Tiger boys soccer erupts for 11 goals in season opener

• Aaron Daul

Tiger senior Aaron Daul (2) goes on a run toward the Osceola goal in the first half of Thursday’s game.

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Generating offense doesn’t appear to be a problem for the 2012 New Richmond boys soccer team.

The Tigers opened the 2012 season last Thursday by decimating their most persistent rival. The Tigers scored four times in the first 19 minutes on their way to an 11-1 win over the Osceola Chieftains.

Last year the Tigers shared the Middle Border Conference championship with a 12-2 record and their only significant loss from graduation was first team All-MBC goalkeeper Jake Miller. The Tigers were a quick, athletic team last season and most of the boys are bigger and stronger this year.

Osceola has been as tough as any MBC opponent for the Tigers since the soccer conference was begun. Last year the two teams split 1-0 wins. The one-sided win Thursday was not expected by the Tigers, but Osceola couldn’t deal with the waves of offense the Tigers kept sending up the field.

Senior Eric Miller was the catalyst for much of the Tigers’ success on Thursday. Miller scored three goals and assisted on another.

“Eric is our playmaker,” said Tiger coach Pete Melloy. “Every time he touches the ball, he’s dangerous.”

Aaron Daul, Jake Taubman and Shane Blackman each scored two goals and Joey Turnipseed and Cole Olson each scored once. Jack Hop led the team with two assists.

What pleased the Tiger coaches the most from this game was the variety of ways the Tigers scored goals. They scored off corner kicks, off headers, but mostly off crisp ball movement that diced through the Osceola defense. On one Tiger possession, they used three quick passes to move the ball upfield 50 yards to set up a score.

One of the main challenges for the Tigers will be finding a new goalkeeper. Melloy is giving several players a shot at the job. Brad Brusewitz, a starter on defense last season, played in goal for the first half of Thursday’s game. Rocco Ficocelli took the role for the second half. Senior Isaiah Hobbs is another possibility.

The frequency of games picks up quickly in the upcoming days for the Tigers. On Thursday the Tigers play at Baldwin-Woodville, with a game at River Falls on Friday. The Tigers start next week with a home game against Cumberland on Monday. On Tuesday the Tigers will play at Somerset.

Tags: sports, tigers, soccer, prep