It was a close game Monday evening for the Becker boys soccer team, as they traveled to Rockford and came away just short, falling 1-0 to the Rockets in the opening round of the section tournament.

Rockford used the home turf to its advantage and scored at the five minute mark of the game as the Bulldogs were trying to find their footing.  At that point, no one thought it would be the only goal scored in the game.

“It took us some time to get used to the turf,” said coach Nick Crowley.  “But we went into the second half with a better attitude and more energy.”

Becker generated several scoring opportunities in the second stanza with some throw-ins and corners, but the team found the goal elusive and in the process saw their season come to an end.

“There was a big push from sophomores Kyle Vogl and Owen Kolbinger in the final five minutes,” said Crowley.  “We just didn’t connect on passes like we should have and that didn’t allow us to get into their third to put some shots on net.”

Despite the loss, Crowley sees plenty of reason for optimism moving into next year.  He will feel the loss of a solid group of seniors who provided a great deal of leadership this year, but also saw some younger players who played important roles and showed a great deal of improvement over the season.

Regarding the season, Crowley pointed to several highlights, including his team’s win over rival Big Lake, as well as the comeback to tie Chisago Lakes 3-3.

Crowley also pointed to the game in which Becker held the conference champion, Monticello, to two goals early in the season.  He sees those types of efforts as reasons to believe the future is brighter for the soccer program.

Individually, he pointed to the performances of Senior Ray Lyon, who scored 3 goals and had 2 assists, as well as sophomore Kevin Vogl’s efforts in goal where he has over 100 saves.

“It was a tough season,” said Crowley, referring to his team’s record.  “It was not the season we wanted, but at least we were able to play.”