Marines Collar Bulldogs 2-0 in Defensive Battle

Chrislin Pierre’s cool finishing made all the difference Tuesday, giving his Marinette Marines a 2-0 win over Peshtigo.
He scored twice, with the goals separated by just 31 seconds. The first came with 26:52 left on the clock and the other came with 26:21 to play.
The first half was an offensive stalemate, with just one Marinette shot on goal in the first half and two for Peshtigo.
With the Marines getting the benefit of the wind at their backs for the second half, they shifted their gameplan.
With Marinette playing in a defensive 4-1-4-1 formation, the lone striker Pierre would come through in a big way, finishing off assists from Hunter Schneider and Shawn Woodfill.
“Fantastic finishes,” Marinette coach Chris Mahlik said. “Just an outstanding player.”
Mahlik said the Marines’ goal was to keep the ball down in the first half and not give the wind a chance to impact the game.
“The second half I only had one forward so we played more of a defensive game today to try and prevent them from scoring and we did that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bulldogs coach Sam Wargula was left to lament missed opportunities. None of the eight shots on goal for Peshtigo found the Marine net.
“There’s a skill in soccer and it’s an uncoachable skill for the most part and it’s the simple skill of putting the ball in the back of the net. It’s just a kid that has the tenacity to do it,” Wargula said.
The Bulldogs have just one goal through three games.
“We just don’t have the back-of-the-net tenacity,” Wargula added. “We had three shots that went right at the goalie. Couldn’t have wrapped them up any nicer.”

Bulldogs Drop Tight
2-1 Contest to Blazers
The NEW Lutheran Blazers held off Peshtigo on Thursday.
Wyatt Denny scored for Peshtigo with 16:29 left in the game. NEW scored two earlier in the second half after a scoreless first half.
Bulldogs coach Sam Wargula had this to say after the game:
“We were the better team for most of the contest with more good chances and possession. Sometimes games just don’t go our way and this is one we expect to win handily when we meet again.”
The next meeting of these two teams is Monday, Sept. 25 at NEW.