Duluth FC vs. Joy Athletic
Public Schools Stadium | Duluth, MN
May 27, 2023 | Matchday 4
Current 2023 Records (W-L-T):
Duluth: 4-0-0
Joy: 1-2-0
Starting XI: Kostya Domaratskyy, Tom Akinola, Colin O’Mahony, Conor Behan, Andres Solares, Rory Doyle, Myles Edmondson, Jake Starling, Dylan Zavatini, Stefan Roeb, Ezekiel Foltz
Substitutions: Limmer for Akinola, Arteaga for O’Mahony, Paul Bobai for Conor Behan, Manny Morales for Kostya Domaratskyy, Cian Gantley for Andres Solares, Ken Pryde for Jake Starling,
Goals:
25′ – Kostya Domaratskyy
28′ – Tom Akinola
30′ – Tom Akinola
36′ – Stefan Roeb
49′ – Tyler Limmer
67′ – Tyler Limmer
Duluth FC returned home following a tight contest with La Crosse Aris midweek in search of a confident win to keep the team on track. Saturday night proved a perfect response as Duluth FC won 6-0 against Joy Athletic to make it four consecutive wins and 12 points from 12 possible.
The night started slowly, with Joy Athletic handling early chances from Duluth well. A breaking point was clearly on the way, however, and it came in the 25th minute when Kostya Domaratskyy rocketed a shot into the roof of the net from a short distance to make it 1-0 for Duluth. It was the Ukrainians fourth goal of the season.
Tom Akinola joined in on the fun soon after, picking up the scraps after a dangerous run by Conor Behan and slotting home a shot to score his first goal of the season. Akinola wasn’t over, however, and got on the end of a cross from Edmonson to make it 3-0 just over a minute after his first goal. Before halftime, Stefan Roeb got a shot off amid a cluttered corner kick to score his second goal of the season and give Duluth a 4-0 lead at halftime.
With a confident lead in hand, changes began to come in for Duluth, one of which being Tyler Limmer. Limmer’s arrival proved key as he scored both of the second half’s goals, making his presence known as he troubled the Joy backline for the full 45 minutes. Limmer now has three goals for Duluth FC.
It’s a result that continues to show Duluth’s depth as a squad. Not only did both starters and substitutes contribute to the goals on the night, but Duluth also found big moments from multiple positions, from the assist by left back Myles Edmondson to the goal from right back Stefan Roeb. Duluth have had an impressive start, one that builds all the more excitement as they await their next two games against NPSL North title competitors Med City and the Dakota Fusion.
The win, Duluth’s largest of the season so far, means the BlueGreens have scored 13 goals in four games, conceding just one along the way. They have also held three clean sheets. The Dakota Fusion beat the Sioux Falls Thunder 1-0 on Saturday, while Med City lost 2-0 to the Minnesota TwinStars.
