From staff reports

OTSEGO – The Niles varsity soccer team hit the road on Thursday to take on Wolverine Conference power Otsego in a non-league match.

After 40 minutes of soccer, neither team could claim victory and settled for a scoreless tie.

Niles (2-0-1) got off nine shots compared to six by the Bulldogs.

The Vikings’ Ryan Casey was credited with four saves.

“After a long bus ride, we came out rather flat,” Niles coach Jerry Holtgren said. “We had the right plan for Otsego, but couldn't execute in the attacking third. Otsego played the ball into the midfield to a central player and then played a long ball over the top. We countered that by winning the ball, trying to control the midfield, and possessing the ball until a seam opened up. Most of the time, however, we weren't patient enough or pushed the ball too quickly.

“Ryan Casey came up with a couple of big saves in the final ten minutes to keep the game knotted up. Pierce Knoll played well at stopper also. He made some great attacking runs and pushed the pace when we needed it. Cole Allison played aggressively, made some good runs and created some good scoring opportunities from his midfield spot. Hopefully, we can continue to improve and learn from this game. This team has the personnel to do some good things.”

The Niles JV soccer team was blanked by the Bulldogs 2-0 in its season opener.

The Vikings held a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal, but could not dent the back of the net.

Brenden Keen had three saves.

“This was a difficult way to open up our season,” Niles coach Scott Riggenbach said. “Otsego had already played four games and looked in mid-season form, while we are still trying to work things out. I was pleased with the way that we worked the ball in the midfield and we created some opportunities to score. We have some work to do on the defensive end, and we really need to work on finishing shots.”

Niles…0

Otsego…0

Halftime score

Niles 0, Otsego 0

Shots on goal

Niles 9

Otsego 6

Saves

Niles 4 (Ryan Casey)

Otsego 8

Varsity record: Niles 2-0-1