Wisconsin Soccer Central

It was a night like few Jim Launder has seen in his seven seasons coaching the Madison 56ers.

Needing a win and some help from other teams to stay in the hunt for their second straight National Premier Soccer League Midwest Division title, the 56ers scored in the opening 30 seconds but clearly were the second-best team the rest of the night.

The 56ers twice allowed the St. Paul Twin Stars to score equalizers in the first half, had UW's Arnel Zahirovic sent off in the 69th minute for a head butt a minute after entering the match and saw the Twin Stars score the winner on Freeman Eweh's deflected shot 14 minutes from time in a 3-2 loss at at Breese Stevens Field.

Making matters worse, the 56ers got some of the help they needed as Minnesota Kings FC surprised the league-leading Milwaukee Bavarians 2-1.

Madison (3-3-2) remains six points behind the Bavarians (5-1-2) with four matches remaining, but with the Quad City Eagles (3-1-4) and Twin Stars (4-3-1) ahead of them, but the 56ers' path to the title is convoluted at best.

"I couldn't find one," Launder said. "It would have to be the most bizarre circumstances ever."

Moments after kickoff, it seemed unlikely the evening would end with such frustration.

Forward Jed Hohlbein (Middleton/UW) stepped in front of a pass on the left side and played the ball back to UW midfielder Josh Thiermann (Stoughton), who played a long switch to UW-Milwaukee midfielder Cody Banks (Madison Memorial) streaking down the right flank.

Banks beat his man, got the end line and played the ball to the near post, where Hohlbein slotted it past St. Paul goalkeeper James Neher just 28 seconds in.

"We weren't awake," Twin Stars coach Youssef Darbaki said. "We got caught off-guard."

The goal certainly woke up the visitors.

St. Paul forced Madison keeper Kyle Dillman (Madison La Follette) into three great saves and flashed a header just wide of the goal in the opening 20 minutes. The Twin Stars finally broke through in the 22nd, as Keido Pour worked around 56ers right back Aaron Nichols (UW) and ripped a shot that Dillman got a hand on but couldn't keep out at the near post.

"I think we got a little bit complacent when we scored right away," said Dillman, who saw the Chicago Fire PDL score a similar goal in Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup second-round match. "We kind of thought they might be an easier team."

The 56ers, who beat St. Paul 2-0 on May 22, went ahead again in the 30th. Banks and midfielder Andrew Wiedabach (Mequon Homestead) combined on a give-and-go, with Wiedabach crushing a shot from the right side of the box past Neher into the top corner to make it 2-1.

The Twin Stars kept coming and tied it six minutes later when Eweh beat 56ers left back Carl Schneider (Madison La Follette) at the top of the box and slid a pass in to Northern Illinois forward Karim Darbaki. Dillman came out and got a touch on the ball, but Darbaki stayed with the bouncing ball inside the 6-yard box and chipped it over the keeper.

"We were just diabolical letting them come through there," Launder said. "They were coming down the middle and always shooting an extra midfielder and we weren't coming with them and we weren't stepping up to them. We were getting caught in between. The word I used for them was lackadaisical."

Dillman kept it tied in the 60th, denying Darbaki – the coach's son – as he broke in alone on the right side, but the 56ers' malaise was increased with Zahirovic's red card.

The Australian came on for player-assistant Henry Aiyenero in a holding midfield role in the 4-2-3-1 and was whistled for a foul on Darbaki 25 yards out on the left side moments later. An argument ensued, during which time Zahirovic clearly head-butted Darbaki and was sent off.

"We really lacked discipline. ... usually (the Twin Stars are) the ones that lose their discipline," Launder said. "That's not a good feeling for me. I didn't like that at all. And it wasn't just Arnel, there were some other instances out there where guys were flailing at guys, being slow to react positively to a play and stuff like that."

Five minutes later, Eweh fired a shot from the left side that hit UW central defender Colin Mani (Madison Edgewood) and redirected into the left side of the goal. There was nothing Dillman could do about it.

"It was coming right at me, it hit Colin I think in the thigh ... and it just went in the corner," the keeper said.

Even with 10 men, the 56ers had a chance to salvage a point in the second minute of stoppage time, perhaps not enough to keep them in the title race but still better than a loss.

Madison was awarded a free kick deep in the Twin Stars' end on the right side and Keith Dangarembwa sent a low ball to the near post. Center back Sean Ronnekleiv-Kelly got to it at the same time as Neher, with the ball popping back to the defender, but his shot clanged off the post and over the end line.

"We definitely missed an opportunity tonight," Dillman said.

From the touchline

The Twin Stars are unbeaten in their past four matches (3-0-1) heading into Sunday's game at the Bavarians. "The race is wide open. For us, this win is big," Youssef Darbaki said. ...  UW's Paul Yonga started at right back for St. Paul and moved to center back in the second half. ... Launder acknowledged that fatigue was a factor in his substitutions. "They spent a lot of energy, and I had planned to sub," said Launder, whose team plays host to Kings FC at 3 p.m. Sunday. "All those guys were just tired. You know, Henry is 38 years old and he's played almost every minute for the last two weeks. You can't just have him out there forever." ... Aiyenero will coach the team Sunday as Launder will be scouting for U.S. Soccer at the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championships in Appleton and De Pere ... The three losses in NPSL Midwest play are the most for the 56ers since they went 5-5-0 in the league's inaugural 2005 season.

Madison 56ers – Jed Hohlbein (Cody Banks) 1
St. Paul Twin Stars – Keido Pour 22
Madison 56ers – Andrew Wiedabach (Cody Banks) 30
St. Paul Twin Stars – Karim Darbaki (Freeman Eweh) 36
St. Paul Twin Stars – Freeman Eweh 76

MADISON 56ERS: Kyle Dillman; Carl Schneider, Sean Ronnekleiv-Kelly, Colin Mani, Aaron Nichols; Henry Aiyenero (Arnel Zahirovic 68), Trevor Banks; Josh Thiermann (Carlos McCrary 55), Andrew Wiedabach (Keith Dangarembwa 81), Cody Banks (Derek Pitts 68); Jed Hohlbein (Sam Krenzien 80). Substitutes not used: Robin Forslund, Luke Klees.

ST. PAUL TWIN STARS: James Neher; Lawrence Talery (Francisco Mbome 90), Matthew Eweh (Neil Bartholomay 55), Isaac Kannah, Paul Yonga; Freeman Eweh, Michael Green, Igor Stosic, Adama Diawara, Keido Pour (Hamad Jaman 55); Karim Darbaki. Substitutes not used: Michael McCarthy, Richard Kamara, Wiley Arden.

Saves: M (Dillman) 5, SP (Neher) 5. Shots: M 16, SP 16. Fouls: M 12, SP 14. Corner kicks: M 5, SP 5. Offsides: M 2, SP 0. Discipline: M – Mani (caution-tactical foul, 35), Zahirovic (ejection-serious foul, 69), Wiedabach (caution-foul, 75); SP – Talery (caution-tactical foul, 64), Diawara (caution-unsporting conduct, 69).