After a somewhat slow start to the season, the Becker Bulldog boys soccer team has found its offense and, as a result, they picked up a pair of wins to even their season record at .500.
Last Thursday, the team traveled to M8 Conference rival Chisago Lakes and came away with a shutout, 3-0 win.
The game was accentuated by yet another hat-trick from Junior captain Micah Boyer, who has been on an offensive tear over the past two weeks. For his offensive prowess, Boyer was recently featured as a prep spotlight athlete by the Star Tribune.
In the win over the Wildcats, Becker withstood an early flurry from their opponent, as Junior goalkeeper Nick Gruber had a couple of good saves in the first half to keep the Bulldogs in the game.
Then, in the 30th minute, freshman Tate Salvevold sent a through ball down the middle for Boyer, who took control and slotted the ball right past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, Boyer scored again in almost identical fashion, as Salvevold slotted the ball between the defense and found Boyer who put it into the back of the net. The Bulldogs took that 2-0 lead into halftime.
“Having a two goal lead is one of the most dangerous leads to have because a team can get too confident, or a mistake happens and the other team scores, then the lead is cut in half and momentum swings,” said Coach Nick Crowley. “But, we managed to hold onto a two goal lead for most of the second half.”
The Bulldogs, with five minutes left in the game, solidified the win with another goal by Boyer, who picked up his third hat-trick in as many games. On this one, Ander Alzaga dribbled through the center, past multiple defenders, before finding Boyer with a nifty pass. From there, the scorching hot Boyer took a touch toward the center and stroked it into the back of the net to make it 3-0.
“I am happy with the result, Micah scored some great goals,” said Crowley. “But, I’m most proud of our defense and Nick Gruber for getting our first clean sheet of the year, and the first of his varsity career.”
Hutch
Last Saturday, Becker hosted Hutchinson in a game that could help the Bulldogs extend the winning streak to four straight.
Becker came out on fire, with Boyer netting three goals to give Becker a big first half advantage. Assisting on two of Boyer’s goals, which gave him his fourth straight hat-trick, were junior Hudson Romfo and captain Brekken Klug.
However, Hutchinson wasn’t ready to back off just yet, netting one shortly after the barrage, to pull to within 3-1.
After a brief lull in the middle of the half, the Bulldogs took it to the Tigers to slot three more away. Boyer scored again, assisted by Alzaga, before Alzaga scored the next two goals (assisted by Klug and Boyer).
An unfortunate defensive mistake just before half awarded Hutchinson with a penalty kick, which they converted to make it 6-2 at the half.
In the second half, the Bulldogs picked up a penalty of their own and Alzaga converted, earning himself a hat-trick to make it 7-2.
Before taking the rest of the night off, Boyer managed to score one more goal (his fifth total for the game) making it 8-2. Junior Kyle Vogl was the next Bulldog who managed to get on the scoresheet, as he nailed a 30 yard freekick making it 9-2 to finish the game.
“It’s nice to have a game like this every so often where we can get a lot of our subs in,” said Crowley. “There’s a lot to be proud of and our guys were on top of it tonight. Let’s just keep it going.”
