By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
BUCHANAN – In high school varsity soccer action Monday afternoon it was all Bridgman as the Bucks hosted the Bees at the VanDenBerg sports complex.
For both teams it was their Lakeland Conference opener. After 80 minutes of play the Bees went home with a 7-1 win.
Bridgman jumped out to a 4-0 first half lead as Buchanan didn't execute their game plan and what Buchanan coach Brian Pruett described as a poorly played half of soccer.
Paul Kidd scored the lone goal for Buchanan late in the second half to make it a 6-1 Bridgman lead.
"I feel Bridgman is the top team in the Lakeland Conference and playing the first conference game against them is tough with the young team we have and just one returning starter," Pruett said following Monday afternoon's loss. "We saw a lot of good things out there and we learned from it. We played a poor first half but our kids turned it around in the second half picking up their intensity. They turned it around and I saw improvement in their play on the field.
"It's early in the season and we are 2-2. We have a lot of games left, especially here on our home field, which we hope to take advantage of. We just want to keep improving after each night of practice and after every game and see what happens as the year goes on," he added.
Buchanan returns to the field on Thursday, as they will host South Bend Trinity at 6 p.m. following the junior varsity contest at 4:30 p.m.