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In boys’ soccer, Wildcats Braydon Burds and Spencer Nelson each scored in the second half to lead the Wildcats to a 2-0 win over the Vikings in the final regular season game for both teams.  The game was played at North Branch High School on Thursday, October 1.

The Wildcats dominated the first few minutes of the game, but the rest of the first half was pretty even with no real scoring chances for either team until late in the half.  With just under a minute remaining, the Wildcats fired a ball from the top of the box that beat Vikings goalkeeper Tanner Bollman, but the ball bounced off the left post.  The rebound was sent to the inside of the left post, but Bollman made a great diving save to keep the game scoreless.

The second half was pretty even, as well.  In the 60th minute, the Wildcats sent a through ball rolling towards the Viking net.  Bollman came out to challenge the Wildcat Spencer Nelson, who was racing to catch up with the ball.  The players got to the ball at the same time just outside the top of the 18-yard box, so Bollman could not pick up the ball.  Nelson’s momentum pushed the ball past Bollman, and everyone watched it roll through the box, across the goal line and into the back of the net to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.  With a dozen or so minutes left in the game, the Vikings began to put on more offensive pressure and generated some scoring opportunities, but they didn’t get off any quality shots.  Bollman had to make a diving save with three minutes to go to keep the game at 1-0.  But a minute later, the Wildcats played a ball from midfield through toward the left side of the Viking box.  Braydon Burds ran onto it and beat Bollman with a shot inside the right post to seal the win for the Wildcats with 1:43 left in the game.

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