By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES – A pair of second half goals lifted visiting Mattawan to a 3-1 victory over Niles Tuesday night in Big 16 West Division play.
The Wildcats grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute on a shot from 10-yards out.
It remained that way through the first half.
In the second half, Niles' Nate Allison scored on a through ball into the box from Billy Siderits and scored with a show in the lower corner.
Mattawan scored in the 63rd minute and again in the 67th minute to pick up the victory.
"We played with much more intensity tonight and I was happy that we finally showed some fire," Niles coach Jerry Holtgren said. "After going down by one, we were able to even the game up until late in the second half. Our goal came off of some great combination play that we have been working on in practice, so there were some definite bright spots.
"Mattawan was the fastest team that we have seen this year and they really pushed the action. However, for a stretch in the second half, we were able to control the tempo as well. Zack Bloss had another strong game in goal deflecting some tough shots. He had some good help from defenders Grant Cramer and Chase Krueger. Zak Herrmann and Nate Allison had some strong midfield play and Alex Welch created some opportunities in the offensive end," he added.
Holtgren said his squad, now 5-5 on the year, is headed in the right direction.
"If we continue to play with this intensity and improve our attacking, I think we will be a competitive opponent in the conference play," Holtgren said.
The Niles junior varsity soccer team was blanked by the visiting Wildcats, 8-0.
Mattawan…3
Niles…1
Halftime Score
Mattawan 1, Niles 0
First Half
M – 30th minute
Second Half
N – Nate Allison, Billy Siderits (assists) 45th minute
M – 63rd minute
M – 67th minute
Shots on Goal
Mattawan 20, Niles 8
Saves
Mattawan 6
Niles 18 (Zach Bloss)