The Crookston Pirate Boys Soccer team was tied at halftime, but it was all Grand Forks Central in the second half as they scored three goals to beat the Pirates 4-1 at Cushman Field in Grand Forks.
FIRST HALF –
The play in the first half was a rollercoaster, with Grand Forks Central controlling the first 20 minutes and Crookston controlling most of the second 20 minutes.
Central came out strong and showed some outstanding skills and athleticism, which was on display 10:53 into the game when Samuel Presteng beat the Pirate defenders to get behind them. Presteng was on the right side of the net and kicked a centering pass to Michel Akohin, who used a header to direct the ball into the net to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
Central continued to control the play for the next 10-plus minutes until Crookston had the ball in the Knight zone. The Grand Forks Central player tried to direct the ball back to his goalie on a header, and it went past the goalie into the net for an own goal, Crookston tied the game at 1-1 just shy of 23 minutes into the half.
Crookston started to take control of the play over the rest of the half, using the spark of the own goal to give them some extra energy.
Crookston and Central had several scoring opportunities the rest of the half, but the goalies were up to the task, and the game was tied 1-1 going into halftime.
SECOND HALF –
Grand Forks Central started the second half by being the aggressor on the offensive end. They controlled play and had the ball in the Pirate defensive end for the first 12 minutes when Central put a kick on goal, and Crookston goalie Blake Melsa made an impressive leaping save. After the save, the ball bounced to the right, and a Central player was there to kick the rebound into the net for a 2-1 lead at the 48:45 mark of the game.
The rest of the half was a mix of each team making a push with a few scoring opportunities apiece, but neither team could find the back of the net until the final 10 minutes.
Grand Forks Central dominated the final 10 minutes while scoring two goals in less than a minute by using their speed and athleticism to beat the Crookston defense to take a 4-1 lead.
Central held on the rest of the way for the 4-1 victory.
Crookston drops to 4-5-2 on the year and travels to Hibbing on Friday and Mesabi East (Aurora) on Saturday. Grand Forks Central improves to 2-11-1 on the year.
J.V. – Crookston won 3-1
FOR COACH LON BOIKE’S POST-GAME COMMENTS CLICK BELOW-
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Crookston | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| GF Central | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Scoring –
10:53 – GFC – Michel Akohin (Samuel Presteng)
22:28 – Crox – GFC own goal – Jack Everett gets credit for the goal
48:45 – GFC – Ryan Alshami (Michael Tupa)
72:37 – GFC – Boone Kanta (Michael Tupa)
73:09 – GFC – Michael Tupa (Samuel Presteng)
| SAVES | 1 | 2 | Final |
| Blake Melsa – Crox | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Jack Carls- GFC | 4 | 3 | 7 |
