Spartans fall at Grand Rapids

On a rainy Tuesday afternoon the Spartans traveled to Minnesota to take on the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks in LSC conference action.  It was a vital game for the conference standings.  The two teams tied 0-0 at Superior last year, and both teams have looked good thus far in LSC action.  Grand Rapids got on the board first with a goal in just the fourth minute of play.  After settling down, the action continued back and forth.  But Superior could not get its footing or any positive momentum.  The Thunderhawks would strike again before half and looked in control with a 2-0 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Spartans picked up the intensity and created more opportunities but to no avail.  In an unprecedented play, senior goalie Brady Bachand punted the ball out of the defensive goal area for Superior and the ball carried its momentum over the Grand Rapids defense and through the goalie for a goal.  It was Bachand's second goal of the season, but first from the goalkeeper position.  That doesn't happen very often!  The Spartans took that momentum and tried to change the course of the game, but ran out of time.  The final score was 2-1 in favor of Grand Rapids, who remains undefeated in conference play and in position to win the LSC with just two games left.  Superior drops their record to 10-2-1 on the season and 2-1-1 in LSC action.

The JV team played Grand Rapids at a different location while the varsity game was being finished.  Superior came out slow and struggled with the wet field conditions.  Grand Rapids scored about ten minutes into the game but the Spartans were keeping up with them.  Unfortunately, the Thunderhawks poured it on at the end of the half and came away leading 4-0 at halftime.  After a brief discussion, the JV team agreed to reset and start over.  Change our attitudes and change our way of play, and made it a goal to win the second half.  And that they did.  Superior scored three goals in the second half, all on corner kick plays.  Senior Mason Specht had two assists, while freshman Rylan Sumption added one.  The goals were scored by senior Griffin Dallum, freshman Maxx Brown, and junior Knoah Hills in just his second soccer game ever.  The final score was 6-3, but Superior won the second half 3-2.  The JV record is now 6-8 on the season.

Both teams will host Duluth Marshall on Thursday night for senior night.  Seniors will be recognized at halftime of the varsity game.  JV will play at 5:00pm, varsity at 7:00pm. 

JV wins friendly with Superior Frost

 

On Monday night the JV Spartans played host to a friendly match with the Superior Frost team.  This fall a new league has started in the Twin Ports area for players who don't make JV/varsity rosters at their high school or if they are in middle school.  The Superior Frost team is playing in this league and includes many 8th graders that will be joining our program next year, some 7th graders that we may see in a couple years, and a few high schoolers from other Wisconsin schools that don't offer soccer.  The Frost team also includes our Superior Spartans managers (both 8th graders) - Cade and Isaiah.  It was going to be a fun match for all involved.

Even though the Frost team was outmatched in size and age, they came out firing and hustling to every ball.  You could tell this game meant a lot to them and that they wanted to compete - and win!  The Frost opened up the scoring on a nice combination of passes and a blast past freshman goalie Liam Perrault.  The Spartans were a little bit on their heels, but they kept their heads.  Just a few minutes later, freshman Rylan Sumption sent a long free kick into the penalty area that was headed on and past the Frost goalie by senior Griffin Dallum to tie the game 1-1.  The rest of the first half had opportunities for both teams, even some close ones, but the game remained deadlocked at halftime.

The first 10-15 minutes of the second half was the same.  Chances for both teams and the intensity was high.  Finally the Spartans broke through when senior Jayson Hutchins sent a ball ahead to freshman Maxx Brown who had a great finish into the corner of the goal to give Superior a 2-1 lead.  Minutes later it was sophomore Demion Campbell finishing a breakaway with the assist going to freshman Sawyer Plafcan to make the game 3-1.  The Frost team kept at it, but eventually the speed of the Spartans prevailed.  Once again Campbell broke through on a breakaway and finished neatly to make it 4-1 with just a few minutes left to play, this time the assist went to senior Mason Specht.  That's the way the game ended.  Perrault finished with 9 saves on the day and was steady all night.

The teams shook hands, the coaches hugged, the parents smiled and both teams can look forward to the future - things are going to continue to be bright with Superior soccer.  We are can't wait to add those boys to our program next year.  GO SPARTANS!

Spartans win over Cloquet in dramatic fashion

 

On Tuesday night Superior hosted the Cloquet Lumberjacks in an important conference battle at NBC Spartans Sports Complex.  The teams came out hot and fast, trading goals in the first five minutes of action.  Cloquet took an early lead on a rebound goal inside the box just 2:28 into the game.  But the Spartans responded less than two minutes later when junior forward Zack Monaghan assisted senior captain Spencer Kidd, who sent a lovely shot past the Cloquet goalie.  And just like that it was 1-1.  Superior ended up with more shots on goal in the first half, but Cloquet used its speed to create dangerous opportunities.  Neither team could strike again and at halftime it was 1-1.

During halftime, our seniors honored their favorite teachers at SHS for Teacher Appreciation Night.  As the second half started, the winds went down but the temperature did too.  However, the action never slowed down.  In the second half, it was Cloquet who had more shots on goal.  But Superior continued to bring pressure and create opportunities.  As the clock was winding down, both teams pushed with their best efforts.  The Spartans flurried the Lumberjack goalie with multiple chances in the last five minutes and with just 23 seconds remaining a penalty kick was awarded when Kidd was taken down in the box on a breakaway.  After two unsuccessful pks in the last week, Kidd calmly put the ball and the game away with his second goal of the night to give Superior a 2-1 lead.  The Spartans held off Cloquet in the final seconds and earned the win to move to 10-1-1 on the season and 2-0-1 in the LSC.  Senior goalie Brady Bachand finished with 12 saves on the night.

The JV team lost to Cloquet 6-0 and their record drops to 5-7 on the season.  Both teams are back in action when Superior travels to Grand Rapids next Tuesday night.  Go Spartans! 

Superior and Hermantown battle to a draw on LSC Day

 

The annual Lake Superior Conference Showcase was once again hosted by the Superior Spartans at NBC Spartan Sports Complex and "The Swamp" on Saturday afternoon and evening.  There were 8 varsity teams and 8 JV teams facing off throughout the day.  Superior drew Hermantown for the match and it was a hotly contested battle in the nightcap.  The back and forth action led to a penalty kick for Superior just 7 minutes into the game.  However, it was the third consecutive missed PK for the Spartans, and the game remained scoreless through halftime.

Credit Hermantown for coming out of the half ready to attack as the Hawks struck first on a ball in the box at 43:29.  Fortunately, the Spartans would not wait much longer to get on the board.  At 52:15, a free kick was taken by senior captain Chase Danielson, placing a looping ball over the defensive line right to the head of senior captain Spencer Kidd.  With the Hermantown goalie coming off the line, Kidd neatly deposited the ball into the goal to tie the game 1-1 and the momentum was back with Superior.  Just over a minute later, a red card was shown to Hermantown who now had to play a man down.  What seemed like would be an advantage, turned into a clear defensive strategy for the Hawks as they dropped six players back on defense.  Superior struggled to break the back line and continually played crosses and through balls up until the final buzzer, to no avail.  The game ended in a draw, which felt somewhat like a loss.  Senior goalie Brady Bachand had just three saves on the game while Superior had 14 shots on goal.  The loss leaves the Spartans at 9-1-1 on the season and 1-0-1 in LSC play.

The JV team played an impressive game against Hermantown as they entered without two regular starters and only three subs available.  The game was tied at halftime, Superior had 14 shots on goal, and Hermantown and 15 shots on goal.  But it was Hermantown who snuck one into the Spartan net with 25 minutes left to play and Superior ran out of gas as the game came to a close.  The defense played tremendous and freshman goalie Liam Perrault finished with 14 saves.  JV drops to 5-6 on the season.

Both teams are back in action at home on Tuesday night against Cloquet-Esko.  JV will be at 5:00, varsity at 7:00.  Let's go Spartans!  

Superior dominates Mesabi East at home 8-0

 

On a cooler and windy evening in Superior, the Spartans took on the Mesabi East Giants and the game was never in question.  It took just two minutes for Superior to strike after nearly scoring in the first 30 seconds.  At 1:53 it was senior captain Spencer Kidd neatly finishing a goal assisted by junior Zack Monaghan.  The Giants settled down but the physicality went up on both sides.  In the 25th minute a foul was called on Mesabi East about 54 yards from goal.  Junior captain Marc Pagnucci opted to send the ball on frame and successfully scored from distance, unassisted, to make the game 2-0.  From there the route was on!

Senior captain Chase Danielson cleaned up a mess in the box with a rocket assisted by Kidd to make it 3-0 at 30 minutes in.  Just a minute later it was a long ball from senior goalie Brady Bachand that bounced over the defense into the path of Pagnucci who slotted home his second goal making it 4-0.  Three minutes later it was Kidd back at it as he finished a cross from senior captain Aiden Pagnucci with a clean shield of the goalie and a too easy touch into goal giving Superior a 5-0 lead.  Aiden would add a goal of his own just a few minutes after that, with the assist going to his brother Marc and the Spartans led 6-0 at half.  It could have been more as Superior was awarded a penalty kick due to a handball in the box during a corner in the final seconds of the half.  But it was not to be, as the penalty taken went wide.  The Spartans missed two first half penalty kicks!

In the second half, the combination of Marc Pagnucci to Spencer Kidd struck again on a beautifully taken free kick and wonderful finish by Kidd for his hat trick.  Pagnucci secured his own hat trick at 62:36, assisted by Danielson and that was the end of the game.  WIAA rules give a mercy ending to any game with an 8 goal difference after 60 minutes.  Final stats:

Marc Pagnucci - 3 goals, 2 assists

Spencer Kidd - 3 goals, 1 assist

Aiden Pagnucci - 1 goal, 1 assist

Chase Danielson - 1 goal, 1 assist

Zack Monaghan - 1 assist

Brady Bachand - 1 assist and three saves in net

Superior improves to 9-1 on the season with the next game at home on Saturday for the LSC day.  The Spartans will face Hermantown in the nightcap at 6pm.

Earlier in the evening, the JV team was defeated by Mesabi East 2-1.  It was a clean and exciting game as both sides played with heart and passion.  Superior struck first with a goal from sophomore Demion Campbell assisted by freshman Henry Farell.  The Spartans had more shots on goal but could not finish any others and led 1-0 at halftime.  However, the JV Giants came out firing in the second half and scored just 1:33 in on a laser goal to tie the game 1-1.  The teams battled back and forth, but Superior continued to miss the goal opportunities.  In the last five minutes, a penalty kick was awarded to the Giants who converted to take a 2-1 lead.  Superior had last chances but failed to even the game as time ran out.  Freshman Liam Perrault had 4 saves in net.  The Spartans had 19 shots on goal but could only muster the one tally on the scoreboard.  JV drops to 5-5 on the season and will play Hermantown at 4:00 on Saturday at the Swamp!

Kidd's hat trick leads Superior to 3-0 win at Washburn

 

On Tuesday night the varsity team traveled Highway 2 east to Washburn for an evening matchup with the Castle Guards.  From the very beginning, it was clear the Spartans were in control with possession and opportunities.  About 15 minutes into the game a penalty kick was awarded when senior captain Spencer Kidd was taken down in the box.  Kidd calmly deposited the ensuing kick into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead that held to halftime.

In the second half, Superior continued it's season execution of set plays with two goals on free kicks from nearly the same spot.  Both times it was senior captain Chase Danielson taking the free kick and sending a great ball into the box.  Around 52 minutes in it was a header from Kidd that gave Danielson the direct assist.  At 62 minutes Danielson's kick first went to junior captain Marc Pagnucci, who shot towards the goal where Kidd picked it up and put it away for the 3-0 lead.  Superior was briefly threatened a couple times in the second half, but it was mostly a quiet night for the defense.  Sophomore Keagan Shannon finished with 7 saves for the shutout victory.

The Spartans improve to 8-1 on the season and next will face Mesabi East on Friday night.  The games had been moved around but the latest is setup for JV at 5:00 and varsity at 7:00.  Then on Saturday it will be LSC Day at the NBC Spartans Sports Complex.  All conference teams will compete throughout the day, with JV games at the swamp and varsity at the main complex.  Superior will face off against Hermantown with JV at 4:00 on the swamp and varsity at 6:00 on the main complex.  Go Spartans!

JV defeats Duluth East "C" in the rain

 

On Monday night the JV team ventured out into the rain for a matchup with the Greyhounds of Duluth East.  This game would be against the Duluth East "C" team, while later in the season the JV will battle the Duluth East "B" team.  Last year, we tied in our games against each of these teams.

The Greyhounds were the first on the board as a miscommunication led to an opening in the box and a shot into the back of the net for the early lead.  But the Spartans answered quickly.  Senior Griffin Dallum scored on a tap in after following up a shot on goal.  That tied the game 1-1.  Then it was sophomore Demion Campbell scoring his team leading 8th goal of the season to give Superior a 2-1 lead at the half.

In the second half, sophomore captain Everett Kliegle knocked home a rebound goal in front of the net to give Superior a 3-1 lead.  Just a few minutes later, freshman Henry Farell blasted an outstanding shot off the post that was neatly rebounded and slotted home by Dallum for his second goal of the day and a 4-1 lead.  Towards the end of the game, East earned a penalty shot after a push in the box.  The ensuing kick was beautifully taken to bring the Greyhounds within two goals.  But Superior held on and finished strong for a 4-2 win in the rain.  Freshman Liam Perrault finished with 8 saves for the win.  Campbell added an assist to his one goal and senior Mason Specht tallied two assists.  The JV team improves to 5-4 on the season and will next play Mesabi East under the Friday night lights at 7pm on September 18.

Varsity is back in action on Tuesday night at Washburn.  Go Spartans!