By John Shuster
In their first-ever trip to Duluth, the Iowa Demon Hawks were handed a tough 3-1 loss by a determined Duluth FC squad in a high-stakes National Premier Soccer League North Conference match Saturday night at Walt Hunting Stadium at Duluth Denfeld High School.
It was a rematch nearly a year in the making, as the last meeting between these two clubs ended in a 2-0 Duluth victory in the Midwest Regional Semifinals last July.
Coming into the game, both sides were sitting on six points in the table, and the early phases of the match reflected the tension of two evenly matched teams. From the opening whistle, Iowa was willing to sit deep and absorb pressure, frustrating Duluth FC’s early attacking efforts. Duluth controlled possession in the opening quarter-hour but struggled to break through Iowa’s compact defensive shape.
The first real opportunity of the match came in the 17th minute when Duluth captain Liam Pritchard delivered a precise corner kick to the far post. Midfielder Raul Cedillo met it cleanly with a header back across the face of goal, but no one in a BlueGreens shirt was there to finish the chance.
The breakthrough for Duluth FC came in the 29th minute after a costly Iowa turnover. Tuesday night’s hero, Teddy Miranda, seized the opportunity, sending a pinpoint cross into the box. Forward Alex Ruiz rose above his marker and headed the ball past Iowa goalkeeper Thomas Gallagher, giving the home side a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
Just nine minutes later, Duluth doubled its lead. Defender Tyler Guerrero made an aggressive run into the box and was brought down, earning Duluth a penalty. Cedillo stepped up and delivered a blistering strike off the underside of the crossbar, which bounced off the back of a diving Gallagher and into the net to put Duluth FC up 2-0 heading into halftime.
Looking to shift momentum, Iowa made three substitutions at the break, a move that paid immediate dividends. In the 48th minute, winger Saiheed Jah sprinted down the left flank and played a one-two combination with fellow substitute Mitchell Dickson. Dickson’s clever footwork and return ball left Jah in the perfect position to finish with a pinpoint shot into the top-left corner just beyond the reach of an outstretched Duluth keeper Alex Paredes, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Despite the setback, Duluth maintained their composure and returned to the front foot. Their persistent pressure was rewarded in the 58th minute. Midfielder Tobias Gerber pounced on a deflected shot and drove it into the bottom left corner, restoring Duluth’s two-goal cushion at 3-1.
In the 74th minute, Iowa faced another setback when Gallagher exited the game with what appeared to be a lower back injury. With no backup keeper on the bench, defender Mauricio Groppo was forced into an emergency goalkeeper role. Groppo made a commendable effort, producing a key save to deny Duluth a fourth goal.
Despite their best efforts, the Demon Hawks couldn’t generate any more offensive momentum in the final stretch. Duluth’s defense held firm, and the match concluded with the home side securing a confident victory.
With the win, Duluth FC moves to nine points on the season and strengthens its position in the North Conference standings. The club will now turn its focus to next weekend’s road test, while Iowa is back in action against Joy AC on Friday.
