The Wildcats defeated a talented Bay City Western team with a final score of 3-1 on Wednesday. With the win, Alpena moves on to the district final, facing off against Petoskey on Saturday in Petoskey.

“This is a great accomplishment for these guys, they ended up being a very, very tough Bay City Western (team). I thought for almost the entire game they out worked us,” Alpena coach Tim Storch said. “We basically won the game because our goalkeeping was spectacular, and we scored on two restarts,”

Bay City Western put constant pressure on Alpena’s goal all game long, but Michael Hermann put a stop to many potential goals and recorded several saves from start to finish. Hermann started his great defensive game within the first five minutes tallying his first save, giving the Wildcats some early momentum.

Although the Wildcats have played from behind in many games this season, the early defensive momentum helped them jump out to an early lead. Just 7:54 seconds into the game, Gabe Glawe scored and gave Alpena a lead it maintained the entire rest of the game.

News Photo by James Andersen Alpena’s Garrett Hamp (15) battles Bay City Western’s Nolan Besaw for control of the ball during the first half of a district soccer game on Wednesday at Park Family Field at Wildcat Stadium.

Great defense from both sides became apparent during the first half. Near the end of the half, Western was determined to tie the game and did just that with 4:05 left in the first half as Calvin Watson received credit for the goal.

With the game tied at halftime, the Wildcats were set on taking the lead and winning the game. Just 34 seconds into the second half, Alpena had broken the tie. Jacob Beaubien struck the ball through the net, as Alpena retook the 2-1 lead. Beaubien’s goal was very crucial and impactful in the win over the Warriors.

Hermann continued his great game in the net, recording three more saves in the second half.

With Alpena still up one goal, the team was looking to extend that lead further. With 16:24 left in the second half, Cam Young tacked on the Wildcat final goal of the game. This ended up being the final score of the game as Alpena finished with a 3-1 win.

Hermann finished with an outstanding game in net to wrap up the win.

“He’s the surprise of the season,” Storch said. “He made some spectacular saves. When a team gets outplayed they need somebody to step up big, and he’s the guy who did.”

The Wildcats have its toughest matchup of the season against Petoskey in the district final. The Northmen have already defeated Alpena twice this season, but the Wildcats are looking to change that.

“We have to play hard, we have to match their intensity, which we haven’t done yet. Hopefully the third time’s a charm.” Storch said.