Midland Overpowers Ottawa in Rainy Shutout Victory

FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University returned to action at Heedum Field on Wednesday, welcoming Ottawa University in rainy conditions. The Warriors handled the weather well and delivered a dominant performance, earning their first Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) win of the season with a 19-0 shutout of the Braves behind a balanced attack and stifling defense.

The Warriors wasted little time getting on the board, as Asher Thomas opened the scoring just 2 minutes, 46 seconds into the game with an unassisted goal. Cameron Teem doubled the lead less than a minute later off an assist from Garrett Jenkins. Midland continued to build momentum as Kellan Powers found the back of the net with 9:31 left in the first quarter, giving the Warriors a 3-0 advantage after one.

Midland broke the game open in the second quarter, scoring five times in the frame. Caleb Butler started the run off an assist from Powers, before Gavin Bartling added a pair of goals, including a man-up score set up by Teem. Lawson Kopecky and Teem each added goals in the final minute of the half, pushing the Warriors' lead to 8-0 at the break.

The Warriors kept the pressure on after halftime, tallying five more goals in the third quarter. Powers scored twice early in the period on assists from Kopecky and Jenkins. Kopecky then added both an unassisted goal and a man-up finish later in the period after Ottawa's Cameron Brown was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in a three-minute penalty. Teem also recorded his third goal of the game as Midland extended its lead to 13-0 heading into the fourth.

Midland closed out the contest with six more goals in the final quarter. Powers opened the scoring on the extended man-up opportunity from the ejection, sparking a quick three-goal burst that included two goals from Memphis Dyess. Bartling and Jenkins each added goals down the stretch, while Kopecky capped the scoring with his fourth of the game to secure the 19-0 victory.

Offensively, the Warriors outshot the Braves 69-12 and held a 46-16 advantage in ground balls. Kopecky led Midland with four goals and four assists, while Powers added four goals and two assists. Three other Warriors recorded hat tricks: Bartling finished with three goals and two assists, while Dyess and Teem each tallied three goals and one assist.

Sean Erickson played the full game in net, stopping all six shots on goal he faced while collecting three ground balls.

Midland (3-5, 1-3 HAAC) will continue conference play on Saturday, April 4, traveling to Missouri Valley (0-7, 0-3 HAAC). Opening faceoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Marshall, Missouri.