By DON EDEN
Niles Daily Star

EDWARDSBURG – The Lakeland Conference lead was at stake Monday and Edwardsburg (4-4-1, 4-0-1) kicked Brandywine (6-5-1, 3-1) to second place as the hosts claimed a 5-2 triumph in girls soccer.

“This is one of the best games we have played all season which came at a good time against Brandywine,” remarked Ryan Rosenkranz, the coach of the Eddies.

A defensive battle was waged early with each team scoreless for 28:35 until junior Sam Low of Brandywine lowered the boom by duking a defender, then hitting the left post with a shot and then followed by knocking in the rebound.  Low rebounded another shot by sophomore Angelika Anderson with three threes on the clock to close out the visitors scoring.

Edwardsburg evened the score a minute before Low’s second marker at a goal apiece with a passing masterpiece started by juniors Macy Stevenson and Aly Mooth to find senior Ashlyn Chambers alone in front of sophomore goalie Carlie Newman. Chambers redirected the ball into the net and returned the favor to Stevenson with 18 ticks before intermission to deadlock the score at two goals.

“We are getting better all the time with our passing as the flow is getting together with each game,” stated Rosenkranz. “Offensively, we are spreading the wealth which is a good sign and defensively we are young with two freshmen (Haylie Stevenson and Ally McIntee) starting and they are contributing better as is everybody else on the team.”
Four-year starter Leslie Boyles was the star contributor for the victors in the second stanza with a pair of goals within the first seven minutes and thirty seconds as she stole the ball and sent a 15-yard roller in the left corner before retrieving a loose ball from ten yards to dent the net to give the Eddies a two-goal advantage.

“I was impressed with Edwardsburg who has good team speed and they work well together by working hard,” said Brandywine coach Evan Winkler. “We definitely need to work defensively since we are stabbing in too soon and our marking up needs to get tighter, because five goals is a lot to give up as our inexperience showed.”

The final tally came at the buzzer as Chambers fired a shot in the clear with Boyles delivering the pass.

“Our girls are having fun and they get along together well on and off the field,” concluded Rosenkranz.

With 7:20 left in the game Low was hustling for a loose ball when an apparent knee injury occurred and she had to be helped off the field.

“Sam (Low) heard it pop and losing her will hurt big time but hopefully she is okay for her sake,” noted Winkler.  ‘The pressure is on us now to stay with Edwardsburg since we face them again in our last conference game.”

Brandywine…2
Edwardsburg…5
First half
BR – Sam Low 29th minute
ED – Ashlyn Chambers assist by Aly Mooth 36th minute
BW – Low 37th minute
ED – Macy Stevenson assist by Chambers 40th minute
Shots – Brandywine 9; Edwardsburg 12
Saves – (BR) Carlie Newman 5; (ED) Brittany Hurst 7

Second half
ED – Leslie Boyles 46th minute
ED – Boyles 48th minute
ED – Chambers assist by Boyles at buzzer
Shots – Brandywine 5; Edwardsburg 9
Saves – (BR)  Newman 4; (ED) Hurst 3
Corner kicks – Brandywine 0; Brandywine 2

Niles at St. Joseph
ST. JOSEPH – The Niles girls soccer team could not find any offense Monday in its 6-0 loss to St. Joseph. The Bears scored 17 seconds into the match and didn’t look back. The Vikings were outshot 27-3. Ally Garstecki had four assists for St. Joe.

First half
Elle Karsten (Ally Garstecki), 1st minute
Skylar Cooper (Garstecki), 25th minute
Cassidy Helsley (Garstecki), 32nd minute

Second half
Cooper (Garstecki), 45th minute
Mel Schweir (unassisted), 52nd minute
Helsely (unassisted), 68th minute

Shots on goal
Niles 3
St. Joe 27
Saves
Niles 17
St. Joe 1

Vicksburg at Dowagiac
DOWAGIAC – A flurry of goals late in the match got the Dowagiac soccer team closer to Vicksburg, but the Chieftains couldn’t quite complete the comeback.

Trailing 6-1, Dowagiac scored three consecutive goals in a three minute stretch to cut the lead to 6-4 with 11 minutes left to play in its Wolverine Conference match against visiting Vicksburg.

Dowagiac also had a goal called back due to an offsides that would have made things even more interesting.

But the Bulldogs were able to hold off the Chieftains for a 6-4 victory Monday night.
Vicksburg took advantage of several defensive breakdowns in the opening 40 minutes of play to forge a 3-1 lead at halftime.

Danielle Peterson scored in the eighth minute and Jenna Ruimveld scored the first of her three goals in the 19th minute to make it a 2-0 match.

Dowagiac’s Morgan Tanzillo cut the lead to 2-1 with the first of her three goals in the 16th minute.

A goal by Bailey Windle in the 24th minute and then back-to-back goals in the 41st and 42nd minute to start the second half allowed Vicksburg to break open the match – or so everyone thought.

Ruimveld and Shaylin Laure scored the two quick goals to start the second half and when Ruimveld completed the hat trick eight minutes later, the lead reached 6-1. But back came the Chieftains in the final 15 minutes to make a match of it with three goals.

Brea Williams got the ball rolling with a goal in the 67th minute and then Tanzillo netted back-to-back tallies in the 68th and 69th minutes to complete the scoring.

Vicksburg held a 25-23 advantage in shots on goal.

Alyssa Fritz was credited with 19 saves.

“We played flat the end of the first half and the beginning of the second,” Dowagiac coach Mike Williams said. “In order to compete we have to play with intensity for 80 minutes and we did not tonight. We look forward to Wednesday against Allegan to prove we can play for 80 minutes.”

Vicksburg…6
Dowagiac…4
Halftime score
Vicksburg 3, Dowagiac 1

First half
V – Danielle Peterson 8th minute
V – Jenna Ruimveld 19th minute
D – Morgan Tanzillo 16th minute
V – Bailey Windle 24th minute

Second half
V – Ruimveld 41st minute
V – Shaylin Laure 42nd minute
V – Ruimveld 50th minute
D – Brea Williams 67th minute
D – Tanzillo 68th minute (Williams assist)
D – Tanzillo 69th minute

Shots on goal
Vicksburg 25
Dowagiac 23

Saves
Vicksburg 17
Dowagiac 19 – Alyssa Fritz