LaPorte-NorthWood 4-1 (1-0)

After a sketchy rendition of the national anthem that includes a Cessna 172 flyover (I think) we start our first ever away game at LaPorte in front of a small travelling NW crowd. Once again an arbiter circus swoops down with the best clown taking the center in the Varsity contest and I will leave it with that. The Panthers play hard, attack with speed on the flanks and get some opportunities but the Slicers score first (18" 1-0). NorthWood stays on task with a great work rate, good communication for the most part and an improved focus on their first touch. Four minutes into the second half, LaPorte goes up 2-0 but 9 minutes later, Juan toe pokes a Jaron pass on a defenders right into the ropes and the Panthers are back in the game. But in the 62nd and 70th, LaPorte breakaways turn into goals on a couple of defensive lapses (that start in the midfield) and the 3 goal lead is too much to overcome for our boys. In the 72nd, Jerson does go in the box and if the pitch would have resembled a soccer field a little bit more than the cow pasture that it really was, he probably would have scored a second goal but the ball hits a clump and goes up and Jerson can not recover from the unexpected bounce. Considering that NO fouls are called in the first and nothing but fouls are called in the second, it is a surprise that we only get one yellow (Matt Thornton). The JV game also ends in 4-1 but this time the score is in our favor. The JV welcomes their coach back with gratitude and ends the night with 4 goals (Hilty, Jerson 2, Jason McP). Corbin played well as a composed distributor in the middle and adds two assists on his tally sheet. Next up is Warsaw at home (tonight, Tuesday 9/13/16) with a 5 pm JV kick off and a 6:45 Varsity start. The Varsity's record drops to 3-5, while the JV improves its record to 2-3. The JV is currently riding a two game winning streak.