FARGO NORTH USES STRONG SECOND HALF TO BEAT CROOKSTON BOYS SOCCER

The Crookston Pirate Boy’s Soccer team stayed within striking distance in the first half, but couldn’t survive a scoring barrage from Fargo North in the second, as the Spartans came away with a 4-0 win over the Pirates on Saturday afternoon at the Crookston High School soccer fields.

FIRST HALF –
Crookston started the game with a steady 20 mph wind at their back, but they couldn’t take advantage, as the Pirates didn’t manage a shot on goal in the first half. Fargo North, on the other hand, had a number of scoring chances and converted one early on. Freshman Maddox Watson received a solid cross pass from junior Brendon Mcgetrick-Richards in the Crookston 18-yard-box, and Watson scored a short-range goal to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead at the 6:43 mark. The Pirates managed to hold Fargo North scoreless for the remainder of the first half. “We didn’t use the wind to our advantage,” Crookston head coach Lon Boike said. “(Fargo North) was still getting shots off in the first half. So, that was a little disappointing. We were down only 1-0 at halftime, so we were hanging in there.”

SECOND HALF –
With the wind at their back, Fargo North took advantage and kept the ball on the Pirates’ side of the pitch for the vast majority of the second half. The Spartans scored their second goal about 6.5 minutes after halftime. Mcgetrick-Richards sent a ball sailing into the air from about 18 yards out, and the ball found the upper left corner of the goal to give Fargo North a 2-0 lead. About seven minutes later, Fargo North scored off of a corner kick. Senior Maycoll Johnson took the kick, and junior Logan Sokolofsky guided it into the goal to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead. Sokolofsky scored the final goal of the game just four minutes after the corner kick, giving Fargo North three goals in less than 18 minutes to start the second half, and putting them ahead 4-0. “I think our guys are disappointed, too,” Boike said. “But, that’s soccer. We just didn’t make things happen on offense, and that’s been a struggle of ours all year. We played defense for about 95 percent for the second half.”

Senior Kaleb Thingelstad was active throughout the day, finishing with 22 saves for the Pirates. Fargo North totaled 18 shots-on-goal, while Crookston managed only one. The Pirates, who fall to 1-6 on the season, stay home to face Grand Forks Red River on Monday. The match is set to start at 4 p.m., and will be carried live on KROX with the Riverview Health pregame show starting at 3:30 p.m. Fargo North improved to 4-10 on the season.

Scoring – 
6:43 – FN – Maddox Watson (Brendan Mcgetrick-Richards)
46:21 – FN – Brendan Mcgetrick-Richards
50:43 – FN – Logan Sokolofsky (Maycoll Johnson)
57:53 – FN – Logan Sokolofsky (Brendan Mcgetrick-Richards)