This year, the Red Raiders took on the Midland Warriors for the annual homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 1.
More fans than usual filled up the stands for the big homecoming game, and cheered the Raiders on for the full 90 minutes. The team fought a tough battle, yet unfortunately lost 0-3 against the Warriors, bringing the team record to 4-8 overall.
The Raiders had a few scoring opportunities early in the game, including a very close miss by sophomore Tyler Limmer. Limmer had the ball positioned in front of the net and took a powerful shot, but it was blocked by the Warriors goalie.
The Warriors were aggressive on offensive from the start of the game: the first goal took place within the first half of the game, and the next two followed in the last half.
Despite the relentless Midland attack, the Raiders were still able to take several shots. They kept fighting and playing hard until the very end of the game.
Center midfielder Ben Hengst was still satisfied with how the team played, despite the tough loss.
“Overall, I think that the score line did not reflect how the game actually went,” Hengst said. “I thought that the team played very well, we just didn’t take our chances when we had them. We are disappointed that we lost, but I think there were a ton of positives from the game that the team can take going forward.”
Hengst also commented that this loss is not going to deter the Raiders from accomplishing their season goal.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the GPAC tournament and qualify for the national tournament,” Hengst said. “So we are hoping that the rest of the season will put us in a great position to do just that.”
Next up for the Raiders is taking on NW’s biggest rival, the Dordt Defenders. The game will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 12 in Sioux Center.
