The Dowagiac girls soccer team got off to a much better start in its second meeting of the year against Wolverine Conference rival Comstock.

In opening round Division 3 district tournament action on Tuesday, the Chieftains scored three goals in the first 12 minutes and went on to post a 5-1 win over the Colts.

Dowagiac, which improved to 12-7-1, advances to play either Parchment or Berrien Springs in semifinal action today at 5 p.m. at Paw Paw High School.

During the regular season, the Chieftains trailed the Colts, 2-0, before scoring three goals in the final 13 minutes to post a dramatic win.

“Just effort,” said Dowagiac coach Mike Williams when asked what the difference was for his team the second time against Comstock. “That’s all the problem was the last time. We had too much confidence and didn’t play right. We knew that we could do this (against Comstock).”

Breanna Williams ignited the Chieftains early against the Colts. With the Comstock goalie out of position, Williams scored from five yards to give Dowagiac a 1-0 lead with 35:15 left in the first half.

“I saw the defender take a step and go the wrong way and then I saw the goalie come out and I tapped the ball to the side and put it in,” said Williams, who’s the coach’s daughter. “It was pretty easy. I used to just get nervous and hit the ball to the goalie. Now, I know how to place the ball to help my scoring opportunity.”

Dowagiac’s scoring flurry was just getting started as Kelsie Primley scored twice in the next seven minutes to give the Chieftains a 3-0 lead. Both goals came from about 10 yards with the first going inside the right side of the goal with 30:35 left in the first half. Primley’s second goal nestled into the left side of the goal and came with 28:20 left in the first half. Williams assisted on the second goal.

“The thing I liked about (Williams) and Kelsie is how they controlled (the ball) 1-on-1 and kicked it toward the keeper,” Mike Williams said. “It shows how much they’ve grown. Last year and the year before, they would have freaked out and kicked it. Now, they control the ball, turn around the keeper, and place it.”

Dowagiac saw its lead slice to 3-1 after Comstock’s Amanda Clapper scored from 15 yards with 27:26 left in the first half. That would be the halftime score.

“No. 9 (Clapper) is a solid player,” Mike Williams said. “If you give her some room she can shoot from far out.”

The Chieftains wasn’t coach wasn’t happy with how the first half ended. The Colts had eight of the final 12 shots in the first 40 minutes.

“We sat back again (like in the first game against Comstock) after we scored three goals and stopped playing,” Mike Williams said.

Williams made a defensive adjustment to start the second half to help contain Clapper.

“We moved Primley back to (Clapper),” the Dowagiac coach said. “We were giving (Clapper) too much space in the first half. (Primley) was able to mark her.”

Comstock had only one shot on goal in the second half and that came from Clapper from 15 yards with only 30 seconds left in the match. The shot was stopped by Dowagiac goalie Alyssa Fritz.

While Comstock’s offense was constained in the second half, Dowagiac scored twice on its nine shots. Lauren Krueger scored from 15 yards on an assist from Williams with 27:17 left in the match. Williams then followed with a goal from 10 yards on a breakaway with 19:55 left in the match. Williams continues to increase her single season school-record goal total. The senior standout now has 27 goals.

Being a senior, Williams was asked if there’s a sense of urgency to win.

“I want to go out with a bang,” she said.

Dowagiac will take on Parchment Thursday at Paw Paw High School at 5 p.m.

Comstock…1

Dowagiac..5

Halftime score

Dowagiac 3, Comstock 1

First half

D – Breanna Williams 37:30

D – Kelsie Primley 30:35

D – Primley (Williams assist) 28:20

C – Amanda Clapper 27:26

Second half

D – Lauren Krueger (Williams assist) 27:17

D – Williams 19:55

Shots on goal

Dowagiac 17, Comstock 10

Saves

Dowagiac 6 (Alyssa Fritz)

Comstock 4 (Haylee Gerard)

Corner kicks

Dowagiac 3, Comstock 1

Records

Dowagiac 12-7-1, Comstock 5-9-2