Vikings begin season hot

North Branch 8, Eveleth/Gilbert 0 Senior Bayley Ertl scored four times in the girls’ soccer season opener to lead the Vikings to an 8-0 shellacking of Eveleth/Gilbert. The game was played at Biwabik on Friday, August 24. Senior Jamie Salo scored twice for the Vikings, and junior Kadie Mattson and senior Kersten Shykes each picked up a goal. Mattson also had three assists. Senior Alex Madsen and senior SherahLynn Linkert each assisted on a goal. Senior goalkeeper Alyssa Rupp made three saves to earn the shutout. North Branch 5, Princeton 4 Kersten Sykes scored with ten minutes remaining to break a 4-4 tie as the Vikings beat the Princeton Tigers 5-4 Tuesday, August 28 in the Vikings’ home opener. Bayley Ertl matched her goal total from the season opener, scoring the Vikings’ first four goals. Alex Madsen and Jamie Salo had two assists apiece for the Vikings and goalkeeper Alyssa Rupp made ten saves. North Branch 4, Spring Lake Park/St. Anthony Village 2 (O.T.) Kadie Mattson scored the game winner in overtime and Bayley Ertl added one more for good measure as the Vikings beat Spring Lake Park/St. Anthony Village 4-2 last Thursday, August 30 at North Branch. SherahLynn Linkert and Alex Madsen each scored a goal for the Vikings in regulation, sending the game into overtime. Ertl, Linkert and Kersten Shykes each had an assist in the game and goalkeeper Alyssa Rupp had 13 saves. North Branch 2, Cambridge/Isanti 2 (O.T.) With the Vikings down 2-0 to Cambridge/Isanti halfway through the second half, Bayley Ertl and Kora Amunrud each scored a goal to tie things up at 2-2. Neither team scored in overtime and the game ended in a tie. Ertl assisted on Amunrud’s goal and Mackenzie Brehm assisted on Ertl’s goal. Alyssa Rupp was busy in the nets, picking up 16 saves. The game was played Friday, August 31 at Cambridge. Ertl already has ten goals this year, making her the third-leading scorer in that state. The Vikings (3-1-1 overall, 1-1-0 conference) play three straight road games over the next week. They’ll play conference foe at St. Francis tonight at 5 p.m. This Saturday, the Vikings head up to Two Harbors to take on the Agates at 1 p.m. And next Tuesday, September 11 they will play at Robbinsdale Cooper for a game that starts at 7 p.m.