NPSL Round Up: Week 8

The conference titles are still to be decided, but Duluth FC, Med City FC, Muskegon Risers and FC Columbus are headed to the playoffs.

Wednesday:

FC Columbus 3 vs 0 Panathinaikos Chicago

Columbus took a very quick lead as a right wing corner was headed in by Damari Camara inside the opening 3 minutes. It was 2–0 after Ridwan Abdi finished on the rebound from a Camara shot after 12 minutes. Eli Dulle was dragged down, just outside the penalty area in the 27th minute. The referee judged it to be a denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity and reduced PAO to ten men. Two PAO coaches followed to the showers in the waning minutes of the half. Abdi ran down the left wing and crossed it for Columbus’s third, and Camara’s second, in first half stoppage time.

It was a drama-free second half, despite PAO having a higher proportion of possession than in the first half.

La Crosse Aris FC 6 vs 1 Joy Athletic Club

There were two penalty kicks (One by Abdul Samet Ankaoglu, one by Diego Arenal), an Arenal hat trick and two goals from Cristobal Morales.

Joy’s goal was scored by Philip Caputo. There were also a couple of red cards late, both for Joy, one for the bench and one for the right back, Noah Kantorowicz.

Med City FC 2 vs 0 Dakota Fusion FC

The Mayhem started early, with a 7th minute tally, blasted home from inside the 6 yard box by Andres Garcia after a cross from the right wing was missed by the Fusion defense. The match was effectively put to bed in the 62nd minute, after Narcis Bou finished off a swift counter attack down the left.

Minneapolis City SC 3 vs 2 Sioux Falls Thunder FC

City win on the back of goals from Zach Susee, Matt Murakami and Aiden Cavenaugh. Thunder’s goals were by Ethan Glissendorf and Samuel Baraka.

Minnesota TwinStars FC 0 vs 6 Duluth FC

It took the BlueGreens 29 minutes to break the deadlock, but then the goals came pouring in. Perry scored the opener, Felipe Arteaga followed up with number two just before the half.

Santiago Arazo scored the third goal in the 50th minute, Perry scored again in the 62nd minute. Kostya Domaratskyy scored the 5th goal in the 88th minute and Martin Grzywa capped the performance in the 90th minute.

Saturday:

Carpathia FC 2 vs 2 FC Columbus

Jeff Adkins opened the scoring, with a 4th minute tally for Carpathia. They doubled their lead in the 36th minute through Owen Smith. Two goals in the last half an hour, in the 62nd and the 90th, from Damani Camara, sealed a point for Columbus.

FC Milwaukee Torrent 1 vs 4 Muskegon Risers

Giuseppe Barone scored a hat trick for the Risers, with goals in the 4th, 64th and 86th minute. Vitalis Takawira Jr scored the fourth goal for Muskegon. The Torrent scorer was Max Ludwig in the 30th minute.

Dakota Fusion FC 6 vs 2 LC Aris FC

Tre Bonaparte opened the onslaught in the first minute. Shoki Yoshida scored twice within a minute in the 5th and 6th. Kenshiro Yamaguchi made it 4–0 in the 11th. An Aris own goal made it 5–0 just before half time. Nathaniel Lancaster-Robinson made it 5–1 in the 71st minute, but Fusion replied in the 78th, through Noah Boyce. The last goal of the day came in the 88th minute, from the penalty spot — through Jacob Battista.

Joy Athletic Club 1 vs 2 Minneapolis City SC

Joy were reduced to 10 men for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity in the 25th minute, and only two minutes later, City went ahead through Lionel Vang. Philip Caputo tied the score just before half time but Vang netted the winner in the 60th minute.

Med City FC vs Duluth FC

The home team took a 48th minute lead after … hammered the ball home past the near post, on a third-chance following a free kick which was not cleared. The equalizer came from Sam Thornton, finishing off a sweeping move down the left wing in the 62nd minute. Duluth took the lead on an 85th minute PK by Thornton after an attack was ended clumsily by a Med City defender on the left.

Minnesota TwinStars FC 1 vs 2 Sioux Falls Thunder FC

James Bolger scored for Sioux Falls Thunder in the first minute, but it was tied up in the 23rd minute by Sidike Jabateh and the hosts were reduced to ten men in the 90th minute for the denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity and Tyler Limmer made them pay with virtually the last kick of the game — in the 95th minute.

Upcoming Schedule (home team in bold):

Wednesday:

Panathinaikos Chicago vs FC Columbus

La Crosse Aris FC vs Sioux Falls Thunder FC

Dakota Fusion FC vs Duluth FC

Thursday:

Muskegon Risers vs Carpathia FC

Saturday:

FC Milwaukee Torrent vs Muskegon Risers

Panathinaikos Chicago vs Carpathia FC