Bellevue WA, May 27 2026 – Sy Hoekstra
Badh’s Late Goal Salvages a Point Against Tacoma
Midlakes United 1, Tacoma Stars 1
For 78 minutes on Friday night, Midlakes United pushed for a goal that wouldn’t come. None of the numerous chances Midlakes had created came to fruition. Tacoma was sitting on a 1-0 lead, and the home crowd at Bellevue College was getting restless.
For the first 25 minutes or so, Midlakes dominated possession. At one point they went almost 10 minutes without losing the ball. But in the 27th minute, winger Riley Cotton fouled defender Khai Brisco just outside Midlakes’ penalty area. Forward Issak Abraham drove the free kick low around the three-man wall into the net. Midlakes spent the rest of the half and much of the second trying to find an answer.
As time went on, possession evened out, as did the opportunities. The numbers were identical at the end of the game: almost exactly 50-50 possession, 10 shots apiece, three on target each. Midlakes’ frustration showed as game time ticked away, especially toward the officials. And in the 67th minute, the referee issued a caution for dissent to Midlakes defender Harrison Shaw.
The back line did its work to keep Midlakes’ hopes alive. Defender Dylan Wojdyla shut down Tacoma counterattacks all night, including a clear breakaway threat in the 19th minute. Miguel Regino won a hard tackle for possession in the 23rd, and Shaw broke up another Tacoma push at the 49th. Substitute defender Arjun Venkat came on late and had crucial blocks in the final minutes.
Dan McKay took home Player of the Match honors for his reliable work in the midfield. His clever, collaborative play orchestrated movement to find and create offensive channels all match.
In the 79th minute, a chance for Midlakes came from a frenzied passage in the box. Wojdyla played a short free kick to Baseem Hosseini, who lifted a long ball toward Eli White at the top corner. White chested it down to Trey Mitchell, only for a Tacoma defender to slide in and deny Mitchell the opportunity. The ball pinballed in front of goal for a few seconds. Kavi Badh, brought on late for offensive energy, finally got control and finished low to the near post.
In the final minute of added time, the referee faced additional protests from Midlakes for refusing to call a foul in the box against Tacoma that would have resulted in a last-second penalty kick. As if to emphasize his decision, he blew the final whistle seconds later precisely at the end of the three minutes of announced added time (despite stoppage during those minutes). This did nothing to quell the protests, and the referee handed out post-whistle yellow cards to midfielder Marcos Figueroa and Goalkeeper Coach Elmer Rodriguez.
Coming away from a match with Tacoma, who currently sits at the bottom of the table, was disappointing. But escaping with a point was no small feat after spending over 50 minutes down a goal. the squad will try to put the frustration in the rearview mirror quickly with tonight’s matchup against Bigfoot FC.
