The Duluth FC Bluegreens hosted their final regular season home match at Marv Heikkinen Field-Walt Hunting Stadium with playoff implications on the line against third-place Dakota Fusion FC. With a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Dakota Fusion FC, the second-place Bluegreens earned the opportunity to host a North Conference Semifinal match next week.
For the first seven minutes, both teams continued swapping control until Dakota Fusion FC’s Takuto Yamaguchi found Keidin Green open on the break near the top of the box for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper that he wasn’t able to convert, leaving it knotted at 0-0.
The offenses began to pick up in the 35th minute, starting with a chance for the Fusion near midfield. Toa Suzuki sent a pass over the top into the box for Green, who was awarded a free kick for drawing a foul on the Bluegreens goalkeeper Augustin Warnod. The free kick taken by Green was wide left.
The ensuing possession was the Bluegreens breaking into Fusion territory as Matheus Valsecchi sent a crossing pass to Joao Magalhaes, whose header attempt went wide left to keep the match scoreless.
The Fusion continued to work on the break with Green, who received a pass near the midline and was able to break free from the heavy pressure of Jacob Wyles before firing a shot that missed the net.
The next opportunity came for the Fusion in the 42nd minute as they passed around the backline before breaking away with a pass over the top from Kazuya Fukumura. This time it went to Takuto Yamaguchi, who got a shot off with Valsecchi on his back, but Warnod pulled out the splits for the save as the game stayed scoreless going into the halftime break.
Both teams slowly gained offensive momentum through the second half. Following a Bluegreens miss, Callum Smith in net for the Fusion quickly started a reversal by finding James Owen, who weaved through multiple Duluth FC defenders near midfield before finding Green to his left for a shot that went high in the 58th minute.
Duluth FC then began to take control of possession, earning back-to-back corner kicks in the 63rd and 64th minutes. The Bluegreens were unable to score on the attempts. The second attempt left Smith and Magnus Davidsen on the ground after colliding with each other. Both players were able to continue playing.
Duluth became more patient on the next possession, passing around the backline for nearly two minutes when Kenjay Vertil-Dorelus was able to get the ball to Valsecchi on the far side, who left a touch pass for a streaking Pol Saiz. Then Saiz sent a crosser into the box intended for Magalhaes. Akim Soulemana came up with the loose ball and was fouled on top of the box. Jacob Wyles stepped up for the free kick attempt that was blocked by Dakota Fusion FC’s five-player wall.
In the 71st minute, the Bluegreens earned another corner kick but were halted by the Fusion defense and quickly turned upfield by Green, who was tackled by Magalhaes, setting up a free kick just outside the box for the Fusion. Green’s shot was saved by a diving Warnod to keep his sheet clean for the time being.
The game stalled a bit following the second water break of the match until the Bluegreens broke into Fusion territory. Soulemana dribbled through multiple defenders to find himself on top of the box. After a quick give-and-go with Jake Cervantes, Soulemana then passed to Vertil-Dorelus whose shot was deflected out by Yamaguchi.
On the ensuing corner kick, Soulemana sent the ball through untouched for Jake Cervantes, who was left alone and able to sneak a header just past the keeper for the lead and the Blugreens’ first goal of the match in the 82nd minute.
“They’re (Duluth) a resilient team,” said Duluth FC head coach Will Maanstroem. “I thought we came into the half with a nil-nil situation, and we were kind of happy with the way things were going. We talked about just continuing, being patient, and when we get the chance, really taking it, and we did.”
The Fusion didn’t take long to answer back after a Duluth FC turnover in the 87th minute. The Fusion worked the ball from right to left, as it ended up with Joshua Hatton, who crossed it into Owen for a touch pass to Thomas Hawton. A shot from Hawton went off the left post, and Yamaguchi was there for the rebound to make it 1-1.
Just two minutes later, the Bluegreens were loose with the ball. Charly Wilkening played a ball forward to Green, who received it at the top of the box, aiming for the left side of the net, but Warnod made a spectacular dive for the save to keep the match tied.
It was still knotted up going into extra time until Duluth’s Cervantes and Manu Lorenzo worked into Fusion territory. Lorenzo then found Soulemana at the top left corner of the box for a setup pass to Joao Magahlaes, wide open in space for an untouched shot that found the back of the net, giving the Bluegreens a 2-1 lead they’d protect until the end of the match.
“When you play a good team like that, you have to try and make sure you play 90 minutes and the game is not over until the final whistle.” said Maanstroem. “All these boys know it. Shoutout to the Fusion for being so competitive and getting back into the game. It was a great win.”
The Bluegreens now wait to find out who they will host in the North Conference Semifinals on Wednesday, July 8.
