The game was what everyone thought it would be — a close, highly contested game between two of the O-K White’s best.
The final score, 1-1, did not satisfy either club as they walked off the field Thursday night at Northview following the overtime stalemate.
Lowell entered the game undefeated (8-0), coming off wins against Grand Rapids Christian and East Grand Rapids.
The Red Arrows (8-0-1, 2-0-1) for the first time this year appeared to be playing on it heels. It had much to do with playing against the defending Division 2 state champion Wildcats.
Northview (5-1-3, 2-0-1) put up the game’s first goal at 25:36 of the first half when Austin Harris creased the Lowell net. The Wildcat lead was short lived as Matt Kyllonen took advantage of a Northview defensive miscue and tied the game at 1-1 nine seconds after the Wildcats scored.
“Northview moved the ball well in the first half, and had us back on our heels. We made some adjustments at halftime, and got into the flow and felt more comfortable in the second half,” Lowell soccer coach Rich O’Keefe said. “I thought it was a pretty evenly played game,†Red Arrows coach Rich O’Keefe said. We had some opportunities, and they had some opportunities as well.”
The Wildcats, start three sophomores and are beginning to play some of their best soccer nine games into the season.
“This is by far the best we have played,†said Northview coach Karl Johnson, whose team starts only two seniors. “Our possession was great, our passing was good and our team defense was fantastic. The boys just keep building and playing better.”
The two teams will get an opportunity to settle the score in Lowell when they meet again on Oct. 6.