4-5-1, 0-4-1)

Northwestern (8-3-1, 4-1-1)

Orange City Iowa –

Tigers came up short against the Red Raiders, 2-0 in this GPAC contest. DWU had several great shots on goal but were blocked away by the Northwestern defense. Tigers move to 4-5-1 overall, 0-4-1 in GPAC play.

How It Happened –

The Tiger offense started off fast, as Michael Kelly looked to attack the opposing goal in the opening minutes but was unsuccessful in getting the ball across the box. DWU showed a strong defensive presence throughout the half, between defensive saves and saves by goalkeeper Hunter Birozy to keep the Red Raiders off the score board. Midfielder Jonathon Mosqueda was a driving force in the Tigers early offense as he looked to hit the net. He fired five shots in the match with three being on goal but was unable to sneak it past the Red Raider defense. The match was knotted up at zeros through the first thirty-four minutes. At this point, Northwestern would score back-to-back goals in the 34' and 35' minutes. The Tigers trailed 2-0 as they went into halftime.

With a new gameplan, Tigers pushed the pace as they looked to tie it up with the Red Raiders. The DWU offense was able to force four corner shots in the second half where Garrett Hanna would look to set a teammate up to score. Francis Dolce almost put away one of those corner kicks with a header, but it was saved by the Northwestern goalie. Dolce had three shots on goal in the match. The defense for the Tigers was able to hold off any more Red Raider scoring attempts, as the defense had three saves and Birozy collected four saves in the match. Cesar Cornejo was all over the pitch in the match-up, taking three shots in the match and forced several fouls against the Raiders in the second half as he looked to get his team back in the game. Cornejo took the last DWU shot of the match before the buzzer sounded.

Up Next –

Th Tigers will stay on the road as they travel to Crete Nebraska to face the Tigers of Doane University. Game time is set for 1:00 PM in this battle of the Tigers.