Bellevue, WA – May 20, 2026 – Sy Hoekstra
Midlakes United 3, FC Olympia 0
Midlakes found a breakthrough 49 minutes into the game against FC Olympia at Bellevue College on Tuesday night. And once it came, the boys in ice blue never looked back. Three goals, a clean sheet, and contributions from nearly everyone on field, it was a commanding start to the 2026 season.
The opening 15 minutes belonged to Olympia. The visitors controlled possession and even rattled the crossbar with an open look at goal. After that scare, the match settled, and Midlakes began carving out the better chances. One drew yells from the crowd as winger Riley Cotton attempted a bicycle kick inside the box, only for the ball to sail just out of reach of his swinging boot. Forward Patrick Dormoh was particularly dangerous on the attack before a 37th-minute cramp slowed him down. He played through halftime but then came off in favor of Michael Luande.
The breakthrough came four minutes into the second half. Cotton, threatening all night up top, threaded a through ball into dangerous territory. An Olympia defender was caught on his back foot, and James Lear was first to it, toe-poking past the keeper for the opener.
What came next was encouraging. Rather than sit on a one-goal lead, Midlakes pressed harder. The midfield and back line — with defender Miguel Regino wearing the captain’s armband — choked off every Olympia counter at the source. Victor Akoum was everywhere, defending ferociously and pushing forward at every opportunity. The midfield was relentless about closing down Olympia’s channels to the final third. In the 72nd minute, Olympia nearly had a real chance on a breakaway. But Marcos Figueroa, caught in a bad position, recovered to deliver a perfectly timed slide tackle that cut off a through ball and snuffed out the threat.
Six minutes later, Figueroa won the ball amid a string of dueling headers and drove into open space just outside the box. Kavi Badh made a run, and Figueroa looked likely to try and find him. But the midfielder thought better of it and lashed a low strike himself that found the back of the net.
Will Ficek went the full 90 in goal, calm and collected on every corner and cross he gathered. He easily turned away all four of Olympia’s shots on target. His best play was a dive to just barely get a palm on the ball, but the ref ruled the shooter was just offside. So the goal wouldn’t have counted. But the crowd appreciated the flashy hustle.
The Player of the Match award went to defender Harrison Shaw for his composure on the ball, excellent plays forward, and a couple critical goal-line clearances. The coaches praised Shaw as the anchor for the defense and the key to the league-opening clean sheet.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Michael Luande pressured an Olympia defender into making a poor pass. Trey Mitchell pounced and slipped the ball to Lucas McAllister, who buried a hard, low shot in the bottom corner to seal the victory. Seconds after play restarted, the final whistle blew, players and fans alike celebrating the team’s most successful home opener to date.
