By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Visiting Sturgis scored three first half goals en route to a 4-0 non-conference victory over Niles on Tuesday afternoon.
The Trojans scored in the fifth, 28th and 32nd minutes of the first half.
Sturgis completed the scoring with a goal in the 69th minute.
"Sturgis is a good team this year," Niles coach Jerry Holtgren said. "In fact, they are a much better team than any other I have seen from Sturgis. While the score was 4-0, it was a tighter game than the final score showed. Three of the goals came from well outside the box, so we need to do a much better job pressuring those kicks."
Niles (3-2) was out shot by Sturgis 20-11. Zach Bloss was credited with 12 saves.
"We also had a difficult time finishing tonight: a missed penalty kick, two breakaways, and a variety of near misses," Holtgren said. "I was happy with the play of our two captains, defender Grant Cramer and midfielder Zak Herrmann. They both played hard, made good decisions, and held down their respective areas. They are both great team leaders. Anthony Saltzman also played a great game. He was active in the offensive third and contested every ball that came his way."
Sturgis…4
Niles…0
Halftime Score
Sturgis 3, Niles 0
First Half
Sturgis 5th minute
Sturgis 28th minute
Sturgis 32nd minute
Second Half
Sturgis 69th minute
Shots on Goal
Niles 11, Sturgis 20
Saves
Niles 12 (Zach Bloss)
Sturgis 5