NPSL Round Up: Week 3

Duluth push on at the top, Med City solidify second place and Aris come off the bottom.

Duluth FC 5 vs 0 Minnesota TwinStars FC

Duluth went up 1–0 in the 23rd minute against TwinStars, through Blake Perry’s smartly taken snap shot from the edge of the box. Sam Thornton doubled the score in the 35th minute as a left wing cross drifted all the way over to the right wing but was cushioned back into the center of the penalty area to be volleyed home. Perry grabbed his second goal in the 38th minute, cushioning a volley home after Kostyantyn Domaratskyy dribbled into the area and lost the ball. TwinStars were reduced to ten men after Karim Darbaki saw a straight red card in the 40th minute. The fourth goal came through Santiago Orazo in the 45th minute after a scramble in the area. A 90th minute tally from Peter Oyetunji made it 5–0, as he headed in a cross from the left wing by Blake Perry.

Muskegon Risers 1 vs 0 FC Milwaukee Torrent

Muskegon Risers won a battle of attrition as the weather stole any flow from this midweek match. Risers took the lead in the 23rd through Eron Sylejmani and thus it remained through a number of lightning delays before the referees finally called the game in the 70th minute.

Carpathia FC 3 vs 6 FC Columbus

A corner from the right wing in the 7th minute gave Carpathia the lead but a counter attack in the 22nd minute would catch the Carpathian goalkeeper way out of his goal and it was 1–1. A long ball down the right wing was again misjudged by the Carpathian keeper for Columbus to take a 2–1 lead into the half. The drama was far from over.

FC Columbus scored again within a minute of the restart as a player torched the defense in a solo run from midfield before slotting it past the Carpathia keeper. An own goal made it 4–2 in the 57th minute. Carpathia brought it back within one with a 30 yard blast from a free kick in the 88th minute.

A solo counter attack in the 5th minute of stoppage time made it 5–3 and the scoring was rounded out by a goal on the rebound after a left wing run was repelled by the Carpathia goalkeeper.

Dakota Fusion 1 vs 2 Med City FC

Scott Neil opened the scoring for the visitors in the 13th minute after Narcis Bou dribbled into the penalty area. Matthew Roberts made it 2–0, capitalizing on lacksidasical defensive possession on the edge of the penalty area in the 32nd minute. Fusion made a late push with a goal in the 85th minute, a nice solo effort spinning past the defense by Kazuma Ishizuka. However, it was Med City that pushed closer to Duluth at the top of the table.

Joy St Louis Park 0 vs LC Aris FC 3

Aris picked up their first win of the season, after a couple of close losses.

Aris opened the scoring in the 27th minute after the Joy left back was robbed of possession inside the penalty area and a cross was dispatched by Jacob Battista. Three minutes later, the visitors doubled their advantage in a similar fashion, as a cross from the right wing was headed into the net by Battista.

The scoring was rounded off in the 64th minute, with a counter attack goal from Abdul Samet Ankaoglu. The result lifted Aris off the bottom of the table.

Sioux Falls Thunder 2 vs 2 Minneapolis City SC

The Thunder opened the scoring on 20 minutes, with a goal from Marcus Horwood. They doubled their lead through James Bolger just after half time. However, momentum would swing wildly in the last ten minutes of the game. First, in the 81st minute, Loic Mesanvi made the score 2–1 and then in the 86th minute, Robert Amaro received a second yellow card. Finally, in the 90th minute, Mesanvi popped up for his second goal and rescued a late draw.

Wednesday:

LC Aris FC vs Sioux Falls Thunder

Med City FC vs Minneapolis City SC

Minnesota TwinStars FC vs Joy Athletic Club

Friday:

FC Columbus vs Carpathia FC

Minneapolis City SC vs Dakota Fusion FC

Saturday:

FC Milwaukee Torrent vs Panathinaikos Chicago

Duluth FC vs LC Aris FC

Med City FC vs Minnesota TwinStars FC

Sioux Falls Thunder FC vs Joy Athletic Club

Next Tuesday:

Panathinaikos Chicago vs Muskegon Risers

Next Thursday:

Carpathia FC vs Muskegon Risers