sports

FERGUS FALLS SHUTS OUT CROOKSTON BOYS SOCCER 3-0

August 28, 2023

The Crookston Pirate Boys Soccer team had plenty of offensive opportunities but could not put one in the net as the Fergus Falls Otters picked up a 3-0 victory in a Section 8A matchup in Fergus Falls.

FIRST HALF –
Fergus Falls controlled the tempo early and got the first opportunity with a corner kick in the 3rd minute, but it sailed over the net. Crookston responded a minute and a half later with a shot, but it went wide. At the sixth minute, Fergus Falls’ Shein Zierden received a beautiful pass from midfield and buried a goal into the left corner to give the Otters a 1-0 lead. Fergus Falls kept up the pressure with several shots and breakaways but could not capitalize until the 18th minute, when Braden Albert, while being tightly contested, unleashed a bullet into the left side of the net, furthering the Otter lead to 2-0.
Crookston’s momentum started to pick up right after the goal as they had several shots and corner kicks, but they could not capitalize. The Pirates’ best chance in the first half came in the 30th minute, with a nice shot attempt, but it was saved. Crookston had a few more shots toward the end of the half but were unable to bury one, and they went into halftime down 2-0.

SECOND HALF –
Fergus Falls began the second half with immediate pressure on the Pirate goal. The Otters had a shot on goal in the 44th minute, but Blake Melsa made a great save to keep the game within reach. It was relatively even in possession for the next 10 minutes until Fergus started putting on some more pressure. In the 57th minute, Zierden scored his second goal of the game to give Fergus Falls a 3-0 lead.
The Pirates had a couple of opportunities late in the game to try and get themselves back into it. In the 77th minute, they had a free kick just outside of the box, but it went over the net. They also had a corner kick in the 86th minute, but they couldn’t get a shot off. The last three minutes saw neither team have the majority of the possession, and Fergus Falls cruised to a 3-0 victory.

Crookston falls to 1-1 on the year and will head to Melrose on Thursday. Fergus Falls improves to 1-2 on the year.