Local Sports

Sentinels boys soccer does a little of everything

MARQUETTE -- The Marquette Senior High School boys soccer team hosted a fairly unusual sounding event last week, at least for this sport -- a triangular.

The Sentinels also played another home game during the week and finished this time period with a little of everything, winning one, losing one and tying one game.

On Aug. 29, Marquette tied Kingsford and lost a one-goal decision to Lower Peninsula powerhouse Ortonville Brandon, then bounced back on Wednesday for a shutout of previously undefeated Houghton.

"Saturday's results were tough, after having a lead in both games," Sentinels head coach Charlie Hill said in an email detailing the result. "We conceded more goals than the entirety of our first six games. It was good to get the win and shutout against Houghton.

"It's been a very busy start to the season and the boys will have a much-deserved break ... before we head to Iron Mountain."

MSHS, now 3-4-2 for the season, goes on the road for its next game, at 6 p.m. EDT today at Iron Mountain.

Here are details from the recent games:

Marquette 4, Kingsford 4

In the first game on Aug. 29, the Sentinels built a 2-0 halftime lead that they built to 3-0 early in the second half before the Flivvers staged a furious comeback.

Seth Sandstrom opened the scoring around the midpoint of the first half with an assist coming from a long pass by Oscar Hill.

Only a few minutes later, MSHS made it 2-0 when Ty Sadler scored inside the goal area off an accurate pass from Sandstrom.

Then not long after play resumed after intermission, Marquette's Sawyer Dietsch made it 3-0 on a header from a corner kick by teammate Colin Murray.

That's when Kingsford went to work, first scoring with about 20 minutes left on a penalty kick, then a few minutes later, when a long shot went into the top corner of the Sentinels' goal. One more goal tied it 3-3.

Marquette regrouped and went back ahead with about six minutes left when Landon Hartung blasting a shot from the right corner of the penalty area off a pass from Sandstrom.

But Kingsford dug deep one final time and retied it with three minutes remaining, knocking in a header off its own corner kick.

Brandon 3, Marquette 2

Following Ortonville Brandon's 9-1 victory over Kingsford in Aug. 29's second game, the Blackhawks made it two straight wins against Upper Peninsula opponents in a much closer game vs. Marquette.

Sadler got the home team off on the right foot with his third penalty-kick goal this season before Brandon tied it with their own penalty-kick goal early in the second half.

Quite quickly after the score was tied, the Sentinels' untied it. Liam Hewitt made a long pass from midfield, with Sadler taking the ball and passing it to Sandstrom, who took a shot from the penalty spot that went in the net.

But the Blackhawks again tied it off another free kick, then put in the game winner with less than five minutes remaining on a long-range kick.

Marquette 1, Houghton 0

On Wednesday, the Sentinels got a long-anticipated defensive match by hosting the 4-0 Gremlins.

Though each team had quality scoring chances, it wasn't until the second half that anyone scored as Hewitt took the ball up the left side, got behind his defender and crossed it to the back post for Finn Stiles, who got his foot on the ball and directed it into the net.

That made a winner of MSHS goalkeeper Carter Tonella with his shutout.

Story contents based on an

email received from Marquette Senior High School boys soccer representative Jim Hewitt. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.