Somerset soccer runs up against top Middle Border Conference opponents
The strong start to the 2012 Somerset soccer season was temporarily derailed when the Spartans ran up against three of the top Middle Border Conference programs last week.
- Jeremy Bucklew and Andy Zietlow
The strong start to the 2012 Somerset soccer season was temporarily derailed when the Spartans ran up against three of the top Middle Border Conference programs last week.
The Spartans suffered their first conference losses to defending MBC co-champions Amery and New Richmond last Monday and Tuesday. The week ended on a sour note with the Spartans playing Barron to a scoreless tie.
The loss at Amery came by a 6-0 score. The Warriors scored three times in each half. The Spartans were without two starters for the Monday and Tuesday games. It showed in their defensive play, as they had trouble keeping up with the speed of their opponents.
Somerset coach Bill Roll said the Warriors ran several give-and-go plays that caught the Spartan defense off guard.
“Hopefully, next time around, we’ll be a little better prepared for what they do,” Roll said.
On Tuesday the Spartans lost 5-1 on their home field to New Richmond. The Spartans trailed 1-0 at halftime before New Richmond scored three times in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Ross said the Spartans had several big efforts from defensive players against New Richmond.
“Josh Lee played really well; he saved us a couple goals. Jake Scott did a nice job stepping up, playing sweeper,” Roll said.
The Spartans scored at the 55:36 mark. Gavin Meader got the ball in the open field, moving downfield. As a Tiger defender came over the challenge Meader, he saw Jon Bucklew unmarked in the middle of the field. Bucklew snapped a shot past the Tiger goalie.
The game at Barron was agonizing for the Spartans. The Barron field was in rough shape, with a grassless area covering 20 yards in front of one of the nets. The ground was extremely dry and hard, making it extremely difficult to handle the ball.
“The guys got frustrated with the field and the style of play,” Roll said.
This was the Spartans’ third shutout of the season. Goalie Aaron Joppru made seven saves to get the shutout. The Spartans put nine shots on goal.
The next stop on the schedule for the Spartans is a game on Thursday at Spooner. The Spartans will play at Osceola next Monday, before playing at home next Tuesday against Hayward.
Tags: sports, somerset, spartans, soccer, prep
More from around the web
RSS Feeds