Portage Central Men's Varsity Team Site

The 2002 Varsity Team

(Revised 7/23/03)

Game History

Holt Rams

The fall has left and winter is upon us. Yet another brisk night but a good night for soccer. The game did not start well for the Mustangs after the Rams scored the first goal of the game. Although, PC was not willing to give up just yet. They scored their first goal a little while after the Rams. That was the end of the first half and after halftime the Mustangs picked up their play tremendously. The second half was dominated by the Mustangs but they were unable to score. The official time ended with a score of 1-1. Since this is tournament play overtime was to be played. After around 5 minutes of period 1 of OT, senior Jason Staver dribbled down the right side of the field, juked a Rams defenseman, played a cross through the six yard box to the awaiting sophmore Tommy McCurdy who finished the ball with finese. That ended the game with the Portage Central Mustangs winning the Districts 2-1 over the Holt Rams.

Game Pictures

A gratifying win over Northern

~Pictures of the game

Mustangs dominant over Battle Creek Central

~Pictures of the game

The Portage Central Men's Varsity Soccer Team

Back Row, Left to Right: Coach BJ Snow, Nick Winter, Eric Ramah, David Keyte, Chris Salemka, Andy Kroll, Jason Staver, Kyle Lemmermen, Brett Staron, Tommy McCurdy, and Coach Keith Kroll.

Front Row, Left to Right: Josh Comins, Ryan Brown, James Bennett, Jordan Terpstra, Mike Parke, Andrew Rice, Nate Salemka, Eric Alexander, and Terry Tabata.

The Men's Soccer Seniors


Back Row, Left to Right: James Bennett, Jason Staver, and Chris Salemka. Front Row, Left to Right: Jordan Terpstra and Terry Tabata	Back Row, Left to Right: Coach BJ Snow, Chris Salemka, Jason Staver, and Coach Keith Kroll. Front Row, Left to Right: James Bennett, Jordan Terpstra and Terry Tabata.

Scoreboard

Game	Score	Goals	Assists	Record





Forest Hills Central	2 - 3	Fr. Eric Ramah-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1	Soph. Nate Salemka-1	0 - 1





Mattawan*	0 - 2	-------------------	-------------------	0 - 2 (0 - 1)





BC Central*	6 - 1	Fr. Eric Ramah-1 Soph. Josh Comins-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-2 Jr. Michael Parke-1 Sr. James Bennett-1	Fr. Eric Ramah-1 Soph. Ryan Brown-1	1 - 2 (1 - 1)





Salem	1 - 3	Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1	-------------------	1 - 3 (1 - 1)





East Lansing	1 - 1	Soph. Josh Comins-1	Jr. Michael Parke-1	1 - 3 - 1(1 - 1)





Midlan Dow	1 - 0	Jr. Michael Parke-1	-------------------	2 - 3 - 1(1 - 1)





Portage Northern*	3 - 0	Jr. Brett Staron-1 Jr. Mike Parke-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1	Soph. Nick Winter-1 Fr.Eric Alexander-1 Jr. Michael Parke-1	3 - 3 - 1(2 - 1)





Loy Norrix*	2 - 1	Jr. Mike Parke-1 Fr. Eric Ramah-1	Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1	4 - 3 - 1(3 - 1)





Holland	2 - 0	Jr. Brett Staron-1 Jr. Mike Parke-1	Sr. Chris Salemka-1 Soph. Josh Comins-1	5 - 3 - 1(3 - 1)





K. Central*	2 - 0	Jr. Mike Parke-1 Soph. Ryan Brown-1	Fr. Eric Ramah-1 Soph. Kyle Lemmermen-1	6 - 3 - 1(4 - 1)





Sturgis	11 - 1	Soph. Kyle Lemmermen-1 Jr. David Keyte-1 Sr. Terry Tabata-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-2 Sr. Jason Staver-2 Fr. Eric Alexander-1 Fr. Eric Ramah-1 Soph. Nate Salemka-2	Soph Ryan Brown-2 Sr. Jason Staver-2 Fr. Eric Alexander-1 Soph Kyle Lemmermen-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-2	7 - 3 - 1(4 - 1)





East Grand Rapids	1 - 1	Soph. Josh Comins-1	Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1	7 - 3 - 2(4 - 1)





Lakeshore	1 - 0	Jr. David Keyte-1	Jr. Brett Staron-1	8 - 3 - 2(4 - 1)





Grand Rapids Christian	0 - 2	-------------------	-------------------	8 - 4 - 2(4 - 1)





Battle Creek Lakeview	0 - 2	-------------------	-------------------	8 - 5 - 2(4 - 1)





Grand Haven	5 - 1	Sr. James Bennett-1 Jr. Andrew Rice-1 Sr. Chris Salemka-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-2	Fr. Eric Ramah-1 Sr. Terry Tabata-1 Soph. Ryan Brown-1 Fr. Eric Alexander-1 Sr. Chris Salemka-1	9 - 5 - 2(4 - 1)





Portage Northern (Conference game)	0 - 6	-------------------	-------------------	9 - 6 - 2(4 - 1)





Harper Creek (Conference game)	10 - 0	Soph. Kyle Lemmermen-3 Sr. James Bennett-1 Fr. Eric Alexander-1 Jr. Dave Keyte-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1 Soph. Ryan Brown-1 Jr. Andy Kroll-1 Fr. Eric Ramah-1	Soph. Kyle Lemmermen-2 Jr. Andy Kroll-1	10 - 6 - 2(4 - 1)





BC Central (Conference game)	4 - 1	Fr. Eric Alexander-1 Soph. Nate Salemka-1 Jr. Brett Staron-1 Soph. Ryan Brown-1	Sr. Terry Tabata-1 Soph. Ryan Brown-1 Fr. Eric Ramah-2	11 - 6 - 2(4 - 1)





Coldwater (Conference game)	8 - 0	Soph. Nate Salemka-2 Sr. Jason Staver-2 Jr. Chris McCulfor-1 Sr. Terry Tabata-2 Soph. Josh Comins-1	Jr. Andy Kroll-1 Soph. Ryan Brown-1 Fr. Eric Alexander-1 Sr. James Bennett-1 Soph Kyle Lemmermen-2 Jr. Brett Staron-1	12 - 6 - 2(4 - 1)





Jackson (District game)	4 - 3	Soph. Nate Salemka-1 Jr. Andrew Rice-1 Soph. Josh Comins-1 Fr. Eric Alexander-1	Fr. Eric Ramah-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1	13 - 6 - 2(4 - 1)





Kalamazoo Central (District game)	1 - 0	Sr. Jason Staver-1	Jr. Andrew Rice-1	14 - 6 - 2(4 - 1)





Holt (District game)	2 - 1	Soph. Ryan Brown-1 Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1	Soph. Tommy McCurdy-1 Sr. Jason Staver-1	15 - 6 - 2(4 - 1)





Forest Hills Central (Regional game)	0 - 1	-------------------	-------------------	15 - 7 - 2(4 - 1)

Date	Opponent	Location	JV Results	Varsity Results
8-17	Midland Dow Scrimmage	Midland
	Game 1 Stevenson (Ranked #3 in D1)	----	0 - 3 loss	0 - 5 loss
	Game 2 Athens (Ranked #10 in D1)	----	0 - 1 loss	1 - 0 win
	Game 3 DeLaSalle (Ranked #1 in D1)	----	0 - 1 loss	0 - 2 loss
	Game 4 Country Day (Ranked #3 in D3)	----	1 - 2 loss	2 - 0 win
8-28	Forest Hills Central (Ranked #5 in D1)	Home	2 - 1 win	2 - 3 loss
9-3	Mattawan* (Ranked #1 in D2)	Away	1 - 0 win	0 - 2 loss
9-5	Battle Creek Central*	Home	12 - 0 win	6 - 1 win
9-7	East Lansing Tourney	East Lansing
	Game 1 Salem (Ranked #9 in D1)	----	0 - 1 loss	1 - 3 loss
	Game 2 East Lansing (Ranked #9 in D2)	----	1 - 2 loss	1 - 1 tie
	Game 3 Midland Dow	----	0 - 0 tie	1 - 0 win
9-10	Portage Northern*	Away	2 - 0 win	3 - 0 win
9-12	Loy Norrix*	Home	2 - 0 win	2 - 1 win
9-14	Holland (11am/1pm)	Away	0 - 1 loss	2 - 0 win
9-17	Kalamazoo Central*	Home	6 - 0 win	2 - 0 win
9-19	Sturgis	Away	2 - 0 win	11 - 1 win
9-23	East Grand Rapids	Home	3 - 1 win	1 - 1 tie
9-26	Lakeshore	Home	2 - 1 win	1 - 0 win
9-28	Grand Rapids Christian (Ranked #8 in D2)	Home	2 - 1 win	0 - 2 loss
10-1	Battle Creek Lakeview	Away	0 - 2 loss	0 - 2 loss
10-2	JV vs Hackett	Home	7 - 1 win	----
10-5	Grand Haven (12/2)	Home	1 - 0 win	5 - 1 win
10-8	Conference Tourney Portage Northern	Home	0 - 2 loss	0 - 6 loss
10-10	Conference Tourney Battle Creek Harper Creek	Home	8 - 0 win	10 - 0 win
10-15	Conference Tourney Battle Creek Central	Home	7 - 0 win	4 - 1 win
10-17	Conference Tourney Coldwater	Home	9 - 0 win	8 - 0 win
10-21	District Tourney Begins Jackson	Away	----	4 - 3 win
10-23	District Tourney Kalamazoo Central	Away	----	1 - 0 win
10-26	District Tourney Finals Holt	Away	----	2 - 1 win
10-29	Regional Tourney begins Forest Hills Central	Away	----	0 - 1 loss

* Designates Conference Game

Name: James Bennett Class: Senior Spring Ball: PSC Position: Defense/Midfield Hometown: Manchester, England Goals - 3 Assists - 1 Points - 7		Name: Chris Salemka Class: Senior Spring Ball: PSC Position: Defense/Forward Hometown: Portage, Michigan Goals - 1 Assists - 2 Points - 4
Name: Jason Staver Class: Senior Spring Ball: PSC Position: Forward Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan Goals - 5 Assists - 3 Points - 13		Name: Terry Tabata Class: Senior Spring Ball: PSC Position: Midfield/Defense Hometown: Battle Creek, Michigan Goals - 3 Assists - 2 Points - 8
Name: Jordan Terpstra Class: Senior Spring Ball: PSC Position: Defense/Midfield Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan Goals - 0 Assists - 0 Points - 0		Name: Dave Keyte Class: Junior Spring Ball: TKO Position: n/a Hometown: Goals - 3 Assists - 0 Points - 6
Name: Andy Kroll Class: Junior Spring Ball: TKO Position: Keeper Hometown: Goals - 1 Assists - 2 Points - 4		Name: Mike Parke Class: Junior Spring Ball: TKO Position: Midfield Hometown: Goals - 6 Assists - 2 Points - 14
Name: Andrew Rice Class: Junior Spring Ball: PSC Position: Defense/Forward Hometown: Compton, California Goals - 2 Assists - 2 Points - 6		Name: Brett Staron Class: Junior Spring Ball: PSC Position: Defense Hometown: Goals - 3 Assists - 2 Points - 8
Name: Ryan Brown Class: Sophmore Spring Ball: Wolves Position: Forward/Midfield Hometown: Columbus, Ohio Goals - 4 Assists - 5 Points - 13		Name: Josh Comins Class: Sophmore Spring Ball: TKO Position: Forward/Midfield Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan Goals - 5 Assists - 1 Points - 11
Name: Kyle Lemmerman Class: Sophmore Spring Ball: PSC Position: Midfield Hometown: Columbus, Ohio Goals - 4 Assists - 6 Points - 14		Name: Tommy McCurdy Class: Sophmore Spring Ball: TKO Position: Forward Hometown: Goals - 11 Assists - 6 Points - 28
Name: Nate Salemka Class: Sophmore Spring Ball: PSC Position: Midfield Hometown: Seuol, South Korea Goals - 5 Assists - 1 Points - 11		Name: Nick Winter Class: Sophmore Spring Ball: PSC Position: Defense Hometown: Goals - 0 Assists - 1 Points - 1
Name: Eric Alexander Class: Freshman Spring Ball: Vardar Position: Midfield Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA Goals - 4 Assists - 4 Points - 12		Name: Eric Ramah Class: Freshman Spring Ball: PSC Position: Forward Hometown: Goals - 5 Assists - 5 Points - 15

The Midland Varsity Scrimmages Game 1

The first game was a rough start for the Mustang Varsity team but with the handicap of very young, new players on the team versus a veterned older team the Mustangs were able to keep Stevenson to 2-0 at the half time. The game ended in a 5-0 loss. The score may not look pretty but the Mustangs moved the ball very well and were just getting ready for the games to come.

Game 2

After a hard loss in the first game, the Mustangs not only continued to move the ball very well but they communicated better and went harder to the ball after some encouraging words from Coach Snow during this game against Athens. The relieving ball to break the 0-0 tie came from Eric Alexander over the top of the defense where the energetic Tommy McCurdy was able to break through and chip the keeper from inside the penalty box. The win was a first for the team and a honorable one at that.

Game 3

As the day grew on, the heat was possibly a factor for all players from both DeLaSalle and the Mustangs. The game was hard fought from both teams and the Mustangs just got unlucky after some defensive breakdowns and 2 own goals, one in each half. The defense played hard but is still trying to organize and get to know each other. After a little hard work and experienced coaching from Coach Snow, the defense will be ready for all of their future foes.

Game 4

The game started out slow with each team having 3 games under their belt for the day but Junior and 3 year varsity player Mike Parke was able to put in a goal to the upper left 90 off a free-kick 25 yards out and take the lead in the middle of the first half. The game sealing insurance goal came from Tommy McCurdy, his second point of the day, to end the game at 2-0 against Country Day. By the end of the day the Mustang defense had improved on their communication and were more organized than in previous games.

Forest Hills Central

Portage Central came to this game to make a point and prove something. They are not rebuilding or too young. They brought it to Forest Hills Central with freshman, Eric Ramah, scoring the first goal 18 seconds from the starting whistle. The second and final goal for the Mustangs was tallied with sophmore, Nathan Salemka, threading the ball to his fellow classmate, Tommy McCurdy, who slammed the ball to the back of the net. After 2 unanswered Portage Central goals Forest Hills Central was stunned but not out of the game. They came back to tie the game and official time ending with a score 2 - 2. After discussion both coaches decided to go into a golden goal overtime. After the first OT the game was still tied 2 to 2. Neither team was willing to give in and forged ahead with yet another 15 minute OT. Both teams battled relentlessly but the fatigued Portage Central defense couldn't take another attack approximately 6 minutes into the 2nd OT where the unyielding Forest Hills Central offense was able to capitalize on an attack ending the game to a 3 - 2 loss for the Portage Central Mustangs.

Mattawan

The Mustangs jumped onto their horses from the get go and kept Mattawan at 0 for the entire first half making the score 0 - 0. Andy Kroll, Mustang's keeper, was unmerciful and muffled any of Mattawan's shots. PC was able to learn from their defensive mistakes in the first game against Forest Hills Central and utilize these learnings in keeping Mattawan still at 0 through most of the second half as well. Yet again Kroll was amazing in stifling shots from Mattawan. After a hard fought game by both sides, the Mattawan forwards continued ruthlessly and were able to break through the PC defense with around 8 minutes left in the second half and scored again shortly there after to end the score 2 - 0 in favor of Mattawan. Throughout the whole game Andy Kroll kept a cool head and stopped many amazing shots and this game was yet another learning experience for the Mustangs and all they can do now is get better.

BC Central

Although the season has not started out well for the Mustangs, a victory that may not have been hard was comforting and brought up the hopes for the rest of the season. PC was able to put use in this game the things they have worked on at practice. The team moved the ball very well throughout the game and it was overall a well played game by the Mustangs. A small breakdown in the defense in the last 10 minutes of the game did allow BC Central to score ending the game at 6 - 1.

Portage Northern

The game started out strong for the Mustangs as they began the game with a restart that caught the Huskies by surprise. The entire first half was scoreless but you wouldn't have known it from watching the game. Both teams continued to push on and persevere. Great shots were being both taken and saved by each team. Although the fouls may have been harsh towards the Mustangs in this half, they didn't let it bother them and continued to play hard against the Huskies. After a tiring and unrelentless half by both teams, the coaches got their time to talk to their players and motivate their teams.

It seems after all the hard work in the first half, the Mustangs wanted the win more and started playing phenomenal. The first goal was scored unassisted with approximately 25 minutes left in the second half by junior Brett Staron. After much deserved celebration from the Mustangs they got back into the game and sophmore Nick Winter crossed the ball to junior Mike Parke for a header that slammed to the back of the net at full force. The Mustangs didn't stop there. They pushed even harder and by this time the Huskies were already stunned and couldn't believe what was happening. There astounded reaction wasn't going to stop at 2-0 though. After a beautiful cross from senior James Bennett, sophmore Tommy McCurdy was there to finish the ball sealing the game indefinitely at 3-0 with only about 5 minutes left in the game.

Both teams played very well and kept the fans in the game constantly. Not only was the forward line for the Mustangs exceptional but the defense was able to keep the Huskies at 0 and this game tallied a great shutout for PC keeper Andy Kroll. The game overall was just played with amazing composure by Central and all the training, all the drills, and all the practicing, finally paid off and gave Central a splendid good win over Northern. The Mustangs have shown the soccer community what they can do and everybody waits to see what will come with the rest of the season.

Loy Norrix

The entire first half, the Mustangs looked a little sluggish and it seemed to carry on into the second half slightly. The Knights scored early in the second half after a thrown in down the line and the forward was able to get past a Mustang defender, put in the cross and score. But that wasn't going to stop the Mustangs. They continued to play hard and never put their heads down. They came back to tie the game on a free kick. The ball was taken around 25 yards out and junior, Michael Parke, placed the ball perfectly over the wall and tallied a point for Portage Central. The game was still tied after official time so it went into overtime. The Mustang's tenacity paid off and sophmore Tommy McCurdy crossed a beautiful ball to freshman, Eric Ramah's feet who ended the game. The final score was a 2 - 1 Mustang victory.

Holland

This Saturday the Mustangs made a trip to Holland which was a successful one at that. The 1st half became interesting after PC's first goal. The goal started when Jordan Terpstra was fouled around 35 yards out from the attacking goal. Once both the Mustangs and the Dutch were lined up and ready for the free kick, Chris Salemka placed the ball to the far side 6 yard box where Brett Staron waited paitently and headed the ball with precision to score the Mustang's first point. That half ended with a score of 1-0. After halftime, both teams re-entered the field and the Mustangs came out hard. Their second goal was a result of a PK. Josh Comins was fouled just inside the 18 where he was takin out hard from behind. Michael Parke was the one who lined up for the shot and smashed the ball to the left side of the net. This point was the last and finalizing goal for the game. It ended with a 2 - 0 win for PC. Andy Kroll was able to make some amazing saves and keep the game at a shutout.

Kalamazoo Central

The game started out well. PC came out strong and began moving the ball around as much as possible. The first goal for PC was scored by a cross from freshman, Eric Ramah to junior, Michael Parke's head. He placed the ball with skill to the corner of the goal. After a 1-0 lead, PC refused to stop there and tallied another point a little while after. The second goal was a shot from the left side from sophmore, Kyle Lemmermen off the post which put the ball in the center of the box where sophmore, Ryan Brown was there to slam the ball with power into the back of the net. The 1st half ended and the second half began. The score of the game remained 2-0 throughout the second half but the half was not without excitement. Andy Kroll, after stopping a PK shot in the first half was not done with amazing everybody. He was able to stop numerous other shots that very easily would have gone in on any other keeper. It was only Andy Kroll who was keeping, Portage Central, in the game. The final score was 2-0 and put the Mustangs at a lone 2nd place in their conference with a 4-1 record for conference play.

Sturgis

After the news wednesday that center midfielder Michael Parke broke his ankle, there was a position open and who was to fill it was the question. Coach BJ was able to answer this question well. He changed things up a bit to see who worked best where and although the score may have been high, Sturgis never really let up. They always came hard to the ball and continued to hustle. The game was 11 - 1 overall with the time ending early due to the mercy rule. The goals scored by PC were spread out and 8 differnt players scored.

East Grand Rapids

It was cold tonight at the Mustang field and the overall play of PC was just as bitter. They were able to control the game fairly well but numerous break downs allowed too many breakaways for East Grand Rapids. East GR was able to capitalize on one of the break downs giving the Pioneers a 1 -0 lead at half time. The Mustangs came out much stronger after half time and found a way to penetrate the Pioneer defense. Tommy McCurdy played a ball up the middle past the defense where Josh Comins who sprinted past everybody finished the ball with amazing finesse. Josh Comins grabbed the ball out of the net and returned to half field in anticipation to hurry the game for another goal but the 2nd goal never came. Official time ended with a 1-1 tie.

Lakeshore

The score for this game was 1 - 0. Portage Central did not come out to this game well. They were not going to the ball and overall did not play well. They were lucky to come out with a win.

Grand Rapids Christian

After Monday's game, it seems that Portage Central was still lacking discipline and did not come out ready to play this game either. Some new things were tried with the line-up and such but it was not enough to stop the persistant offense of Grand Rapids Christian. GR Christian scored 2 goals in the first half and PC was unable to get any goals. Overall the Mustangs played the game very well tactically but when it came to going to the ball and winning 50/50 balls at half field, PC was very weak. The Mustangs kept GR Christian from scoring any goals in the second half and the final score was 2 - 0. Andy Kroll once again played a fantastic game and was able to stop yet another PK making that 4 for 4 on PK saves for the amazing Junior. PC would be lost without their keeper. Hopefully in the upcoming game tuesday against Battle Creek Lakeview, PC will be able to pickup their game and get ready for yet another big game of the season; the great rivalry against Portage Northern.

Battle Creek Lakeview

This game was another disappointment for the Mustangs because they still haven't been able to pick up their game after losing Michael Parke. The two goals were scored in the first half and the Mustangs were unable to get any offense going in either half. The final score was a loss of 2 - 0. This game was good and the next time PC plays BC in conferences will be hoped for.

Grand Haven

After losing Junior Michael Parke to Kalamazoo Central, Mustang play got rather loose and rough. Things needed to be changed to make up for Mike's loss in the center and finally the Mustangs were able to put together a game that really made them look like their old self. The first goal for PC was scored on a PK by James Bennett. This foul was created by Ryan Brown who was fouled near the endline. The second goal followed not long after when Andrew Rice was able to thread the ball to the near post from about 18 yards out on the ground. Grand Haven scored with less than 2 minutes left in the half and things were close again. After half time, both teams were playing very well in the second half and it was back and forth. With about 20 minutes left in the second half, Eric Ramah crossed a ball from the left side about hip level to Chris Salemka who settled the ball a bit with a touch and then put it in the back of the net. Another goal followed shortly their after when Tommy McCurdy dribbled the ball in and scored. The last and final goal for the Mustangs was a free kick on the left side near half field where Chris Salemka placed the ball to around the 6 yard box and Tommy McCurdy brought the ball down and then finished the ball. The final score was a 5 to 1 victory over Grand Haven.

Battle Creek Harper Creek

After a demoralizing loss against Northern, the Mustangs were out of the Conference Tourney and could only do as good as 9th place. But just because of this, they weren't going to just give up. They played a very hard game against the Harper Creek Beavers. The score at the end of half time was 6 - 0. The 2nd half ended early since the Mustangs scored 4 more goals and the mercy rule ended the game 10-0 with around 23 minutes left in the 2nd half. The game was good for PC to work on their different plays and restarts. The next Mustang game will be on Tuesday, October 15.

Coldwater

Yet another night of cold weather puts the Mustangs against Coldwater Thursday and the game started off with the Mustangs going north with the kickoff. The game was slow the first half and the score was only 3-0 at half time. Although the score was low, it did not show the actual play of the game. PC was passing the ball well but still making crucial errors that would be certainly exploited against a top state team. Coldwater was able to take advantage of these errors a few times and got a few shots off on Kroll. After half time, the Mustangs came out harder than ever and put in 5 more goals than they did in the first. Second half play by PC was much crisper and with much more finesse. The final score was 8-0. Hopefully the Mustangs will be able to bring their last half to the districts game Monday against Jackson High.

Jackson

As the Mustangs took the long trip to Jackson, they all prepared themselves for a game that could either end their hard fought season or they could go on. The beginning of the game started out as though the Mustangs were not going to have a short season. PC was fighting hard and they got 3 very fast goals by Junior Andrew Rice, Sophmore Josh Comins, and Freshman Eric Alexander. Many teams would have just given up but Jackson was unrelentless. They scored a PK on Kevin Melotti that was simply unstoppable. Later on, Jackson was able to get a counter-attack and yet another good shot went in the back of the net. With the game being 3-2 in favor of the Mustangs, Jackson was pumped up more than ever. They got yet another goal before half time and the game was even. The Mustangs no longer had an easy win in front of them but now had to scratch and crawl to win the game. The second half was played well by the Mustangs with them moving the ball just as well as they have been in past games. It finally paid off with about 5 minutes left in the half when sophmore Nate Salemka took a shot 30 yards out and hit the far right corner. The game was 4-3 and now the Mustangs had the momentum and were able to keep Jackson from scoring again. The game ended 4-3 for PC and they are going to go on to play again Wednesday in the second game of the District Tourney.

Kalamazoo Central

The night was a little warmer and the trip not as far as Jackson and the Mustangs came out victorious once again. The first half was not as prestine as the game against Jackson but PC was still able to keep K. Central from scoring and the Mustangs got a few offensive attacks going as well. The second half was much better for PC and they came out this time ready to play. They started out well with numerous offensive attacks. KC was also able to get some attacks going but it wasn't enough to get a goal. With around 16 minutes left in the second half, senior Jason Staver was able to put one in the back of the net after a good ball was played from junior Andrew Rice. PC kept K. Central from scoring and the final score was a 1-0 win for the Mustangs. The next game will be on Saturday at 7PM at Kalamazoo Central. It will be played against the winner of Wednesday night's match; Grand Ledge versus Holt.

Holt Rams

Return to PC Soccer Home Page