Warriors’ Second-Half Rally Comes Up Short; Drop First Match of Season

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Midland University concluded its Illinois trip with a Saturday afternoon match against Trinity Christian University. The Trolls seized an early lead in the first half with a pair of goals and although the Warriors fought back in the second half, their efforts fell short as they fell 2-1 in Palos Heights, Illinois.

Trinity Christian seized an early lead with a quick goal in the 4th minute, jumping front 1-0 against the Warriors. The Trolls continued to assert their dominance in the first half, adding another goal in the 19th minute to extend. Trinity Christian outshot Midland 8-4, with 5 of those shots on target in the first half. Midland's offense was held in check in the first half despite a few chances.

After the intermission, the Warriors started to rally as they implored an aggressive offense. Nacho Salmeron scored an unassisted goal in the 75th minute to put Midland on the scoreboard and cut the deficit in half.

The Trolls' defense was tested further as they received a red card in the 83rd minute. Despite the player advantage, the Warriors were unable to find the equalizer. Their final-minute shot hit the crossbar and they were handed their first loss of the season, 2-1. Midland outshot Trinity Christian in the second half 6-2, with one shot on frame.

Hugo Sjoeberg played the full 90 minutes in goal, picking up three saves on the day.

After returning home for a few days of training, Midland (0-1-1) will travel to Des Moines, Iowa to take on Grand View (0-1) in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, August 28. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. at the Cownie Soccer Complex.