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Chisago Lakes 6

North Branch 0

If you would’ve asked Mark Leigh last Monday how the ‘Cats game with North Branch was going to go, his description would not have been pretty.

Things got so bad during practice that the Chisago Lakes boys soccer head coach had to stop it.

“The guys just weren’t doing much (in practice),” said Leigh. “I stopped practice and lectured them a little bit. I told them that we need to make that next step and be prepared. I knew the Vikings were going to be ready to play.”

Chisago got the message.

Like turning on a light switch, when the Wildcats arrived at the field last Tuesday to play North Branch, they looked like a different team.

The “Cats didn’t give the Vikings any room to breath, jumping on them right away. When it was all over, the Wildcats had scored six goals, five different goal scorers, and fifth win of the season. Chris Golv finished the game with two goals and one assist while Blane Maher netted one goal and picked up three helpers.

“Blane and Chris are really our big guns, our big scorers,” remarked Leigh. “I’ve been trying to get this team to do what it takes to win. They responded and really played a nice game. We were the much better team and I’m thankful for my guys and the way that they played.”

Brady Huber, Ross Jones, and Joe Irons also notched goals for Chisago Lakes while the Wildcats “D” chipped in for the shutout.

“I think you have to look at a couple of things to really explain why we’re playing so well,” commented Leigh. “We are really playing good defense first of all. I really feel that our defense is playing very good. Part of it is having Andy Olness back, he’s really made a big difference. Plus, as a team, we’re playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

Meanwhile for North Branch, the Vikings fell to 3-3 on the season. It was the first time this season North Branch has been shutout.

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