The 2018 NPSL Midwest Region Final was a matchup between two very different sides. On one side stood Ann Arbor, the back-to-back Great Lakes conference champs who ended their regular season with only one loss and having conceded only four goals. They had won their conference with a six point gap and headed into the final looking for redemption after losing to Detroit City in the previous year’s regional final.
Duluth meanwhile spent a large chunk of the season outside of the North’s two playoff spots and only cemented their playoff run in the last match of the regular season with a 1-0 win.