18x26 Academy 3-5 St Paul Blackhawks (After Extra Time)
The final served up a repeat of a group stage match last month, which finished 3-1 to the Blackhawks. It was a closer game in many ways, finishing regulation tied but 18x26 dominated possession in the opening 15 minutes without challenging former Joy AC keeper Drew Moseman (Macalester College) in the Saint Paul net.
On the counter, Chris Frantz had the best chance of the opening 20 for the Blackhawks, and then Adaris Mohamed had a scoring opportunity right up the other end. Jordan Ross split the gridiron goalposts from just outside the box on 23 minutes for the Blackhawks. Suheyb Nor completed the trick for 18x26.
In the 27th minute, Jordan Ross (Bethel) took the game's first corner for Saint Paul. He hung the ball perfectly onto the near post, and Gaylen Frazier (Gustavus Adolphus College) put it home after a deflection against the run of play. 18x26 whipped a shot in, but it was saved by Moseman. Approaching the 30th minute, Abdirisak Bulale shot over the uprights, and a subsequent corner was hit over by Bakar Muhamed. Just a minute later, a straight ball through the 18x26 defense by Kasdan Blattman (Macalester) was met by his college teammate Chris Frantz to make it 2-0 to Saint Paul.
18x26 had pressure, but the Blackhawks met every effort. In the 37th minute, Kelly Mara crossed a ball in towards Mohamud O. Abdi, with a defender providing the final touch for 18x26 to finally break through.
Saint Paul began the second half on the front foot, pushing back against 18x26. Ross nearly set up Frazier in the 50th, but he failed to score. Two minutes later, Adaris Mohamed set up a corner for 18x26, taken by Mohamed Abdi, and it was bundled in at the near post for a tie game by Bakar Mohamed.
Around the hour mark, Blattman for the Blackhawks had the 18x26 keeper at full stretch, but the ball was wide of his dive and of the post. With 65 minutes on the clock, a bad bounce nearly left the 18x26 keeper Ahmed stranded, but he was able to recover. At 66 minutes, a throw-in was taken quickly by 18x26 in the corner, but Blackhawks mopped up the pressure. In the 69th, Moseman had to dig out a chance, and it went out for a corner. Tyler Beaupre headed wide. A minute later, Moseman was called into action again, tipping an Abdi Sharif shot wide for a corner at full stretch.
After a period of broken play, Johanso Camacho whipped the ball in, and Ayuub Ahmed was beaten by Gavin Johnson for the Blackhawks in the 79th minute. After only a minute, Moseman tipped a deflection out for a corner, but nothing came of it. 18x26 would get a free kick in the 83rd minute on the corner of the penalty area, but it skimmed just past the near post. With 89 minutes played, 18x26 hit the gridiron crossbar. Ayden Ahmed drove a cross into the box in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, and Abdirisak Bulale (St Olaf) applied a tying goal.
In extra time, Blackhawks dominated the first half and went ahead again with a firmly taken header by Frantz from a Blattmann corner in the 98th minute. Ilias Ali whipped a shot wide of goal for 18x26's best chance of the period. Blackhawks finished the period with a flourish, Frantz adding a fifth goal from a Blattmann corner in stoppage time to secure his hat trick (with all three assisted by Blattmann). 18x26 cleared the uprights in the 110th minute, and that was the closest they would get.
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