Duluth FC rallies past Sioux Falls Thunder, wins 4-2 at home
Joao Magalhaes scored four goals after halftime as Duluth FC erased a 1-0 deficit and beat Sioux Falls Thunder 4-2 at Walt Hunting Stadium.
Duluth FC turned a quiet first half into a statement finish Friday night, scoring four unanswered goals after halftime to beat Sioux Falls Thunder FC 4-2 at Walt Hunting Stadium-Marc Heikkinen Field. Joao Magalhaes accounted for every Duluth goal, including two in the first four minutes of the second half, as the BlueGreens protected home turf in front of a crowd that got a much different game after the break.
Sioux Falls struck first with a penalty kick in the 22nd minute, and Duluth went to halftime trailing 1-0 after being blanked in the opening 45 minutes. The National Premier Soccer League said the Thunder had the wind with them in the first half, while Duluth had been coming off a week off from league play. That changed after halftime, when Duluth played with the wind at its back and quickly shifted the match.
Magalhaes, listed by Duluth FC as a Brazilian forward wearing No. 11, finished the comeback with a four-goal performance that gave Duluth the kind of attacking burst that can change a standings race in one night. The league recap said going into halftime down 1-0 was a tough moment for the BlueGreens, and Magalhaes pointed to the wind as a major factor in the second-half turnaround.
Alex Paredes helped preserve the result once Duluth took control. The goalkeeper from Mequon, Wisconsin, who played college soccer at UW-Superior, steadied the back line as Duluth closed out the win and kept Sioux Falls from finding a late answer.
The result carried weight beyond one home match. Duluth improved to 3-0-2 and remained second in the 2026 NPSL North standings behind Siouxland United FC, with a Friday night matchup at Siouxland United next on the schedule. The six-team North Conference also includes Dakota Fusion FC, Joy AC, Minnesota Blizzard FC and Sioux Falls Thunder FC, making every result near the top matter.
The BlueGreens also added another chapter to a series that has already produced tight games. Duluth FC and Sioux Falls Thunder FC played to a 0-0 draw on June 23, 2025, before this year’s five-goal second half flipped the script. With the June 13 match serving as Duluth’s penultimate home game of the regular season, the comeback gave St. Louis County soccer fans another reminder that this club is becoming a bigger part of the region’s summer sports scene.
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