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Chisago Lakes 4, Monticello 2
Nils Gulbranson and junior Trent Vugteveen each scored in overtime to give the Wildcats a 4-2 win over the Monticello Magic Tuesday, September 22 at Monticello.  

Senior Alex Marvin scored off a corner kick two minutes into the game, assisted by Nick Pautz, to put the Wildcats up 1-0.  

Wildcat head coach Mark Leigh said,  “It’s always good to get an early one on the road.”  With ten minutes to go in the half, a Wildcat defender deep in his own zone stabbed at the ball and the Magic player went by him and scored to tie the game at 1-1.  Less than a minute into the second half, the Magic got an open break and scored to go up 2-1.  But about ten minutes later, Marvin scored an unassisted goal to knot things up at 2-2.  With about five minutes to go in the game, Marvin had an open break but the goalie made the save and knocked it to the left.  Marvin tracked it down as it approached the goal line to the left of the goal and backheeled it into the penalty area, but nobody was there to finish.  A couple minutes later Marvin tried to pop a shot over the Magic goalkeeper, but the goalie somehow got his hands on it and made the save, sending the game into overtime.  Gulbranson scored on an assist from Pautz and Marvin crossed a pass to Vugteveen for another goal and the Wildcats came away with the win.
 
Chisago Lakes 2, St. Francis 1
 Gulbranson scored on a free kick midway through the second half to break a 1-1 tie and give the Wildcats a 2-1 win over the St. Francis Fighting Saints Thursday, September 24 at Chisago Lakes.  The Saints scored the game’s first goal about 10 minutes into the first half.  From a corner kick, the ball was sent to a player open on the back post.  He headed it to a player in the middle of the box and that player headed it into the net.  With 12 minutes to go in the half, senior Cole LaValle brought the ball down the side and crossed it to senior Alex Marvin in the Saints’ box.  Marvin put it away to tie the game at 1-1.  And midway through the second half, the Wildcats were set to take a free kick from the top of the St. Francis penalty area.  As the Saints were walking back to set up a wall, Marvin ran up to the ball and stepped over it.  Gulbranson then ripped a shot that hit someone in the half-formed wall and deflected into the corner of the net to put the Wildcats up 2-1.

Wildcat head coach Mark Leigh was happy, but doesn’t think it should have been that difficult.  “We had countless chances to score,” said Leigh.  “But a lot of our shots were inaccurate or just taken from too far out.  We did play well, though and when all is said and done we came away with the win, which is the important thing as we approach the section playoffs.”
 
Chisago Lakes 1, Duluth Denfeld 0
Last Saturday, the Wildcats (6-4-1 overall, 3-2-0 conference) took an early morning bus up to Duluth for a brunchtime game against the Duluth Denfeld Hunters.  Senior Alex Marvin scored the game’s only goal 26 minutes into the first half and the Wildcats head back home later that afternoon with a 1-0 shutout win and a three game winning streak in hand.

The Wildcats controlled play in the first half.  But a few minutes into the second half, the Wildcats had a about a five minute stretch where they didn’t play well.  Denfeld had a couple of corner kicks where the ball wasn’t cleared and, after goalkeeper Austin Larson made saves, Peer Wilson and Ryan Mower blocked the rebounds to keep the game at 1-0.  After that, the Wildcats settled down and dominated.  But with three minutes to go in the game, a Denfeld throw in deep in the Wildcat zone bounced up and hit Mower in the hand in the Wildcat penalty area, resulting in a hand ball and a penalty kick for r the Hunters.  The Denfeld player ripped a shot to the right of Larson.  Larson dove to knock the ball away and save the win for the Wildcats.  Wildcat head coach Leigh said “We are playing and practicing a lot better at this point in the season.  We are moving better, passing better, talking better and supporting each other better.  And with six games to play in a 12 day stretch, we will need to continue to play well.”

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