The Becker Bulldog boys soccer team suffered two losses this week, falling to 0-3 on the year.

 

 

Last Friday night, the boys  fought a tough rival in Monticello, only to fall by a score of 1-0.

 

The Magic set the tempo early as they tried to press Becker's defense.  The Bulldogs bent, but did not break as junior goalkeeper Hunter McCalla  racked up seven saves in the first half.  Most of the shots were from well outside the 18-yard mark as McCall's defensive line  — consisting of junior Matthew Davalos, junior Noah Arrigoni and senior Owen Houghton kept Monticello in check.

 

Midfielders Qadry Fakhreddine and Collin McDowell kept up a fierce battle for the middle of the field against two very strong Monticello centers.  However, they weren't able to push the ball forward as they would have liked, leaving them with very few chances for shots on goal in the first half.

 

The first half ended in a 0-0 tie.

 

The second half saw the Bulldogs change to a 3-5-2 scheme and it seemed as if it was going to be the key to unlocking Monticello’s defense.  Becker started to push against the Magic defense and began finding holes in their armor and opening up their offense.  However, in the 23rd minute, Monticello’s attacker, Elmer Escobar found an opening and drilled a shot in the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.

 

This was the last look the Becker defense allowed the Magic shooters, but the damage was already done.  In the last 15 minutes of the match, the Magic were on their heels as wave after wave of Bulldog assaults bombarded them.  Becker racked up more shots on goal in the last 15 minutes of the game than they saw the first 65.  

 

As the seconds ticked down, the Bulldogs saw their hopes fade and Monticello held on for the one-goal win.

 

 

Tuesday, Becker traveled to Melrose for their third game of the young season. Melrose was playing their first game as a member of the Granite Ridge Conference and this was their first conference match at home.

 

The Dutchmen seemed ready.

 

“Melrose plays a very loose style with many of the players able to keep the ball close and work into space,” said Becker Head Coach Alex Jurek.  “The Bulldogs like their spacing and try to unlock defenses with deft passing.  However, the Melrose pitch is short and narrow - creating for a cramped style of play that does not fit the Bulldogs well.”

 

The Dutchmen got on the board at the 32 minute mark of the first half and settled into defense the rest of the half.

 

In the second half, Becker switched back into the 3-3-3 game plan with a sweeper in order to push three forwards against Melrose’s defenders.  

 

“We sent the guys out there with a more balanced formation so that we could start sending the ball early and often to our attackers,” said Jurek.

 

But the ball kept getting lost in the middle.

 

“We are holding onto the ball too long,” he said. “Not finding our outlets or sending early.  In this game, on this pitch we needed to send early, right after our first touches.”

 

On a Melrose corner kick, the ball ricocheted off of a Bulldog defender and past McCalla for a 2-0 lead with 22 minutes left.  

 

The Bulldogs answered the errant goal with one of their own when junior left forward Logan Boyer took his defender to the left corner of the field and sent a timely cross to Nick Vieau for his second goal of the season. The goal energized the Bulldogs and much like the Monticello match, the Bulldogs had the Dutchmen on their heels the last 20 minutes.

 

 However, even with dominating the shot count, the Bulldogs could not find the back of the net.

 

Becker fell to 0-3 on the season, 0-2 in the Granite Ridge and 0-1 in Section 6A play. They  next play Monday at Rocori, then Tuesday at home against St. John’s Prep and Thursday at home against Little Falls.

 

They follow-up the very busy week by hosting a tournament Saturday against North Branch, Princeton and Mesabi East.