Mside puts together strong tussle in first competition

OTTAWA, KS. – Led by the freshman duo of attack Conner Cole (FR/Hudson, Wisc.) (Hudson, Wis.) and goalkeeper Cole Osmer (FR/Whitehouse, Texas) (Whitehouse, Tex.), Morningside College made quite the impression in its first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' and overall match Friday, Feb. 28.

Battling one of their new conference's perennial powers in Ottawa University, head coach Keith Lindgren's Mustangs appeared unfazed on the road at OU's AdventHealth Field. The Maroon, despite falling 20-6 in the end to the Braves, trailed just 8-3 at halftime before an 8-1 run by the home team in the third quarter proved the difference.

Cole, en route to a four-goal, seven-shot, one-assist, nine-ground ball opener, put Lindgren's team up 1-0 at the 12:04 mark of the first period. Ottawa countered with three successive scores before Cole found the Braves' net just under four and a half minutes before the end of the stanza to make it 3-2. OU answered again with five of the next six goals before halftime with freshman midfielder Zach Diehl (FR/Rapid City, S.D.) (Rapid City, S.D.) breaking up the surge by posting a Mustangs' tally. From there, Ottawa's 8-1 third period attack broke the match open.

The offensive pluses didn't stop with Cole. Sophomore midfielder/attacker Alec Kolander (SO/Hudson, Wisc.) (Hudson, Wis.) finished with six shots and 10 ground balls; freshman midfielder/forward Marche Ashford (FR/Tulsa, Okla.) (Tulsa, Okla.) registered four shots and 12 ground balls; and freshman midfielder Thomas Chandler (FR/Aberdeen, S.D.) (Aberdeen, S.D.) wound up with five shots and three ground balls to further spotlight the Maroon's memorable Friday evening. Defensively, Osmer through a mammoth 64-26 shots advantage by the Braves with 23 saves.

Mside begins its 2020 home season Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14 and 15 by welcoming St. Ambrose University and Clarke University to Tom Rosen Field.