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Totino Grace 3, Chisago Lakes 0

Perennial Wildcat nemesis Totino Grace once again showed why they have been so successful over the years, beating the Wildcats 3-0 last Thursday, September 9 at Totino Grace High School.

The Eagles scored the game's first goal midway through the first half. They sent a free kick past the weak side of the wall and knocked the ball in the net in the ensuing scramble. The Eagle scored again late in the first half to make it 2-0. They rocketed a shot into the back of the net in the second half to make the final score 3-0.

"What makes it hard is that we are still trying to find out where some of our people can play," said Wildcat head coach Mark Leigh. "The players aren't discouraged, but they certainly wish we could be doing better than we are so far this season. What's encouraging is that we played pretty well up and down the field with Totino. And I would like to compliment the Totino Grace coach. We enjoy playing the Eagles. Bill Vance runs a really classy program, is a great coach and a class act. I enjoy working with good people like Bill who care about their players in the right way."

Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 2, Chisago Lakes 1

The Wildcats put together a somewhat lackluster effort against Cloquet at home last Saturday, September 11 and it led to a 2-1 loss.

In the first half, a Cloquet crossing pass looked like it was going to sail through the Wildcat penalty area. But it snuck into the upper corner of the net, and the Wildcats trailed 1-0. The Wildcats tried a different mix of defense in the second half, but Cloquet scored another goal to take a 2-0 lead. Late in the half, the Wildcats crossed a free kick into the middle of the box. Jordan Fowler-Wacholz got the ball over the goalkeeper and Hans Gulbranson came in to finish it off. But that was all the scoring as Cloquet claimed the 2-1 win.

"Jordan just returned from an injury," said Wildcat head coach Mark Leigh. "He was only able to go for a few minutes, but they were good minutes. He is strong on the ball and was able to make a nice play for us. I am trying to use him as much as I can while he rebuilds his stamina.

"This was a real discouraging game for us. Cloquet is a team we should have been able to put away, but our team is not able to score very easily. We didn't play or pass well and showed no energy. We didn't convert on a couple of breakaways in the first half. If we could take advantage of situations like that, we would have broken the back of a young team like Cloquet in our house. They weren't a strong physical team, but they worked hard."

Irondale 3, Chisago Lakes 2 (O.T.)

At home against Irondale this past Monday, September 13, Matt Stamos scored his second goal of the game on a nice3 feed from Trevor Gervais with 15 minutes left in the game to tie it at 2-2. But the Knights scored the only goal of overtime to beat the Wildcats 3-2.

The Wildcats got on the board first in this one when Stamos headed in a corner kick from Eli Trochman. But Irondale scored twice to take a 2-1 lead into the second half.

"Joey Fernstrom played really well for us in this one," said Wildcat head coach Mark Leigh. "He was good on the ball, showed good touch and had a number of good headers. We are still trying to find the right mix of players to be able to put a whole game together and come through with some wins. The bottom line is that our team could surprise some people before the season is over. We play strong enough to do well in the playoffs. We just need to develop a finishing touch and consistency throughout whole game.

"Matt Stamos has almost all of our goals so far this season. His touch is improving, he's controlling the ball well and he's making a lot of things happen. I don't know where we would be without him."

The Wildcats (2-6-0 overall, 1-3-0 conference) have a light week of games, hosting Columbia Heights next Tuesday, September 21 at 5p.m. at the Chisago Lakes High School Football Stadium.

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