The Dowagiac soccer team tuned up for Tuesday’s district opener with a dominating performance against Berrien Springs in the Wolverine Conference Soccer Tournament finale.

The Chieftains scored two goals in each half en route to a 4-0 win over the Shamrocks that could have been much worse.

Dowagiac outshot Berrien Springs 32-4. The Shamrocks’ keeper Lisita Paea saved 22 shots and kept the match from being a complete blowout.

The Chieftains played much of the match at the Berrien Springs end of the field and were never really tested on their own end.

“We played well today,” Dowagiac coach Craig Black said. “We came out a lot more focused. As I told them before the match, we need to work on the basics. Beat them to the ball. Each one of them had individual goals that we set up at the beginning of the game. Bottom line was we needed to set the tone for districts on Tuesday.”

Dowagiac will host Coloma, another Wolverine Conference West Division foe, Tuesday at 5 p.m.

In her first game back from injury, Anne Zebell scored a pair of goals to lead the Chieftains offensively.

Zebell scored in the 14th and 78th minute.

Christina Preston put Dowagiac on the board first with a goal in the seventh minute, while the other Chieftain tally came off the foot of Cali Rank.

Dowagiac had a fifth goal disallowed.

“We kept trying to get our forwards to make adjustments,” Black said. “We felt it could have been over in the first half. We just kept playing catch with their keeper.”

 

Wolverine Conference Soccer

at Dowagiac

Berrien Springs…0

Dowagiac…5

Halftime score

Dowagiac 2, Berrien Springs 0

 

First half

D – Christina Preston 7th minute

D – Anne Zebell 14th minute

 

Second half

D – Cali Rank 56th minute

D – Zebell 78th minute

 

Shots on goal

Berrien Springs 4

Dowagiac 32

 

Saves

Berrien Springs 22 (Lisita Paea)

Dowagiac 3 (Mara Nelson)

 

Corner kicks

Berrien Springs 2

Dowagiac 8