Niles soccer team wins Chieftain Invitational title

Published 8:12 am Monday, April 20, 2009

By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC – A pair of second half goals lifted visiting Niles to a 3-2 win over Dowagiac in the second round of the Chieftain Invitational on Saturday.
The Lady Vikings (5-3) then blanked River Valley 2-0 to claim the championship.
Dowagiac defeated River Valley 3-1 in the opening game of the tournament to finish second.
"The girls did a very good job today and have shown a lot of improvement over the last month," Dowagiac coach Mike Williams said. "It was nice to get the first win out of the way and see what we have to work on in game situation. We ran out of gas having to play back-to- back games Saturday morning and Niles took advantage of that. I am optimistic about the season and expect continious improvement throughout the season."
The Lady Vikings got goals from Meagan Horn and Bryanna Cramer to defeat the Lady Mustangs.
Horn scored in the opening half with an assist from Sarah Tyler.
Cramer scored in the second half with an assist from Horn.
Niles held a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal. Autumn Lucero and Catie Butler combined in goal for the shutout.
Dowagiac led 2-1 at halftime as Leanna Allen and Morgan Tanzillo found the back of the net.
Lizzy Coulston had the goal for Niles in the opening 30 minutes with an assist from Kaytlyn Miller.
In the second half, Ashley Allison scored both goals for the Lady Vikings.
The first goal was unassisted, while the second goal came with an assist from Miller.
Niles held a 20-8 advantage in shots on goal.
Butler had one save and Lucero four.
"We moved the ball around well and created good shot opportunities," Niles coach Jo Schau said. "We are starting to come together with getting good combination passes for greater scoring opportunities.
"The team has been working hard at playing with intensity the entire match and Saturday we were able to accomplish our goal and take home the victories."
Chieftain Invitational
First Round
River Valley…1
Dowagiac…3
Halftime Score
Dowagiac 2, River Valley 0
First half
D – Kelsey Primley
D – Leanna Allen
Second Half
D – Morgan Tanzillo (Jessica Krueger assist)
RV – Katie Peterson
Shots on Goal
River Valley 14
Dowagiac 16
Second Round
Niles…3
Dowagiac…1
Halftime Score
Dowagiac 2, Niles 1
First Half
N – Lizzy Coulston (Kaytlyn Miller assist)
D – Kelsey Primley (Krueger assist)
D – Morgan Tanzillo
Second Half
N – Ashley Allison
N – Allison (Miller assist)
Shots on Goal
Niles 27
Dowagiac 16
Saves
Niles 4 (Catie Butler, Autumn Lucero)
Dowagiac x (Jo Jo Pickar)
Niles…2
River Valley…0
Halftime Score
Niles 1, River Valley 0
First Half
N – Meagan Horn (Sarah Tyler assist)
Second Half
N – Bryanna Cramer (Horn assist)
Shots on Goal
Niles 10
River Valley 3
Saves
Niles 1 (Autumn Lucero, Catie Butler)
River Valley 8
Varsity record: Niles 5-3