Tough luck

Alpena dominates Petoskey, but can’t come up with the win

By CHRIS DOBROWOLSKI
Domination didn’t equal victory for the Alpena girls soccer team on Tuesday night.

Despite outplaying Petoskey for a good portion of the game, including all of the second half, the Wildcats suffered a 3-1 loss in a Big North Conference matchup at Wildcat Stadium.

Alpena (3-3-1) outshot the Northmen and generally controlled play for the final 40 minutes. However, the Wildcats were never able to find the back of the net to capitalize on their chances and had to settle for their first loss in four games.

“I’m very happy,” said Alpena coach Craig Barrett. “We totally dominated the second half. Unfortunately those three goals put us in a hole that we couldn’t dig out of. Petoskey’s a good team. When you dominate them the way we did, you’re doing something right. I’m proud of the way the girls came back in the second half.”

Petoskey freshman Holly Laser scored the go-ahead and insurance goals in a span of five minutes late in the first half, giving the Northmen the 3-1 lead that held up throughout the second half.

With the game tied 1-1 and 11 minutes to go in the first half, Laser was camped out in front of the Alpena net when the ball came to her off a long shot. Before Alpena goalie Samantha Dziesinski could gain control of the ball, Laser knocked it in. Laser came back again and scored a few minutes later, this time booting a slow rolling shot into the far corner of the net that Dziesinski couldn’t get to.

Hannah Skiba had Alpena’s lone goal in the 13th minute of the first half, lifting a shot just under the crossbar. Sophia Przewozniak assisted on the goal, sending a long cross pass toward the front of the Petoskey net that was knocked around by a cluster of players before Skiba drilled it into the net.

Skiba’s goal was the counter to the first goal of the night by Petoskey’s Alyssa Harrold one minute earlier. Harrold scored on a penalty kick after Przewozniak was called for a handball in the box.

Barrett wasn’t particularly impressed with any of the goals the Northmen scored.

“They were three very weak goals,” he said. “Unfortunately, with the way it happened, we got in a hole, fought back, but couldn’t get one in.”

Alpena held the Northmen (4-1-2) without a shot on goal in the second half until very late in the period. That made things a little easier for Dziesinski, who faced seven shots in the first half.

Petoskey keeper Morgan Murphy made six saves in the win.

Alpena fell 4-0 in the junior varsity game.

The Wildcats return to action on Thursday at home against Gaylord.

Chris Dobrowolski can be reached via e-mail at sports@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5694.