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Chisago Lakes 11, Two Harbors 0

Twelfth-seeded Two Harbors (2-14-0) didn't provide much resistance for the fifth-seeded Wildcats in the opening round of the section 7A boys' soccer playoffs. Led by Zak Vrudny's hat trick, the Wildcats easily dispatched the Agates 11-0 at home last Thursday, October 9.

Vrudny also chipped in with an assist. Three Wildcats scored their first varsity goals - Brian Erickson, Cole Johnson and Joey Cartier. Erickson, in fact had two goals. Other Wildcat scorers included Cam Bouwens, with two goals and two assists; Manny Cruceru with a goal and two assists; and Mark Shaleen with one goal.

The Wildcat victory earned them a trip to Duluth to take on Duluth Central in the section quarterfinals.

Chisago Lakes 1, Duluth Central 0

Cam Bouwens' goal with less than a minute remaining in the first half was all the Wildcats needed as they beat fourth-seeded Duluth Central 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the Section 7A playoffs last Saturday, October 11, at Public Schools Stadium in Duluth.

"We dominated the first half," said Wildcat head coach Mark Leigh. "We moved the ball around well and were rewarded with a pretty goal just before halftime."

Manny Cruceru assisted on Bouwens' goal. From 30 yards out, he played a ball thru to Bouwens in the Trojan penalty area. Bouwens dribbled the ball a couple of times and scored with 37 seconds remaining.

"They were pushing hard to tie," said Leigh. "But we were able to keep the out on the perimeter, and all of their shots went directly at our goalkeeper, Kyle Buchanan. They were a good team, but not a dangerous team."

Duluth East 2, Chisago Lakes 0

A solid Duluth East defense shut down the Wildcat offense and scored a goal in each half on their way to a 2-0 win over the Wildcats in the Section 7A semifinals Tuesday, October 14 in Duluth. The loss knocked the Wildcats out of the playoffs, ending their season.

At the 7 minute mark of the first half, a Greyhound shot hit the left post. Wildcat goalkeeper Kyle Buchanan dove for the rebound, but a Greyhound player beat him to it and knocked it into the empty net to put the Greyhounds up 1-0.

The Wildcats didn't really generate any offensive pressure for the rest of the half. In fact, they didn't attempt a shot the entire first half.

Five minutes into the second half, a Greyhound player ripped a shot from 30 yards out that was headed just under the crossbar. Buchanan leaped and tipped it over the crossbar to keep the lead at one.

But with 14 minutes left in the half, the Greyhounds were awarded a free kick 25 yards out from the middle of the net. The Greyhound player knocked the ball over the wall but under the crossbar to Buchanan's right. Buchanan leaped high and to his left, but the ball just missed his fingertips and went into the net to put the Greyhounds up 2-0. Buchanan's head was cut as he collided with the post and he had to leave the game for two minutes to get the bleeding stopped.

The Wildcats got two scoring opportunities just a couple of minutes later. Manny Cruceru had the ball to the right of the box and passed it to a wide open Cam Bouwens in the middle of the box. Bouwens shot, and it looked like a sure goal, but the Greyhound goalkeeper made an unbelievable save. On the ensuing corner kick, the Wildcats lofted the ball from the far corner to the left post. Dominic Novak was right there to knock the ball in the net, but the referee ruled that it was played in with a hand and disallowed the goal. Buchanan made over 15 saves in the game.

'They were just a better team." said Leigh. "When you go up against a better squad, your weaknesses show through. It's tough to play against a team like Duluth East that's talented, disciplined and well-coached. Anthony Lukas played a heck of a game. He really poured his whole heart into it and set a good example for his teammates. I thought Shawn Gustafson played a very nice game, too.

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