MINNEAPOLIS — Morgan Olson was originally tapped to start, but was feeling ill. Not wanting to push anyone’s luck on a hot evening — the match already having been moved from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. due to concerns about the mercury — Minneapolis City SC head coach Justin Oliver gave Andrew Heckenlaible the start on the left wing.
In as much as anyone could be, pushing through a heavy combination of heat and humidity, Heckenlaible was near-indefatigable. The St. Louis Billiken’s running and industry posed a threat to the River Light FC goal from the opening whistle. Half-chances went begging for the hosts, and for a half an hour, Heckenlaible kept grinding.
In the 33rd minute, the winger beat his mark off the dribble, sprinted into the opposing 18-yard box, and squared a pass for Joe Highfield, which the forward dutifully side-footed into the low, near corner. It was Highfield’s fifth score of the summer. But it was Heckenlaible’s half of soccer.
“It’s absolutely important to get off on the front foot, especially with their team traveling in from Chicago,” said Heckenlaible. “So, it’s important to get that first one, and then many more come after.”
The Crows escaped an added-time scare to get into the locker room with their Highfield-from-Heckenlaible lead intact.
After the break, the familiar connection of Jackson Kirsch and Preston Kipnusu combined for a goal; this time from a corner where Kipnusu’s header left keeper Saed Anabtawi no chance of intervening.
Up by two in the 54th minute, on a scorcher of a summer night, with a deep bench still to be unloaded, things looked comfortable for the Crows. Then, the Lights answered, and within just three minutes.
A loose ball, rattling around stilted legs, inside City’s penalty area, was last touched by River Light’s Jacob Ryu. It was a 2-1 game, and one in which neither team could afford to drop points, with 33-plus minutes still to go.
Then, a free kick, headed on by Highfield, and headed in by Shea Bechtel. In a sense, not exactly the diminutive forward’s game. In another — having a keen nose for goal and putting his body on the line — it was typical Bechtel. It was also his third-straight league game on the scoresheet.
“On our set pieces, where we’re gonna cross the ball, since I’m one of the shorter guys, I like to go hang out on the ball side,” Bechtel said. “If the ball gets headed back across, I could be there. And, it just fell right to my head, so happy to tap it in.”
On his own fine run of form, the two-time Division III Second-Team All-American deferred.
“[I’m] just going into every game hoping to make an impact,” Bechtel said. “And I think over the last three or four games, our team has really gelled a lot, and we’ve created a lot more chances. So I’ve been able to take advantage of some of those. So yeah, happy that the team’s been performing.”
With their two-goal lead restored, and momentum reclaimed, the Crows pressed on and put the game out of reach.
Bechtel assisted Kipnusu in the 70th minute to get the latter on a brace. Five Crows would come off the bench in the 75th to keep the pedal to the floor. And one of that quintet, winger Bernard Assibey-Rhule, would notch City’s only unassisted goal of the evening, to cap off the route.
Heckenlaible, who is in his first season with the Crows, produces few words in spite of a large lung capacity. He credited preparation and inspiration for his and his teammates’ perspiration.
“We had a training last Friday, wicked hot as well,” noted the winger, “and we just adapted and made sure that we stayed hydrated before the game. And good came after that.
“It’s a bunch of good guys. You know, lot of great… I mean, the stadium and the roar of all the people there. The smoke flares. It’s awesome. It’s a fun club to play for. And, yeah, it’s been awesome.”
Talk for Show, Process for Dough
Following City’s only loss of the season, away to Sueno FC, Oliver offered that it was his team’s best performance to-date. Following only City’s second multi-goal victory this year, a 3-1 home win over the St. Croix Legends, Oliver called it an incomplete performance.
He was then, fairly, asked where Sunday’s 5-1 drubbing of River Light ranked.
“This was definitely one where it felt like the pieces of the puzzle finally matched,” Oliver conceded. “I thought our pressing was great. Our winning of first, seconds, and thirds was great. Our chance creation of high-quality chances was great. So, I’m so proud of the boys today.
“Again, everything just clicked. And you know, it got nervy, there, when they made it 2-1. And then the boys responded again, right away, to make it again 4-1 inside like the next seven, eight minutes. So, so proud of them today.”
A common topic of conversation, as winning soccer has returned to Minneapolis, is whether or not the Crows play postseason soccer for the first time since 2021, and for the first-time ever in League Two.
Here, Oliver returned to his old ways, refocusing from the horizon to the fore.
“Big thing that we talk about every game is our process. And make no mistake, I believe we have a team with the quality to be competing for everything that our league has to offer, and hopefully making the playoffs. But you don’t do that by, again, talking about it constantly,” Oliver said. “You do it by having a good process.
“And our process, every game, is bringing our on-ball quality, without gifts. Compete to win firsts, seconds, and thirds. Win the set piece battle. Win the five-to-seven minute stretches.
“We do those things on a given game-day, we can leave with 3 points, or at least a result. And I think you’ve gotten to see that through the course of eight games. Now, I think we could very-much-so be undefeated through all eight. So again, I’m very proud of what we’re doing, and I hope that we can continue to have those pieces to the puzzle fit together.”
New-Two Highs
Minneapolis joined League Two in 2022, and it took a goal intended as a cross, taken from midfield, in the final league game of the campaign, to record a win. (Thank you, captain Aiden O’Driscoll, for salvaging a huge point of pride.) The Crows would manage three victories the following season, and five last year — setting a League Two club-best of 15 points in a season.
This summer, City has already passed that highwater mark, earning 17 points with four games still to play. It’s current four-game winning streak is a League Two club record. So are its 22 goals scored. Additionally, both Kirsch and Kipnusu — tied with seven League Two goals, each — have bettered Eli Goldman’s previous single-season record of five.
The two Drake Bulldogs are also nearing head coach Justin Oliver’s nine career goals for the Crows. And, Loïc Mesanvi’s 2022 single-season club record of 10 goals in all senior team competitions is within striking distance for the aforementioned duo. Counting league and cup, the Crows will play at least five more games.
Additionally, if Minneapolis concedes six-or-fewer goals across its remaining league contests, it will set its new fourth-division single-season defensive record.
Race for the Heartland
It’s so close. It’s all so close.
League Two officially sorts its standings by points-per-game. City currently leads its division in total points, so if your aesthetic preference is to say the Crows are in first place, so be it. Meanwhile, Sueno FC trails by a single point but holds a game in hand. A draw with that extra game puts it ahead of City via the head-to-head tie breaker; the Dreamers having handed the Crows their only defeat of the season, coming on June 6 in Illinois. The two also will square off on July 12 at Edor Nelson Field in their regular-season finale.
A tough run of recent results had put the Lights outside of the top four, and Sunday’s defeat effectively ended their postseason hopes. They join the Legends and Lions playing for pride, which is not to begrudge that noble motivation.
How much does RKC Third Coast’s forfeit continue to sting the Seagulls? The only Heartland side to have played nine matches, they would still be sitting on 18 points with a plus-16 goal differential if not for it.
This Friday’s home tilt against Rochester is a must-win for the (other) Loons. But so too is it for the Crows.
Taking a bird’s eye view of the Central Conference — where only three of five teams placing second in their division will make the playoffs — were the regular season to end, today Peoria City (2.14 PPG), Minneapolis City (2.13 PPG) and FC Buffalo (2.00 PPG) would be in. Midwest United (1.90 PPG) and Lexington SC (1.89 PPG) would be out.
Squeaky-bum time has descended upon all.
