Duluth FC Continues Impressive Run in North Conference Play
By Ryan Tigner/Duluth FC
It was another stunning night for some BlueGreen gameplay, and it did not disappoint as Dulth FC took down the Minnesota TwinStars in a matchup that ended with a score of 5-0. This is Duluth’s first time playing the TwinStars this season, and they did so by setting a standard for games to come.
The match started out at a slower pace with both teams feeling each other out with a couple of minutes of cautious play. This would then turn into an all-out attack by the Bluegreens with some great chances generated by Blake Perry and Kostyantyn Bomaratskyy. This combined with an always aggressive defense helped settle the ball in enemy territory for the majority of the game.
Jake Starling did a wonderful job attacking the ball, making all the right decisions. He also sparked the first goal with a great clearance that found its way to Samuel Thornton who quickly dished it to Perry to score in the 23rd minute. Passing that was a little lackadaisical in the beginning really picked up, and the squad started to look like they had been playing together for the last 10 years.
The second goal was threaded in the top corner by Thornton. It came off a beautiful chip pass from Jessie Jaurez who split two defenders for his first assist of the season. Only minutes later the ball ended up in Minnesota’s zone where Bomaratskyy was able to battle the ball away from defenders. He would send it to a locked and loaded Perry who shelved it in for his fourth goal of the season.
The TwinStars’ defensive rotation seemed a little out of balance as they had a tough time clearing in the first half, creating ample opportunities for Duluth. With a minute remaining in the half, Bomaratsky launched a corner kick right in front of the net where the TwinStars keeper got tangled up with Peter Oyetunji. This led to some slight confusion, lapsed judgment by the defense, and an easy goal for Santiago Erazo.
The TwinStars came out in the second half with a lot more energy, which impressed many people as other teams in this situation would just throw in the towel. Regardless of their amped-up effort the second half consisted mostly of defensive battles that led to nothing for either side.
The very end of the match brought even more excitement for Duluth FC. Perry crossed the ball beautifully into the box where Oyetunji was nicely set up to finish the play with a nifty header, giving him his first goal of the season.
The BlueGreens will receive a much-deserved 10-day rest and continue their season again at home, battling LC Aris FC on May 28th at the Public Schools Stadium.
Photo Credit: Holden Law/Duluth FC
