FREMONT, NEB. — The Mount Marty University men's soccer team staged a furious second-half comeback but ultimately fell just short on Wednesday evening, dropping a dramatic 4–3 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) battle to Midland University.
In a wild, high-intensity match that saw multiple red cards and yellow cards shown to both sides, the Lancers (4–4–1, 1–2–0 GPAC) fought back from a three-goal deficit before running out of time in the closing minutes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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7', 31', & 35' (MID 3, MMU 0) — Midland seized early control on home turf, striking three times in the opening half-hour. Nacho Salmeron opened the scoring in the seventh minute before Jaime Jerez (31') and Matus Vlna (35') added unassisted goals to build a 3–0 advantage for the Warriors.
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40' (MID 3, MMU 1) — Mount Marty got on the board before halftime when midfielder Jack D'Amore capitalized on an unassisted opportunity in the 40th minute to send the Lancers into the break trailing 3–1.
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57' (MID 4, MMU 1) — Midland restored its three-goal margin early in the second period as Jerez buried his second tally of the night off a feed from Salmeron in the 57th minute.
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68' (MID 4, MMU 2) — The Lancers refused to back down, kicking off a late rally in the 68th minute when defender Joshua Ndoli struck unassisted to pull Mount Marty within two.
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80' (MID 4, MMU 3) — Midfielder James Hughes brought Mount Marty within striking distance in the 80th minute, netting an unassisted goal to make it 4–3 and setup a tense final ten minutes of regulation.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE Midland held the edge in total chances, outshooting the Lancers 31–11 overall and putting 16 shots on frame compared to Mount Marty's six. The Warriors also held a 7–3 advantage in corner kicks. The physical contest featured 32 total fouls and multiple card bookings, including red cards issued to Mount Marty's Drew Hansen (21') and Midland's Antton Urbain (44').
Goalkeeper Esteban Gomez turned in a heroic 12-save performance under heavy pressure across 90 minutes for Mount Marty. Midland netminder Tomas Reyes earned the win with three saves.
LANCER LEADERS
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Jack D'Amore: Spearheaded the attack from the midfield, putting two of his three shot attempts on target and netting his first goal of the season.
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Joshua Ndoli & James Hughes: Provided crucial second-half goals to spark Mount Marty's late comeback bid.
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Esteban Gomez: Kept the Lancers within reach all night, turning away 12 shots on frame against a relentless Midland attack.
UP NEXT Mount Marty will look to bounce back and get back in the win column. They will be on the road against Dordt on Saturday and return home Oct, 7th when they faceoff with Concordia.
