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SMAC Champions Again!

Huskies Win 2nd Straight SMAC Title

October 9

The Portage Northern Huskies won the SMAC league championship tournament for the second straight season, defeating Stevensville Lakeshore in the championship game, 3-0, with Casey Higgason collecting a goal and an assist to lead the offense.

Northern took a 1-0 lead in the opening half at 31:27 when Higgason had the ball on the left side and delivered a perfect pass to a cutting Heath Somers, who headed it into the net. Juniors Cameron Krebill and Cody Cattell hooked up on the second goal at 11:17, with Krebill winning possession on the left side and crossing it into the penalty area for Cattell, who beat the keeper cleanly for the 2-0 advantage at intermission.

Higgason scored the only goal of the second half, beating the Lancer goalie with a 15-yard shot from the left side. It was the senior striker's team-leading 15th goal of the season. It was a great defensive effort for the Huskies, outshooting the Lancers, 21-3, as defenders Will Hawkins, Wil Granaderos, Kevin Branam and Kevin Myers allowed the Lancers few chances and senior defensive midfielder, Sean Hurley, frustrated the Stevensville squad's attackers with numerous steals.

Northern Coach Andy Fuehr appreciated the defensive effort of his team. "It was great for the boys to get a solid result against a very defensive minded club in Lakeshore," he said. "Our defense played great and the boys in the back held strong for 80 minutes. We now must get focused for the state tournament and next Thursday's District Semifinal at Portage Central."

The Huskies have won both the regular season crown and the conference tournament for the second year in a row. Northern keeper Jeremy Krueger collected the shutout, just as he did in the championship contest a year ago against St. Joseph. The Huskies improved to 14-3-4 on the season heading into its district showdown with Portage Central.

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If you know of any alumnus currently active in college or professional soccer environment pass on the information and I will attempt to add it to the list.....

Huskies Beat Portage Central 3-0 - Advance to SMAC Finals

October 7

Billy Cremeans scored two goals and Casey Higgason notched his team-leading 14th score of the season as the Huskies defeated rival Portage Central, 3-0, to advance to the SMAC Tournament Final, to be played at Northern on October 9 against Stevensville Lakeshore.

Ten minutes into the game, Higgason won a ball on the right side and made a run towards the corner, delivering a pass to Aaron Dewberry. Dewberry's shot was blocked and then cleared by the Mustang defense, but Northern's Will Hawkins intercepted the Mustang pass and sent it to Cremeans on the left side, who beat the keeper cleanly for the 1-0 lead.

With seven minutes remaining in the opening half, defender Kevin Myers stopped a Portage Central passing play and sent the ball to Higgason, who made a long run up the right sideline, beating two defenders and then scoring from 10 yards out for a 2-0 advantage. The Huskies outshot the Mustangs in the first half, 6-4.

The determined Mustangs came out aggressive in the second half, outshooting the Huskies, 8-6 after halftime, but they could not beat Northern keeper Jeremy Krueger, who notched the shutout with 12 saves. Kreuger had a little help from his friends as twice it appeared the Mustangs might score, but the ball was kicked out near the goal line by Kevin Branam on one occasion and by Aaron Dewberry on another Mustang shot.

Cremeans scored the third goal for the Huskies with 10 minutes remaining when he took a direct kick that was blocked by the Portage Central wall only to be recovered by Cremeans, who dribbled into the box and beat the keeper from 15 yards out.

"I was real pleased with the win," Northern Coach Andy Fuehr said. "Portage Central is a quality team and I was happy for our seniors because it's the last time they'll play PC on our home field."

The Huskies, who upped their season's record to 13-3-4, may play Portage Central again in the state districts, which will be held the week of October 13 at Portage Central.

Huskies Fall To East Kentwood 2-0

October 4

East Kentwood, the defending state champion in Division I and ranked third in the state this season, defeated Northern, 2-0, coming on strong after intermission after the teams fought to a scoreless tie in the opening half.

The Huskies outshot the Falcons in the first half, 5-4, and almost took the lead with less than 12 minutes remaining before halftime. Casey Higgason beat the East Kentwood defense around the left side and his hard shot went past the Falcon keeper, but hit the cross bar. Aaron Dewberry's attempt at the rebound went just wide as the Falcons survived the close call.

The talented Falcons came out fired up in the second half, outshooting the Huskies, 8-2, for the half and 12-7 for the game. At 28:00, the Falcons had a corner kick and the original shot was saved by Husky keeper Jeremy Krueger, but the rebound was put in for a 1-0 East Kentwood lead.

The score remained 1-0 for the rest of the half until a final Falcon goal was scored with eight seconds remaining in the contest as the Huskies pushed almost their whole team up in the offensive end in an attempt to get the equalizer. The loss was the first one for the Huskies since the first week of the season in the Portage Invitational "Three for One" affair on August 23.

The Falcons had 15 direct kicks to 13 for the Huskies and East Kentwood had the edge in corner kicks, 7-2. The non-league loss gives the Huskies a 12-3-4 record for the season as the team gets ready for its semi-final match-up with Portage Central in the SMAC tournament on October 7.

Huskies Open Conference Tourney with 9-2 Win over Marshall

October 2

Northern's Casey Higgason scored three goals in the first 15 minutes and the Huskies opened their defense of the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference (SMAC) tournament championship with a 9-2 victory over Marshall, the team's highest scoring game of the season.

Higgason scored on a breakaway five minutes into the contest for a 1-0 lead and seven minutes later the Huskies converted a corner kick opportunity, with Heath Somers delivering the ball to Kevin Branam, who sent it to Higgason, who found the back of the net. At the 26:00 mark, Higgason received a pass from Somers on the left side and beat a defender and then the goalie.

At 19:45, the Redhawks took advantage of a Northern defensive breakdown and cut the deficit to 3-1. The Huskies struck again at 12:40, with Aaron Dewberry making a very strong run on the right side, sliding an excellent pass over to Billy Cremeans at the last moment and Cremeans made no mistake for a 4-1 advantage.

With less than two minutes remaining in the opening half, Somers beat two defenders on the left side of the box and his left-footed shot gave the Huskies a 5-1 intermission lead. The Huskies outshot the Redhawks, 9-2, in the first half and 22-5 for the game.

In the second minute after intermission, Cremeans took a direct kick from 25 yards away and his perfect shot found the right corner to up the Huskies' lead to 6-1. At 27:00, Cremeans dribbled by the goal line on the left side and slotted a pass to Somers, who finished it for a 7-1 advantage. At 24:55, a Marshall player got free in the penalty area and found the back of the net for the team's second goal.

Two minutes later, An Nguyen dribbled through the box on the left side and beat the Redhawk keeper for an 8-2 Husky lead. Less than a minute later, Northern's Jake McKinney beat the goalie for game's final tally and the final 9-2 margin. Northern's excellent senior class scored all nine of the goals with the team's leading scorers - Higgason, Somers and Cremeans - accounting for seven of the nine tallies.

Northern won the regular season SMAC title and the conference tournament crown a year ago and are attempting to repeat the double this campaign. The SMAC has 16 schools in the league. The Huskies finished unbeaten in regular season conference games and now advance to the SMAC tournament semi-finals against rival Portage Central. The Mustangs' only conference loss was to the Huskies on September 9 in a 2-1 overtime thriller.

Before the Portage Central game, the Huskies have a non-league game with defending state champion East Kentwood on October 4.

Huskies Top Mattawan, 3-0, Finish Unbeaten in Conference Regular Season Play

September 30

Portage Northern finished 6-0 in the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference play with a 3-0 victory over Mattawan and as the top team in the 16-team SMAC and will have home games for all three contests they play in the upcoming Conference tournament.

The Huskies won the Central Division of the SMAC with a 4-0 record and won both crossover games against the first place teams in the East and West brackets. Northern defeated East winner Sturgis, 3-2, and West champion Mattawan. The team played Mattawan to a 2-2 tie earlier in the season in a non-league contest.

In the team's 3-0 win over Mattawan on September 30th, the Wildcats actually outshot the Huskies in the first half, 3-2, but Northern had a 1-0 halftime advantage. Ten minutes into the game, Billy Cremeans scored on a penalty kick after Casey Higgason was tripped in the box. With three minutes remaining in the half, Kevin Branam just missed a goal off a corner kick as his shot, headed for the right corner, was just deflected away at the last moment.

The Huskies dominated play in the second half, outshooting the visitors, 10-4, and scoring in the first minute of action, with Heath Somers connecting after a pretty passing play in the box from Higgason to Cremeans to Somers. Midway through the half, Cremeans made it 3-0 on a direct kick from 30 yards out.

Northern also had two goals disallowed in the second half, one on an offside call and another on a foul called by the referee. The Mattawan goalie also saved a penalty kick late in the game. Keepers Jeremy Krueger and Alex Gray combined on the shutout for the Huskies, who improved to 11-2-4 on the season after starting with a 2-2-0 mark.

Huskies Hand Gull Lake Its First Loss, 6-1

September 27

Portage Northern scored on six of its 11 shots on goal to hand Gull Lake its first loss of the season, 6-1, to extend the Husky unbeaten streak to 12 games.

Casey Higgason won the ball near midfield and used his speed to beat the Gull Lake defense and his shot from 10 yards out at the 29:33 mark opened the scoring. At 6:15 in the opening half, Ian Taylor took a corner kick and hit the ball to Aaron Dewberry, who sent it to Kevin Branam for the second goal. Later in the half, Branam narrowly missed, hitting the crossbar, and the intermission score was 2-0.

The Huskies scored four times within a 20-minute time-span in the second half to put it away. Branam scored on another corner kick in the fourth minute of the period as Billy Cremeans served it to him perfectly. Thirty seconds later, Higgason was fouled in the box and his successful penalty kick upped the lead to 4-0.

At the 30:04 mark, Heath Somers dribbled along the left goal line and served a perfect ball to An Nguyen for the team's fifth goal. Colin Greichunos made it 6-0 at 17:44, scoring after a Billy Cremeans corner kick. A late Gull Lake goal made the final 6-1. The Huskies out shot the Blue Devils, 11-8. Northern goalies Jeremy Krueger and Alex Gray shared the victory in the nets.

"The boys came out inspired to play hard against the 2nd consecutive undefeated team we have played," Coach Andy Fuehr said. "All players were able to contribute and the overall effort for 80 minutes was excellent."

The period of Sept. 20-27 was an interesting week of soccer for the Huskies. During that time, they beat three teams that are called the Trojans (East Lansing, Sturgis, Plainwell); they downed two undefeated teams (Plainwell, Gull Lake); they knocked off the third and fifth ranked teams in the state in Division II (East Lansing and Plainwell); they beat three first-place teams (Plainwell, Sturgis, Gull Lake); and they stretched their unbeaten streak to 12 games in improving to 10-2-4 on the season. A year ago at this time, after 16 games, the Huskies were 12-4-0.

Huskies Defeat Previously Unbeaten Plainwell, 2-1

September 25

Junior Aaron Dewberry made two big plays late in the game to lead Portage Northern to a 2-1 victory over previously undefeated Plainwell, the fourth ranked team in the state in Division II.

With less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Heath Somers launched a corner kick and the Huskies' Kevin Branam beat a Plainwell player to the ball and took a shot, which deflected off a player to the side. Dewberry then buried the rebound for the 2-1 Northern advantage. Two minutes later, the Trojans' Shane Lyons hit a direct kick from 24 yards away which was headed toward the Northern goal until Dewberry blocked it with his chest. Keeper Jeremy Krueger then cleared it for the Huskies.

Lyons, one of the state's leading scorers with 25 goals for the season through 12 games and 100 for his career, was held to two shots on goal by the rugged Husky defense, but one of them found the back of the net with just over a minute remaining in the opening half to give Plainwell a 1-0 lead at intermission. The Trojans outshot the Huskies in the first half, 6-1, including a hard shot with 10 minutes left in the half, which appeared to be headed toward the upper left corner, but Krueger was able to punch it away.

Three minutes into the second half, Northern's Casey Higgason was tripped just outside the 18-yard line. Billy Cremeans then found the back of the net on the ensuing direct kick to tie the score. Both teams managed just three shots on goal in the second half in the defensive struggle. The Trojans entered the game with a 12-0-0 record, having just given up two goals all season.

"This was a very even game and both teams had quality chances," Northern Coach Andy Fuehr commented. "It was nice to see us finishing on set pieces and the defensive play of the group in the second half. Plainwell is a talented team." The win gave Northern a record of 9-2-4 for the season and an unbeaten streak of 11 games after starting the campaign 2-2-0.

Huskies Defeat Sturgis, 3-2, in First Place Crossover Game

September 23

Northern keeper Jeremy Krueger preserved a 3-2 victory over Sturgis with two huge saves in the second half as the Huskies held on for the win after dominating the opening half.

Kevin Branam opened the scoring for Northern at the 26:21 mark, heading the ball into the net after a corner kick by Heath Somers. Five minutes later it was 2-0 when Casey Higgason beat the keeper on a rebound after a Jake McKinney shot hit the goalpost. At 17:25, Billy Cremeans delivered a corner kick into the box and Kevin Myers put it in for a 3-0 lead as the Huskies were dominating.

The momentum changed at the 14:02 mark when Sturgis scored on a penalty kick to close to 3-1. An apparent goal by the Trojans with 20 seconds remaining in the opening half was waived off by an offside call. Northern outshot Sturgis in the opening half, 11-2, and had four corner kicks to none for the Trojans.

At the 30:59 mark of the second half, a Sturgis player beat the defense around the right side to cut the margin to 3-2. After intermission, Northern had 5 shots on goal to three for the Trojans. At 22:00, a hard Sturgis shot appeared to be heading into the net and Krueger at the last moment was able to punch it over the net.

Two minutes later, Northern's Billy Cremeans just missed with a hard shot. A Sturgis player broke right in on Krueger with 16 minutes remaining, but the senior keeper stoned him from close range for the game's best save as the Huskies held on to its 3-2 victory. For the game, Northern had 11 corner kicks, scoring on two of them, while Sturgis had one corner kick.

"We had a great first 20 minutes and the finishing on set pieces was great," Northern Coach Andy Fuehr said. "The boys held the lead against a very skilled and determined Trojan squad." The Huskies are 8-3-3 on the season and are 5-0 in the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference (SMAC). Northern is the first place team in the Central Division of the SMAC, while Sturgis is first in the West Bracket.

Huskies Beat East Lansing, Tie Dexter, Then Lose Shootout in Invitational

September 20

The Northern soccer team, the defending champion in the East Lansing Invitational, defeated East Lansing, 2-0, and then fell to Dexter in a shootout in the championship game after battling to a 2-2 tie in regulation time.

The Huskies took a 1-0 lead on East Lansing 10 minutes into the contest when Heath Somers found the back of the net on a rebound after Casey Higgason ripped off a shot off the post. The Huskies held a 10-3 first-half shot advantage over the Trojans, the state's 3rd ranked team in Division II at the time.

"This was our best 80 minute effort on offense and defense, " Northern Coach Andy Fuehr said. "It was great execution of our game plan."

An Nguyen found Higgason with a long through ball at the 26:00 mark of the second half and the senior striker put it away for the final 2-0 score. The Huskies ended with a 14-5 advantage in shots on goal and upped their season's record to 7-2-3. Northern keeper Jeremy Krueger recorded the shutout.

In the tournament final against Dexter, Casey Higgason split two defenders and broke down the middle of the field and beat the keeper cleanly for a 1-0 lead four minutes into the game. The Dreadnaughts tied it at 1-1 midway through the half, hitting on a direct kick from 23 yards out. A minute later, Higgason's pass sent An Nguyen on a breakaway and the Husky midfielder made no mistake for a 2-1 halftime lead.

The Dreadnaughts tied it in the third minute of play in the second half, scoring on another direct kick, this one from 20 yards away. Neither team would score for the rest of the half in the 80 degree heat. The Huskies, who outshot Dexter in the opening stanza, 9-2, could manage only four shots in the second half, to two for Dexter.

In the shootout, the Dreadnaights prevailed on the final kick for the victory. Husky keeper Jeremy Krueger stopped the Dexter shooter the first time, but the assistant referee ruled Krueger stepped off his line and allowed the Dreadnaught player another chance and the second time the kick connected for the Dexter victory. Heath Somers, Casey Higgason, Billy Cremeans and Cody Cattell all scored in the shootout for the Huskies.

"Tired legs were the story but we had chances to finish before going to penalty kicks," Coach Fuehr said. "It was a back and forth match with quite a few momentum changes."

Huskies Clinch Regular Season title in Central Division

Heath Somers had two goals and two assists to lead the Portage Northern varsity soccer squad to a 6-3 victory over Battle Creek Central on September 16, extending the team's unbeaten streak to seven games and clinching first place in the regular season in the Central bracket of the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference.

The Huskies are now 6-2-3 on the season after starting 2-2-0. The team has won four and tied three in its last seven contests. Northern's league record is 4-0-1 and the Huskies will now play the first place team in the East Division and then the top team in the West before beginning play in the Conference tournament on October 2nd.

Somers found the back of the net early in the contest on a pass from Casey Higgason, but the scrappy Bearcats tied it at 1-1 twelve minutes into the game. Northern regained the lead five minutes later when Somers set up Aaron Dewberry, who buried a rocket shot from 15 yards out on the left side.

Northern goalie Alex Gray robbed a Bearcat forward at the 23:00 mark on a shot from close range, but a minute later the Battle Creek squad was awarded a penalty shot when a foul was called in the box. The Bearcats converted the PK and it was 2-2.

The Huskies regained the lead when An Nguyen converted a left-footed shot on a pass from Colin Greichunos at 28:00 minutes. A minute later, Somers and Higgason went to work again. Higgason took a corner kick and passed it to Somers who delivered a return pass to Higgason, who made no mistake on a 20-foot laser. The score was 4-2 at intermission and Northern had 10 shots on goal to four for the Bearcats.

Seven minutes after halftime, Ian Taylor gained possession for the Huskies in the penalty area and his shot from 10 yards out upped the Northern lead to 5-2. The Bearcats would not go away, however, and a shot from the right side 10 minutes later cut it to 5-3. Somers gave the Portage squad an insurance goal two minutes later, connecting on a penalty kick for the final 6-3 score. Northern outshot the Bearcats, 20-8.

Northern Defeats Kalamazoo Central, 2-1

The Huskies maintained their lead in conference play with a 2-1 victory over Kalamazoo Central on September 11, coming from behind to overcome the determined Maroon Giants.

Kalamazoo Central opened the scoring, connecting on a rebound six minutes into the game as the Huskies came out flat, two days after their hard-fought overtime win over rival Portage Central. The score remained 1-0 for most of the opening half until An Nguyen tied it at the 31:00 minute mark converting a crossing pass from Casey Higgason.

Twelve minutes into the second half, the Maroon Giants were called for a foul in the box and Higgason buried his shot right under the cross bar for the final 2-1 margin. Northern outshot the Kalamazoo team, 14-6, and had five corner kicks to two for Central. The Huskies were called for nine fouls and the Maroon Giants were whistled for 10.

Huskies Defeat Portage Central, 2-1

September 9, 2008

Senior Heath Somers sent the home crowd home happy when he drilled a shot from 12 yards out with 1:13 left in overtime, giving the Portage Northern Varsity soccer team a 2-1 victory over cross town rival Portage Central. It was the Huskies third straight one-goal victory over the Mustangs in the past two seasons.

Senior Sean Hurley stole the ball from a Mustang player just outside the Husky 18-yard line and sent a pass to fellow senior Casey Higgason near midfield. Higgason sent a perfect ball into space on the right side and Somers, who just missed the game winner late in the second half when he belted a ball off the post, beat a PC defender for the ball and beat the keeper top shelf, sending the Husky faithful into victory celebration.

The winners outshot the Mustangs, 7-5 , including a 4-2 advantage in the second half. Somer's game-winner was the only shot on goal in the nine-minute overtime. The Mustangs held a 1-0 halftime advantage on a J.D. Meyer goal seven minutes into the contest. Northern's Jake McKinney tied the game in the second minute of the second half on a left-footed shot in the middle of penalty area after Hurley stole the ball near midfield and sent it to Somers, who delivered it to McKinney near the 18-yard line.

Twice in the second half the Huskies thought they had broken the 1-1 tie with apparent goals, but the scores were waved off both times. Higgason beat the Mustang defenders around the left corner and along the goal line and found the far side, but the goal was not counted because of an offside call.

With five minutes remaining in the second half of regulation, the Husky's Aaron Dewberry found the back of the net, but a foul was called on Northern to nullify the score. The Central squad came close in the second stanza with seven minutes remaining, but Husky keeper Jeremy Krueger knocked the ball out by the left post.

The Huskies, defending champions of the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference, could still meet the Mustangs in the conference tournament as well as a possible match-up in the state districts.

The Huskies, after two straight ties, up their record to 4-2-3, with both losses coming in the Portage Invitational 3 for 1 Tournament on August 23.

The team plays Kalamazoo Central on Thursday (Sept. 11) and East Kentwood, the defending state champion in Division 1, on Saturday (Sept. 13). Both games are home contests.

Huskies Tie Vicksburg, 1-1

September 6, 2008

Northern and Vicksburg battled to a 1-1 tie on September 6 in a rare Saturday evening game on the turf at Vicksburg Stadium.

The Bulldogs scored first, just two minutes into the contest. Northern's Sean Hurley found the back of the net to tie it at the 17:00 mark of the first half, belting in a shot from 30 yards out after a Husky corner kick. Northern dominated possession throughout the game, but could not score again.

The Huskies outshot the Bulldogs, 12-3, but the Vicksburg defense was content to continually kick the ball deep and pack 8 players in or near the penalty area, frustrating the Husky attackers, as Northern had to settle for its third tie in the last four games.

In 100 minutes of play, including 20 minutes of overtime, the Bulldogs had only one shot on goal over the last 97 minutes after getting two shots in the first three minutes of the game. The strong Husky defensive effort was led by Kevin Branam, Kevin Myers, Sean Hurley, Will Hawkins and Wil Granaderos. The tie gave the Huskies a 3-2-3 record after eight games.

Huskies, Wildcats Battle to 2-2 Tie in Downpour

September 4, 2008

Rain, Rain go away! The Huskies of Portage Northern battled Mattawan to a 2-2 tie in a downpour on Thursday in Northern's home opener. The Huskies led, 1-0, on Heath Somers' 25-yard left-footed blast in the first half before the rains came late in the opening stanza and continued through the rest of the contest.

Northern outshot the Wildcats in the opening half, 11-2, and headed into intermission with its 1-0 lead. The second half featured a lot of sloppy play in the rain and once Mattawan tied it at 2-2 on a corner kick, the Huskies continued to pressure the Wildcat goal, but could not get the game-winner.

Huskies Down South Haven, 4-0

September 2, 2008

The Huskies made a successful road trip to South Haven on the first day of school on September 2, returning to Portage with a 4-0 victory and a 26-4 advantage in shots on goal.

The Rams held off the Huskies for most of the first half, but Casey Higgason found the back of the net from 15 yards out with four minutes left in the opening period for a 1-0 lead heading into intermission. The Portage squad turned up the heat in the second half, storming the South Haven keeper with 16 shots and three goals.

At the 28:00 mark, Ian Taylor launched a corner kick into the box and Kevin Branam knocked it behind the goalie to make it 2-0. Billy Cremeans then delivered a perfect ball to Colin Greichunos eight minutes later and the junior's shot upped the margin to 3-0. Branam just missed another score, hitting the post at the 19:00 minute mark. Jake McKinney closed the scoring late in the half, after a pass from Cody Cattell.

Huskies Tie West Ottawa, 1-1

August 26, 2008

Portage Northern traveled to Holland on August 26 and came away with a 1-1 tie with the West Ottawa Panthers. The Huskies scored first, with Casey Higgason connecting after a pass from Ian Taylor. After the Panthers tied the game, neither team could break the deadlock in the overtime.

Late in regulation, the Panthers had a chance for the lead, but Husky keeper Jeremy Krueger came well out of the net to turn away the breakaway chance. Northern outshot West Ottawa, 8-4.

Huskies Win One, Lose 2 in Portage Invitational

August 23, 2008

Game #1

Northern had trouble defending opponents' direct kicks, losing two out of three games in the Portage Three for One Invitational on August 23 as the Huskies record fell to 2-2-0 for the young season.

In the opening contest, Caledonia beat the Huskies, 2-0, scoring 4 minutes into the game and taking a 1-0 halftime advantage. Late in the half, the score was almost tied when the Huskies' Aaron Dewberry ripped a rocket off the upper post on the right side from 15 yards out.

The Portage squad outshot Caledonia, 12-7, but could not beat the Scots' keeper. The Caledonia team scored at the 36:00 mark of the second half to complete the scoring, hitting from 18 yards out on a direct kick.

Game #2

In the second game, in the second minute, Husky keeper Jeremy Krueger robbed a Hornet forward from close range, but Saline scored twice later in the opening half on long direct kicks to take a 2-0 lead, outshooting the Huskies in the opening stanza, 5-0. The Huskies came roaring back after intermission with three goals to take a 3-2 victory, despite the Hornets' 7-3 shots-on-goal edge for the game.

Billy Cremeans stole a Saline pass at the 33:00 mark and beat the keeper cleanly from eight yards out to close the margin to 2-1. Five minutes later, An Nguyen stole a Hornet pass in the penalty area and found the back of the net to tie the score. Late in the half, defender Will Hawkins stole the ball near midfield and broke in on the Hornet keeper and scored the winning tally from 10 yards out.

Game # 3

In the final game, Forest Hills Central took a 2-0 lead at the intermission and controlled most of the contest for a 3-0 victory. The Huskies outshot the Rangers, 10-9, with most of Northern's shots coming late in the game when the outcome was already decided. The Rangers scored twice within a four minute span late in the first half and connected off a corner kick in the second half.

Northern Opens Season with 6-0 Win over Norrix

August 21, 2008

The Portage Northern men's soccer team opened the 2008 season by scoring three goals in each half in a 6-0 victory over Loy Norrix.

In the 5th minute of the opening half, Billy Cremeans sent a corner kick to Casey Higgason, who fed it to Cody Cattell, who beat the Norrix keeper cleanly to open the scoring. A minute later, Higgason collected another assist, this time connecting with Heath Somers, who made it 2-0. Somers found the back of the net again at the 8:00 minute mark on a pass from Cremeans.

In the second half, Cremeans stole the ball and chipped it over the goalie for a 4-0 advantage in the fourth minute. Higgason connected on a penalty kick two minutes later and Cattell closed the scoring with three minutes remaining for the final 6-0 count. The Huskies outshot the Knights, 26-3.

GAME SCHEDULES AVAILABLE ON highschoolsports.net

The game schedule is available in a printable pdf file, and these games are included in the calendar too. Listen to your coaches for any news of schedule changes. Changes will be noted at highschoolsports.net before they'll show up in the .pdf file above.

Please share this information with any new players who may be interested. Also, please let Andy know of any email addresses to be added to his list (including both new player candidates, and if you've changed yours since last year) so you can get new news as soon as it's available.

Officers for Spring 2008 and Fall 2008-

Boosters Meeting Schedule and Minutes-

The boosters meet at 7:00 p.m. in the PN Media Center or the Cafeteria on days to be determined. To see minutes of meetings already held, click on a date below-

• August 14, 2008
• September 18, 2008
• October 8, 2008
• November 20, 2008
• no meetings in December or January, next meeting Feb 12 at 7:00 pm

http://pnhs.home.att.net/science/torricelli.htm