Orange City, Iowa– A brisk Halloween Eve led to a high-tension matchup between Northwestern and Dordt on Wednesday night.
The feeling of rivalry was in the air as it was a physical match from the opening kickoff as there were a combined 7 fouls and 2 yellow cards in the first half.
However, the Raiders were able to strike first on Wednesday night. In the 41st minute Stan van den Beld whipped in a corner kick that escaped the fingertips of the Dordt keeper and onto the feet of Riley Aarbo who barely snuck the ball past the goal line. It was 1-0 Northwestern at the half.
Physicality did not stop in the second half, and it may have been the difference between a win and a draw on Wednesday night.
In the 62nd Stan van den Beld was tackled from behind by a Defender and the Raiders did not agree with the no call. Dordt quickly pushed the ball into the Northwestern box and weaved their way to a game tying goal.
The drama did not stop there, both teams found themselves with multiple great scoring opportunities but neither team was able to convert.
A glimmer of hope went to the eyes of the Raiders in the 89th minute when they were rewarded with a free kick just outside the box. Alex Ruiz took a shot that was barely tipped over the crossbar by the Dordt keeper.
The game ended in a 1-1 tie and Northwestern had to wait to see where they would be seeded in the GPAC tournament. After some drama across the league, Northwestern has earned the three seed and now has a rematch against Dordt set for Tuesday night at 6 PM.
With the draw, the Raiders finished the season 7-4-5 overall record and 6-2-2 in the GPAC.
GAME NOTES
Up Next: Northwestern will be at home Tuesday November 5th, facing Dordt in GPAC Tournament action at 6 PM
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