Nothing to Show for It
West Seattle Junction FC 3, Midlakes United 0
photos by Ruben Becerril Geiger and Sandra Agbotse
Midlakes United closed out its road trip with a 3-0 loss to West Seattle Junction FC on Sunday. Possession was roughly even, but what each side did with the ball was not. Junction put 21 shots on goal to Midlakes’ 5 (8 on-target to just 1 for Midlakes), and the scoreline followed suit.
The first goal came in the third minute. Goalkeeper Fred Reiter charged off his line to cut out a potential breakaway, but the ball came loose and fell to West Seattle midfielder Taisel Iida, who fired it into an open net. The early deficit did nothing to unlock the Midlakes attack.
The problem was coordination in the final third. Throughout the match, Midlakes forwards and midfielders drifted wide to create space centrally, a pattern that worked well early in the season. But on Sunday, no one was filling the gaps those runs opened. Players holding the ball for a central option found none, and turnovers mounted. Forward Michael Luande was the brightest spot, overlapping on the right wing and putting Junction defenders under some pressure, though these moments were isolated.
A Marcos Figueroa foul in the 51st minute, stopping a promising West Seattle attack and earning Figueroa a yellow card, handed Junction a free kick from around 25 yards out. Forward Ian Mejia stepped up and bent the ball around the wall to make it 2-0. Mejia had been a constant threat all afternoon, forcing the Midlakes back line to scramble whenever he entered the box. The third goal came in the 71st minute off a free kick from a similar spot: defender Asher Hestad curled it to the far post, out of Reiter’s reach.
Reiter went down in the 76th minute holding his shoulder after contact with a Junction forward. The injury appears to be minor, but training this week will give Reiter and the coaches a clearer outlook. Will Ficek came on and handled the final minutes without incident, saving the one shot on target he faced.
photos by Ruben Becerril Geiger and Sandra Agbotse
Midlakes does get an immediate chance for revenge. The boys in ice blue return home this Friday to take their turn hosting the same opponent at Bellevue College with kickoff at 4 p.m.
