FREMONT, Neb. — Dakota Wesleyan Men's Soccer squared off against the 25th-ranked Midland Warriors in a crucial battle at the top of the GPAC standings.
The Tigers would be active on offense early on, which paid off in just the sixth minute as Evan Bolster found the back of the Midland net on his second shot attempt in the match to give Dakota Wesleyan an early 1-0 lead and record his seventh goal of the season. Dakota Wesleyan had a few more shot attempts following the score, but Midland began to pick up its offensive pace. Zackary Stephens registered saves on the first attempted shots by Midland in what eventually became a seven-save outing, setting a new season-high in the process. The only shot on goal that he would not be able to save came in the 36th minute by Midland to even the score at 1-1, which would be the score heading into halftime. Lukas Adamhuber, AJ Bowman, and Charlie Orsler all registered shots in the first half.
Dakota Wesleyan and Midland traded scoring opportunities to begin the second half. For the Tigers, Luis Waeschle sent out the first two shots of the half, with one being on target, but the Midland goalkeeper saved it. Ryan Ford sent another shot towards the net in the 61st minute that would land wide and also be the beginning of an offensive surge on the other end for Midland, keeping the Tiger offense at bay. Solid defensive play from Neil Ennis and Colin Burke helped keep the Warriors out of the net, but the pressure stayed on the Tigers until the final ten minutes of the contest. Bowman found an opportunity to score in the 84th minute that was saved by Midland, but a follow-up from Maximilian Nolle punched in the second goal of the day for the Tigers to take a 2-1 lead, which would be the final score of the contest after a final defensive stand from Dakota Wesleyan. The Tigers currently lead the GPAC in goals scored, with 35 in total on the season, sitting tied for 16th in the NAIA, and moved to 4-1-1 in conference play.
DWU Men's Soccer will face the Waldorf Warriors on Wednesday, October 15th, at 5:00 PM. See the full 2025 schedule here.