Wolfpack start poorly, lose to league leaders Union Eau Claire
GAME SUMMARY:
Superior Wolfpack FC hosted Union Eau Claire on a scorching hot Sunday in Duluth. The Wolfpack, currently plagued with injuries, had 12 players for the match, while Union traveled with a slightly larger roster of 15, making substitutions hard for both teams. The game started very fast, with Union's Dennys Diaz scoring a hat-trick with goals in the 1st, 10th and 20th minutes to put the Wolfpack down by three goals early in the match. The game worsened for the Wolfpack when Sam Wells scored in the 25th minute. Superior finally found some momentum in the 37th minute when Lake Superior College midfielder Joao Melo scored a nice goal off a turnover to pull a goal back, but Union immediately answered a minute later to put the game out of reach. The game worsened when Superior's Jack Burmood was given a second yellow for a tackle, bringing the Wolfpack to ten men for the remainder of the match right before half.
The second frame was very slow, with the heat taking a toll on both squads. Superior's starting fullback went down with an injury early in the half, leaving the Wolfpack with no subs, but the game luckily did not pick up pace. Cloquet High School's Gage Johnson played well on the wing, creating some momentum forward for Superior, but Hayward-native Riley Brennan still found himself busy in net, keeping Union's forwards at bay. The game ran it's course and the Pack suffered their worst loss of the year to the WPASL's first placed team.
BOX SCORE:
6-4/Lincoln Park Middle School/WPASL League Game
Superior Wolfpack FC...............................1 0 - 1
Union Eau Claire FC..................................5 0 - 5
First Half - UECFC - Dennys Diaz (Abdel El Meddah 1', UECFC - Dennys Diaz (Israel Rodriguez) 10', UECFC - Dennys Diaz (Kaden Bergman) 20', UECFC - Sam Wells (Denys Diaz) 25', SWFC - Joao Melo (Unassisted) 37', UECFC - Sam Wells (Israel Rodriguez) 38'
Second Half - No Scoring
Saves: SWFC - Nate Olson (2 saves), Riley Brennan (4 saves); UECFC - Steel Brooke (3 saves)
LOOKING AHEAD:
Superior Wolfpack FC (1-5-1) vs Bateaux FC (4-1-1) | WPASL League Game
Saturday, June 10th | Bollinger Field (Eau Claire, WI) | 7:00 PM CT
Tickets $5 suggested donation | Livestream on Bateaux FB Page | 69 degrees and rain
The Wolfpack are still riding injury problems, with 15 players out for Saturday's match against bitter rivals Bateaux FC. DASL call-ups will be used to compensate for the 11-man roster heading to Eau Claire. Bateaux are undefeated in league play this year, led by front-man David Ripplinger, and have yet to concede more than 2 goals in a game. The first leg of the Connect Four Derby will be a tall task for Superior, but odds have been lower in previous years, only to see the Wolfpack win the trophy for the past 3 seasons. Can the Pack get a result and secure positive momentum for a return leg on July 16th to hold on to the coveted trophy?
Superior City dominate chances, tie St Croix SC
GAME SUMMARY:
Superior City FC hosted St. Croix on Youth Soccer Day in front of a crowd of 90 people on Sunday, in sweltering heat. St. Croix came into the game looking for their first win, after seeing some very close games end in losses or draws early this season. Superior played a possesion game early in the game, and it paid off for the ladies in blue. Off of a free kick, Superior found space in the visiting team's end. The ball eventually found Molly Henderson, who slotted the ball over to Emilia McGiffert in the attacking third. McGiffert walked through a couple of St. Croix defenders and curled the ball into the top of the net from the top of the 18 yard box to put the Beacons up by one. Two minutes later, St. Croix earned a penalty kick. UW-Superior's Quinn Clark made the save on the initial shot, but the rebound was found by kick taker Ariana Green, who squared the ball to a wide open Baela Funk to tie the game.
The second half saw back and forth action between both teams, eager to find the winning goal. Superior find strong chances throughout the rest of the game, including a missed breakaway shot, but the home squad could not pull away. Ava Giswold made a great push forward as an out-of-position striker, almost striking gold multiple times, but the game finished as a 1-1 draw.
BOX SCORE:
6-4/NBC Spartan Sports Complex/UPSL Women's League Game
Superior City FC..................................1 0 - 1
St Croix SC...........................................0 0 - 0
First Half - SCFC- Emilia McGiffert (Molly Henderson) 44', Baela Funk (Ariana Green) 45+1'
Second Half - No Scoring
Saves: SCFC - Quinn Clark (5 saves); STCRX - Sydney Stone (7 saves)
Looking Ahead:
Superior City FC (2-1-1) vs Granite City FC (0-2-0) | UPSL Womens Premier League Game
Saturday, June 10th | Tiger Stadium (St Cloud, MN) | 7:00 PM CT
Free Admission | Livestream on Granite FB Page | 80 degrees and cloudy
Superior will travel to St. Cloud to face Granite City, a team who have struggled through their first 2 games of the season. Superior will need to find a strong finisher with the absence of Niya Wilson, and Emilia McGiffert will again be an important piece after scoring goals the last two games of the season. Granite City's defense has been porous this year, but they did put up a decent fight against Vlora FC, who Superior have beat twice this season.
Superior City Men lose two games in a row
GAME SUMMARY:
Superior City FC hosted Youth Soccer Day on Sunday, with over 150 in attendance for the match, against a pesky St. Paul Blackhawks team filled high level talent, including multiple players from UW-Green Bay and St. Olaf. The game started very fast but sloppy, with both teams pushing forward looking eagerly for the first goal of the match. St. Paul found it first, when a ball in from the left was flicked into the net by Herbert Carrera to put the visitors up by one goal in the 6th minute. Superior seemed to slow their pace, and the Blackhawks pushed, creating a difficult situation for the Navy. The Blackhawks found a second goal in the 32nd minute when a ball in from the right was flicked to the back post by Jackson Lagos, finding a wide-open Ibrahim Ndah, who cooly slammed the ball into the net. The game then took on a physical style, with both teams racking up over 20 fouls before the half concluded.
The second half saw Superior move star-striker Mally Lumsden to centerback, adding speed and size to the spine of the squad. The game evened out, with both teams finding chances but neither finding the net. The game's physicality continued, with 37 fouls recorded between the two teams, and five yellow cards given, including one to Siji Gonzalez and one to Ryan Tomsche. The referee had enough at 90 minutes and Superior, one win away from a playoff clinch, gave the team below them three points, and now have to win their next two games to confirm a playoff spot before the final week of play.
BOX SCORE:
6-4/NBC Spartan Sports Complex/UPSL Premier League Game
Superior City FC.........................................0 0 - 0
St Paul Blackhawks.....................................2 0 - 2
First Half - SPB - Herbert Carrera (Youssef Abdella) 6', SPB - Ibrahim Ndah (Jackson Lagos) 32'
Second Half - No Scoring
Saves: SCFC - Walker Marquardt (5 saves); SPB - Tony Favorite (2 saves)
Looking Ahead:
Superior City FC (6-2-1) vs Minneapolis City FC (6-0-2) | UPSL Premier League Game
Sunday, June 11th | Edor Nelson Field (Minneapolis, MN ) | 7:00 PM CT
Tickets online or $7 at the gate | Livestream Unavailable | 71 degrees and sunny
Superior City's struggles will need to end quickly as the Navy take on MPLS City Futures away at Augsburg University on Sunday. Superior have started games slow, and the squad will need to get back to the chemistry the team had prior to their three-game winless streak. The Crows are the last undefeated team in the UPSL Midwest-West, and forwards Carter Hermanson and Camel Htoo have been problematic for defenses in the conference. Expect a packed stadium, and a rejuvenated Superior squad, who are looking to avoid missing the playoffs in their first season.
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