Warriors Roll Past Missouri Valley in Home Opener

FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted Missouri Valley College in its home opener on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors dominated from start to finish, outshooting the Vikings 91-4 on the way to a 19-0 victory and their first win of the season.

Gavin Bartling opened the scoring 3:35 into the game, taking a pass from Kellan Powers and firing the ball into the net to give Midland a 1-0 lead. Bartling struck again about three minutes later and completed a first-quarter hat trick with 7:16 remaining on a man-up goal.

Midland added four more goals in the opening quarter, as Tanner Jamison, Cameron Teem, Powers, and Lawson Kopecky each found the back of the net to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Warriors continued their dominance in the second, outshooting the Vikings 18-0. Kopecky scored his second goal 1:56 into the quarter to extend the lead to 8-0. Jamison added his second goal of the half with 8:25 remaining, sending Midland into the locker room with a 9-0 advantage.

Kopecky opened the scoring in the third quarter, followed by a goal from Caleb Butler to make it 11-0. Jamison completed his hat trick during a man-up opportunity, and Powers and Kopecky each added unassisted goals to push the lead to 14-0 with 7:48 left in the quarter. Lane Kallhoff scored off an assist from Powers, and Bartling recorded his fourth goal of the game late in the period to give Midland a 16-0 lead entering the final quarter.

In the fourth, Jamison scored his fourth goal of the game, Butler added his second, and Powers netted his third on a man-up opportunity to cap the scoring at 19-0.

Midland controlled the stat sheet, winning faceoffs 16-6 while holding advantages in shots (91-4) and ground balls (62-14). The Warriors committed 15 turnovers compared to Missouri Valley's 35 and converted both man-up opportunities, while the Vikings went 0-for-2.

Jamison and Bartling led Midland with four goals apiece. Jamison finished with 11 shots, while Bartling recorded 16. Kopecky netted four goals while Powers had three to go with a team-high five assists. Sean Erickson earned his first win of the season in goal, making one save while facing just one shot on goal.

Midland (1-2) will look to build on its win as it goes on the road to face Ottawa (0-2) next Saturday. The game between the Warriors and the Braves is set to start at 3 p.m. in Ottawa, Kansas.