Kickers’ control in the second half against Brother Rice turned into a win, 2-1.
“It was a true battle,” said Clarkston Boys Varsity Head Coach Curtis Payment. “The game got really heated and chippy. We were on our heels at times and weathered the storm.”
The boys were losing at the end of the first half. They came back in the second half and made some adjustments.
Senior Zach McCallum tied the game off a penalty kick with an assist from sophomore Alex Komatz.
Komatz scored his own goal with 30 seconds to go off a feed from senior Ryan Kissel. He kicked it from the 20-yard line. The shot hit the goal post and went into the left corner.
“It was a beautiful goal,” Payment described. “Alex took care of business and they celebrated.
Junior Grant Gotaas made 11 saves in the net against the Warriors.
“He was on fire,” said Payment. “He played phenomenal. It was a huge momentum builder for us. Grant was amazing.”
He added it was a good lesson for the Wolves as they head into their league games.
“It gives them confidence we can come back,” Payment said. “We can make adjustments and moves during the game. Hopefully they realized they are a quality team and it’s not over until it’s over. They were still fighting and had some good chances.
The boys followed it with their first OAA Red league game against Rochester on Thursday, which was postponed after a lightning delay from Aug. 27.
The Wolves finished with a 0-0 tie.
The boys opened the week with a game against Rochester Adams. They head their next round of league games at Lake Orion on Thursday and at Berkley on Sept. 10.
JV begins at 5:30 p.m., varsity follows.