The Crookston Pirate boys’ soccer team faced one of the best teams from the Eastern Dakota Conference on Monday, and fell to the Grand Forks Red River Roughriders, 6-0, on a cloudy, cool, and windy day at the Crookston High School soccer field.
FIRST HALF –
Going into a stiff northwest wind, Red River got on the board early with a goal from senior Mo Dorudian, who got an assist from junior Gannon Brooks. The Roughriders led 1-0 at the 7:35 mark, but the Pirates’ defense held the Roughriders scoreless for the next 24 minutes. “We had a nice span there in the first half where we played pretty good defense,” Crookston head coach Lon Boike said. “Of course, (Red River) got a couple of goals in a short span there, and pumped up the lead a bit. But, going against a quality team like this, I thought our guys played well.” Despite a long, scoreless stretch, the Roughriders pounded the Pirate defense late in the first half with three goals in a 5.5 minute span, putting Red River ahead 4-0 at halftime.
SECOND HALF –
With the wind now at their back, the Roughriders kept the ball on the Pirates’ side of the pitch for the majority of the second half, and kept the pressure on for the final 40 minutes. Senior forward Brecken Short started the half with an unassisted goal he scored directly off of a corner kick. About 10 minutes after that, after freshman Caden Boike replaced senior Kaleb Thingelstad in the Crookston goal, sophomore Lukas Heydt completed a hat trick by scoring his third goal of the game off of an assist from junior Dilson Gurung. The Roughriders were efficient on offense, totaling 16 shots-on-goal compared to just one by the Pirates. Despite a fourth straight loss, Coach Boike is confident that Crookston can bounce back and have a chance to beat Hillcrest Lutheran Academy on Tuesday. The Comets are still the only team the Pirates have beaten in 2020. “I’d say 80-90 percent of the time, we were doing the right things and in the right spots,” Boike said. “I think we leave this game feeling better about ourselves, going against a good team like Red River, and knowing the effort we need to put in against Hillcrest. I think that’s our priority right now.”
Crookston falls to 1-7 on the year, while Red River improves to 8-4-2. The Pirates head to Fergus Falls to face Hillcrest Lutheran Academy on Tuesday afternoon at 3:30.
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| G.F. Red River | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| CROOKSTON | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SCORING –
7:35 – Red River – Mo Dorudian (Gannon Brooks)
31:36 – Red River – Brecken Short
32:19 – Red River – Lukas Heydt (Mustafe Abdi)
36:50 – Red River – Lukas Heydt
53:59 – Red River – Brecken Short (corner kick)
63:39 – Red River – Lukas Heydt (Dilson Gurung)
| Saves | 1st | 2nd | Final |
| Kaleb Thingelstad – Crox | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Caden Boike – Crox | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Mahesh Pokhrel – Red River | 1 | 0 | 0 |
