LANSING, Mich. — It took Lansing Common FC 59 minutes and a foul inside the box to finally get on the board. But the momentum would not last. Just 16 minutes later, Midwest United FC regained the lead off a laser shot from distance and would hold on for a 2-1 win in a physical battle on a humid evening in Lansing.
The loss took control of the Midwest Premier League’s Great Lakes West Division away from the Robins, but Lansing remains in contention for the title. LCFC must regroup and win their final two games to keep their title hopes alive.
The Robins started off hot, getting multiple looks early. But no chance was more dangerous than the one by Midwest United in the eighth minute, when a rapid sequence of saves by goalkeeper Jackson Kiszka, capped by a punchout of the ball from his knees, kept the score level.
Kiszka had seen action in multiple matches this season but had not been expected to start this one. An injury to starting goalkeeper Brooks Boersma forced Sorg to turn to his backup.
“I thought he (Kiszka) played a really solid game out there,” Sorg said. “Having to step into that role, I think he did remarkable.”
Still, even a strong performance by Kiszka wasn’t enough to stop every attempt. In the 26th minute, a failed corner clearance led to a perfectly placed header at the left post to give Midwest United a 1–0 lead.
LCFC came inches from an equalizer just before halftime. After a yellow card set up a free kick, midfielder Mikey Kostoglanis delivered a ball to the left post, where forward Guershom Sylvain headed it across to midfielder Avery Dreasky. Dreasky’s header soared just over the top-right corner of the goal and the Robins went into halftime with a one-goal deficit.
That sequence capped a clean first half for the opposing goalkeeper, a player Sorg credited as one of the biggest reasons for the result.
“I thought their (Midwest United FC’s) goalkeeper was truly the man of the match,” Sorg said. “The ball that Avery hits—how that doesn’t go in the back of the net is difficult. But again, that’s what players do, they step up.”
Heading into halftime, Midwest United was winning in two main areas: the physical battle and the corner kick count.
“I thought the referee struggled, but I thought it kind of went both ways, so it kind of balanced out,” Sorg said. “Obviously we thought some calls should have gone our way, but that’s the game sometimes.”
At halftime, the Robins adjusted from their usual 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2, which helped them take control early in the second half.
In the 56th minute, cheers erupted from the LCFC faithful as they finally felt a call went their way. Forward Xtreme Hauk was taken down from behind inside the box, drawing a penalty kick.
Midfielder Jack Heald, the team’s leading scorer, stepped up for the shot. His attempt was saved, but midfielder Roarke Watterson knocked in the rebound, only for the referee’s whistle to silence the celebration.
The goalkeeper had left his line early, requiring a retake. This time, midfielder Ali Ahmed stepped up to the spot.
He fired low and left, past the gloves of the diving keeper. Game tied.
In moments like that, when the pressure is highest, coaches often make the decision. But Sorg trusted his players to make the call.
“They made the decision on the field,” Sorg said. “If I felt differently, obviously I would have said something, but I trusted them in the moment.”
The penalty kick would be LCFC’s only goal. Midwest United struck again in the 75th minute with what proved to be the game-winner, exposing a lingering issue for the Robins after finding the net.
“It’s been a little bit of a problem where we score a goal and then we don’t have that resolve to keep going after it,” Sorg said. “You could see that the next 10 to 12 minutes, they were all in our half, and now we’re trying to break out of that segment.”
As the final whistle blew, the Robins looked worn down, not just physically but mentally, after a match filled with uncharacteristic fouls in the final minutes.
“Something we talked about was matching their physicality, but we can’t be so undisciplined,” Sorg said. “We just had some moments in the second half where we gave away silly, silly fouls, and you’re not going to win a championship if you do that.”
After back-to-back physical matchups that ended in losses, Sorg’s team understands that high-stakes games bring added physicality.
“At this level, every team is trying to fight for something,” Sorg said. “Even our game Sunday—you may look and go, ‘Oh, Grand Rapids is at the bottom of the table. They don’t have anything to play for.’ They do have a lot to play for. And if we think we’re going to walk in there and just get on the bus and go home with three points, it’s not going to be that easy. It will be difficult.”
The loss to Midwest United was another setback, but Lansing Common knows it still has a chance at the division title heading into Sunday’s matchup with Grand Rapids SC.
“We can be disappointed in the result. We know now we’ve got to win out the next two,” Sorg said. “I just hope our guys are able to recharge and rest over the next 48 hours and put ourselves in a position where we can take three points Sunday.”
