Kickers added their first set of wins to the new season while they were in Traverse City on Saturday.
They beat Traverse City Central, 3-1, and Petoskey, 2-0. They lost to Traverse City West, 3-2.
Aiding with goals were Joey DeFinis, Jordan Kieft and Ben Snider.
“Against Central we played really well,” said Clarkston Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Chuck Lawhorn. “We moved the ball at a good pace. We were clearly frustrating the other team. The guys that came off the bench moved the ball really well. They kept the pace of the game going in our favor.”
Senior goalkeeper only let one goal in during the first game. Sophomore Grant Gotaas stepped into the net for the second game against Petoskey for his shutout.
“We slowed down a little bit,” added Lawhorn. “We played more to Petoskey’s pace but we were able to knock in a couple of goals.”
When they got to the third game TC West was ready and aimed to win.
“They came out and attacked a little bit quicker than we did,” he added. “We weren’t able to put together as many combinations in our passing game as the first two games. I think fatigue set in a little bit in the last game for us. West was a little more hungrier on the goal than us.”
Smith and Gotaas split duties in the net during the game. West scored two on Smith and one on Gotaas.
Lawhorn pointed out sophomores Jimmy Todd and Ben Snider, junior Alex Trim and senior Ryan Mangapora were standouts for the weekend.
The boys now get ready for this week as they opened against Rochester Adams on Tuesday and host Detroit Catholic Central on Thursday.
The three games from the weekend help as they head into the games.
“It tells us what we did well and what we have to do in practices to be prepared to win games,” said Lawhorn. “It tells us a lot about our team in our depth. It also tells us the guys that come off the bench they are expected to keep the same pace of play. Those are things you can fix and prepare for the next couple of weeks and they are tough weeks.”
A few strengths going into the week is the boys ability to control the ball in the middle and their speed. Lawhorn pointed out two returning defenseman seniors Mangapora and Jon Miller also give a boost to the game.
JV begins at 5:30 p.m. and varsity follows. Both games are at Clarkston High School.