Adding to the occasion, the Wildcats secured their first Big North Conference win of the year, defeating Cadillac 3-2 in a game that came down to the wire.

“It’s always a special night when we have the chance to honor our incredible seniors who have been leaders on this team for a number of years,” Alpena coach Gregg Suprian said. “We’re going to miss each and every one of these six girls next year, but while we have them for the rest of the year, we’re going to keep trying to play like we did (Tuesday).”

Despite heavily struggling against Big North opponents all season, the Wildcats kicked off a promising start with early pressure on Cadillac’s goal.

Faith Dragiewicz had an opportunity with 35:48 left when she was one-on-one with the goalie, but a great save stopped the scoring chance.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Annabelle LaCross throws the ball into the game during Tuesday’s game against Cadillac in Alpena. The Wildcats took the close win with a final score of 3-2.

Seven minutes later, with 28:25 to go, the Vikings scored off a free kick, but the referees waved off the goal because of an illegal shot.

Finally, roughly ten minutes later, Cadillac scored the game’s first true goal to take a 1-0 lead.

After a few minutes passed, Alpena fired back on a penalty kick, where Sophie Kindt smoked the back of the net for the score, tying the game at 1-1.

The score remained tied going into the half, and shortly after it expired, the Wildcats scored again.

With 26:44 left, Dragiewicz netted her first score of the night, presenting Alpena with a 2-1 lead.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Faith Dragiewicz runs after the ball during Tuesday’s game against Cadillac in Alpena. The Wildcats took the close win with a final score of 3-2.

That same lead didn’t last long because, within no time, the Vikings snuck the ball just out of reach of Henski’s hands to knot the game back up at 2-2.

At this point, it was anyone’s game, and whichever team wanted it more would win.

At 16:58, Dragiewicz seized the opportunity to score again, stealing back the lead and notching her second goal of the night.

Alpena had to dribble out the clock for nearly seventeen minutes and limit Cadillac’s breakaway opportunities.

One final score was fired at the net, but Henski easily secured the ball, and Alpena won 3-2.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Reese Wisniewski dribbles the ball down the field during Tuesday’s game against Cadillac in Alpena. The Wildcats took the close win with a final score of 3-2.

“We played a great team game (Tuesday), where every single girl contributed,” Suprian said. “I thought Reese (Wisniewski) really played exceptional in the midfield, and I was super pleased with Faith’s (Dragiewicz) ability to get dangerous and score some goals.”

Alpena travels to Traverse City West today.

News Photo by Owen Kinzey Sophie Kindt kicks the ball during Tuesday’s game against Cadillac in Alpena. The Wildcats took the close win with a final score of 3-2.