MARQUETTE — Marquette found a new way to win on the soccer pitch Saturday as the Sentinels survived a 6-4 decision over downstate Ortonville Brandon to improve to 5-2.

“Our midfielder, Jack Sysko, turned in a fabulous game,” MSHS head coach Dan Salmon said in an email detailing the result. “He covered the field quite well.

“It was a great game and we were very evenly matched with Brandon.”

Despite all the scoring in this game between a pair of teams in MHSAA Division 2, Salmon credited goalkeeper Edan Hautamaki as the key to getting a victory after he made eight saves, including five in the second half.

“Our goalkeeper, (Edan) Hautamaki, made some great saves down the stretch and kept us in the game,” Salmon said.

The Sentinels took the lead three times, only to have the Blackhawks, who hail from northern Oakland County between Pontiac and Flint, come back to tie the game.

But MSHS scored three of the final four goals to put away the result.

Kaleb Chipelewski and Finn Stiles knocked in two goals apiece for Marquette, scoring once each half, while Chipelewski also had two assists.

Teammates Charlie Hrodey, who added an assist, and Henry Woods scored a goal, while the Sentinels’ Seth Sandstrom, Landon Hartung and Indigo Catalano all had an assist.

Chipelewski opened the scoring on a penalty kick before the downstate team tied it, then Stiles knocked home his first goal with an assist to Hrodey.

The Blackhawks again tied it 2-2 later in the half, where the score stood at the break.

Hrodey then notched his goal to start the second-half scoring only to have Brandon again retie it.

Then Chipelewski and Stiles scored their second goals — Sandstrom assisting Chipelewski’s and Hartung and Catalano assisting Stiles’ — to give Marquette a 5-3 lead.

And though Brandon would score once more to pull within one, Woods added his goal for insurance down the stretch.

The Blackhawks only have a modest 4-6 record, but are 3-0 in the Stars Division of the Flint Metro League. In addition, Brandon had scored a total of 18 goals in its three previous games, all in league.

The Sentinels play at Houghton at 6 p.m. Tuesday, then travel downstate for a pair of games in Traverse City this weekend, facing TC St. Francis at 6 p.m. Friday and Charlevoix at noon Saturday.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.