Chieftain kickers fall just short

Published 9:17 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
Forty seconds was all that stood between the Dowagiac soccer team and overtime Wednesday night against visiting Gull Lake in a Wolverine Conference match.
But as time was winding down, the Blue Devils' Alex Zick stuck a direct kick in the upper right corner of the net to give Gull Lake the victory.
In a defensive battle, the Chieftains stood toe-to-toe with the perennial powerhouse.
Dowagiac was outshot by the Blue Devils 18-8, but few were quality chances.
The Chieftains had one quality shot on goal, while Gull Lake shot one over the top of the goal from point blank range late in the second half.
The scoreless first half saw both teams move the ball up and down the pitch, but couldn't beat the defense or goalkeepers Art Springsteen (Dowagiac) or Kyle Bushhouse (Gull Lake).
Bushhouse was credited with seven stops, while Springsteen finished with six saves.
Dowagiac coach Craig Black was pleased with the effort his team gave and told them that matches like the one Wednesday night will help them in the upcoming state tournament.
"It was a great effort," he said. "As I told them, this was a great game to prepare us for districts. If we can hang with teams like this and Plainwell, then we should be okay against the teams in the district. I am really happy with the way the boys played. Now they know how they are capable of playing.
"Ben (Soto) had a great game, he kept them in control back there and Kasey (Proshwitz) always does a great job. They can't get enough credit," Black said of his defense.
Dowagiac will return to action on Monday as it heads to Otsego for another conference match.
The Chieftains will be without Andrew Cripe, who picked up a red card with less than 10 seconds remaining in the match.