Crookston Pirate Boys Soccer drops tight game to Hillcrest Academy

The Crookston Pirate Boys Soccer team played a tight defensive battle against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, but a last-minute goal in the first half was all it took as the Comets defeated the Pirates 1-0 at KROX Radio Stadium on Tuesday Afternoon.

FIRST HALF –
Fergus Falls Hillcrest had the best scoring chances in the first half, with the first shot towards the goal sailing over the net six minutes into the game. The Comets continued to put pressure on the Pirate defense and had the ball in front of the net before a shot hit the crossbar, and the game was still scoreless.
There weren’t many solid scoring chances for the next 20 minutes until Crookston turned the ball over in front of the net and Hillcrest put a shot on goal, but Pirate goalkeeper Reggie Winjum made a diving save to keep the game scoreless.
Crookston had their best scoring chance with 64 seconds left in the half when Gunnar Groven got a pass and put a header on goal, but the Hillcrest goalie made the save. 22 seconds later, Hillcrest broke free as Drew Fischer got a nice pass to Zane Holmquist, who kicked the ball into the net to give Hillcrest a 1-0 lead with 42 seconds left in the half, which is how the half ended.

SECOND HALF –
As the second half began, Hillcrest began to increase their aggressiveness on offense. With the wind at their back, they were able to cut off attempted Pirate clears and put relentless pressure on the defense. However, said Pirate defense stood tall, and Reggie Winjum continued very solid play, making three saves in the first 10 minutes to keep the score at 1-0.
Crookston had one shot on goal in the second half, and it came in the 51st minute, off a free kick by Jay Reese, that ended up right in the hands of William Selvig. That would be the only save made by Selvig in the half.
That free kick was the best scoring chance for the Pirates in the half, as their offense was stifled by the Comets. Hillcrest had a couple more opportunities but Winjum played up to the task, recording 9 saves in the half to bring his total up to 12 for the game. No goals were scored in the second half, and that allowed the Comets to win by a 1-0 score.

Crookston drops to 0-2 on the season, while Hillcrest improves to 3-1,