Soccer Roundup

CEC boys fall, regain balance

There might not be a coach around more pleased than Archie Clark. Right now, his Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys soccer team is firing on all cylinders.

Just look at the statistics.

In just eight games this fall, the Lumberjacks have netted 37 goals, while only allowing 11. That has equated to a 6-1-1 overall record and a team that is starting to turn some heads, including Clark's.

"I knew that we were going to be pretty good this year," he said, "but I've been pretty pleased with our progress so far."

CEC's only blemish came in a 4-1 loss at fifth-ranked Hermantown last Thursday, where they allowed three second-half goals to the Hawks in a game they let slip away.

Since then, however, the Lumberjacks defeated Chisago Lakes Area 2-1 Saturday with goals from senior captains Landen Straub and John Scheuer's game-winner with roughly six minutes left.

On Tuesday night, CEC traveled north and thumped Two Harbors 10-0 in a Lake Superior Conference clash that was never competitive. According to Clark, seven players scored.

"We had a really good game up there," Clark said. "We've been passing the ball well lately. You'll see 10, 12, sometimes 15 passes in a row. That's good. We're a passing team and that should create some opportunities for us here as we continue to move forward."

Straub added another hat trick to his resume Tuesday, as he now has 13 goals this fall, ranking him among the state's best. Westin Michaud also bagged a pair of goals against the Agates, while Jim Peterson, Tyler Goebel, Hunter Leon, Zach Johnson and Austin Cossalter also scored.

CEC will next head to LSC foe Ashland Saturday afternoon and then host Hibbing-Chisholm Tuesday.

Cloquet gets in the win column

It took four games, but the Lumberjacks finally got a victory.

The Cloquet girls soccer team never trailed in their season's first win, a 3-2 victory over Hermantown last Thursday, then they hung a 4-3 overtime defeat on visiting Princeton Saturday.

Emily Rikkola scored in the 87th minute Saturday in a game where Cloquet outshot the Tigers 26-8. Kelsey Anderson also buried a pair of goals for the Lumberjacks, while Maija Doran tallied her team-leading fourth strike of the year against Princeton.

On Tuesday, Cloquet (2-3) fell in a night clash with Lake Superior Conference nemesis Duluth Denfeld in a 2-0 shutout.

The loss didn't disappoint their head coach, however.

"I really liked the way we played," Cloquet coach Dustin Randall said Tuesday. "It was a step forward for us. We just couldn't get the ball in the net. Hopefully we'll starting stringing some wins together here."

Cloquet will next host LSC foe Two Harbors Thursday and then head to Hibbing-Chisholm Tuesday.

Eskomos fall at EGF, bounce Rapids

Nicki Peterson said it was as even as you can get.

Clashing with formerly state-ranked East Grand Forks, Peterson's Esko-Carlton girls soccer team lost a closely-

contested fight 2-1 in overtime on the road last Friday night under the lights.

Caitlin Lilly scored her team-high eighth goal of the season just over two minutes into the tussle. The Eskomos saw the Green Wave answer early in the second half and then in overtime for the win.

"We couldn't clear the ball and then they just nailed it in," Peterson recalled of the game-winner. "But it's always a quality game with East Grand Forks. It's a good little rivalry for us nowadays. It felt like a playoff game."

Esko-Carlton (4-2) came back Monday evening, defeating Grand Rapids 4-2 on the road. Lilly, Kadee Karkkainen and Hillary Anderson all scored, while speedster Marisa Shady netted her first career varsity goal as well.

Next up, the Eskomos will head to Hermantown Thursday and host Zimmerman Saturday afternoon.