Ruckus crowd and driving wind put aside, Northland was
simply too careless with the ball on Tuesday as they suffered their first loss
of the year at Maranatha 6–4.
An early goal by Dave Bartholomew gave Northland a 1–0 lead
in the eighth minute when he deflected a scrambling ball into the net.
Maranatha would respond in the twelfth minute when Joel Smith
capitalized on a Northland turnover and knotted the score at 1. Turnovers would
be the downfall of the Pioneers as Maranatha again took advantage of
miscommunications in the nineteenth and twenty-seventh minutes to take a
3–1 lead. Northland would dig deep, however, and draw even on goals from Daniel
Doran and Dave Bartholomew at the half in this unpredictable goal
fest.
The second half would see much of the same from Northland as
they struggled to possess the ball and match the speed of Maranatha’s
counter-attacking offense. Tim Solarek would score his second goal of the match
in the fifty-sixth minute as he flicked the ball past freshman goalie,
Andrew Martin, after a long throw from Maranatha sophomore Kevin Vigneault.
Northland would again draw even in the seventy-second minute when Miles Herron
scored his first collegiate goal to knot the game at 4. Maranatha would take
the lead for good just seventy-five seconds later when the speedy Brian
Lindquist took advantage of yet another Northland turnover and buried the ball
to the far post. Tim Solarek would complete his hat trick in the ninetieth
minute to seal the win for the Crusaders.
Coach Andrew Scott had this to say, “Maranatha did a great job
coming at us with energy, capitalizing on our multiple mistakes, building off
of their fan support, and exposing the weaknesses of our forced, lineup
adjustments. This game provided numerable opportunities for both life and team lessons.
These lessons are sometimes hard to swallow, but we are attempting to embrace
them and grow together as a team. I am encouraged that we have the opportunity
to grow closer together as a team and closer to our Savior as we continue to
pursue a successful season and the glory of our God.”
Northland outshot Maranatha 20–14 and had a 3–2 advantage in
corner kicks. Andrew Martin collected 3 saves in net for the Pioneers while
James Widner totaled 7 for the Crusaders. Both teams face stern tests this
weekend as Northland hosts Moody Bible Institute in a pivotal game on Saturday,
and Maranatha faces perennial power Dominican University.