OTTAWA, Kan. - Even with a brief lightning delay at halftime giving its opponent an opportunity to reset, Ottawa University opened the 2026 home slate in style on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Midland University. Cole Scott picked up his third gamewinner of the season, with
Mateo Trigo and
Slobodan Novicevic also scoring for the Braves.
Ottawa dominated the early possession against Midland, earning a pair of early corner kicks before
Jevan Purcell-Jackson forced Tomas Reyes into a huge save in the 10th minute.
The Black-and-Gold opened the scoring in the 12th minute, as
Simon Kindt was able to find an opening in traffic for Scott, who delivered his fourth goal of the season.
Juan Lopez Arteaga nearly doubled Ottawa's lead in the 14th minute with a shot that curled out of the reach of Reyes but hit just off the left post.
Midland tried to recover a bit of momentum over the next several minutes, eventually earning a corner kick in the 20th minute.
Alex Neri was able to keep the Warriors off the board, however, diving low and to his right for a stop on a hard shot by Tom Blaczek. The Warriors were able to recycle the attack and earn a corner off a deflected shot from Nacho Salmeron, but the Braves fended off the threat.
Kindt was close to finding a second for Ottawa in the 34th minute, as his shot eluded the reach of Reyes but was cleared off the line by a Midland defender.
Sam Hatswell's chance seconds later was also saved, this time by a recovered Reyes.
The Braves were indeed able to double their lead before halftime, striking in the 41st minute. After carving through the Warrior defense,
Antonio Natalucci unleashed a low strike that was initially stopped by Reyes, but the save spilled to the foot of Trigo who put it into the back of the net.
Just as the teams were set to return to the field following a shortened halftime, lightning struck within the safety halo, forcing a 30-minute delay and giving Midland a chance to regroup. The Warriors were able to force the first serious chance of the second half, with Juan Villadiego forcing Neri into a diving save to his left, but Midland wasn't able to make anything of the ensuing corner.
Trigo in the 66th, Purcell-Jackson in the 69th,
Martin Basso in the 70th and Hatswell in the 73rd each nearly found a third for Ottawa, but it would be Novicevic who finally tallied the insurance goal.
After making the save on Hatswell's effort to open the 72nd minute, Reyes tried to trigger a Midland counterattack. Ottawa forced a turnover in the middle third of the field, with
Matt Myers spotting Novicevic in position to make a run. A perfectly struck long ball found Novicevic in stride timing his run through the Midland defense, and the senior curled an easy finish for his second of the year.
Midland frantically chased a consolation goal over the final minutes, but the whistle blew just seconds before another lightning delay settled in over campus.
The Braves open the 2026 KCAC schedule on Wednesday, hosting University of Saint Mary at 3:30 p.m.Â
