Peshtigo Splits Packerland Contests With Blazers/ClippersIssue Date: September 27, 2018 Bulldogs Battle Clippers but Fall 5-3
Peshtigo went into the half tied with perennial state power Sturgeon Bay, but the Clippers scored three in the second half to pull away with a win.
Damon Jones scored twice for Peshtigo, once in the first half and once in the second. Cole Tackmier scored in the first half as well. The Bulldogs had a chance to go into the half ahead but couldn't convert from the penalty spot.
"One thing that would have helped us is if could have had a lead at half had we made the P.K.," Peshtigo coach Joe Denny said. "Things happen. That's the game."
Sturgeon Bay got three in the second half, while Peshtigo got on just the one. The two second half goals came on goalkeeping mistakes, while the first half goals were products of poor defensive placement.
"The first half we gave up two easy goals. They dribbled in on the side and we were out of position, the second one they came in from the side again and we left a guy wide open in the middle," Denny said. As for the goalkeeping, with a freshman in the net, Denny said he was impressed with his net-minder as a whole. With the wet grass and slippery ball, "You can't save all of them," he said.
Sturgeon Bay took second at state last year and has historically been tough on Peshtigo since the inception of the Bulldogs' program.
"I'm impressed with the way they played," Denny said of his team. "I think this was one of the best games we've had all season and I thought defensively we did really well. You lose 5-3 to the team that took second at state last year, I thought we played them really well."
Sturgeon Bay also got a red card in the game, with Eli Dietzel booked twice for unsportsmanlike behavior.
Peshtigo Holds Off NEW for Packerland Win
Neither team scored in the second half, but two first half Peshtigo goals were enough to take down Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran on Monday.
Damon Jones and Johnny Conn both scored in the first half to carry Peshtigo to a 2-1 win. Jones opened the scoring just seven minutes in and Conn scored nine minutes later.
The Bulldogs led 2-0 until a N.E.W. goal with 42 seconds left in the first half.
"Our passing was good, we were pressuring the ball, we were winning 50/50s, we came out and played well. The first half was good for us," Denny said.
Conn didn't play the entire game due to injury, which left a hole in the middle of the field for Peshtigo and forced a couple of lineup changes. Nevertheless, they didn't allow any scoring, though it was close at some points.
N.E.W. put the pressure on the Bulldogs late in the second half, with Peshtigo often holding onto the ball a bit too long in some instances.
The Blazers even brought up their goalkeeper to try and get the game-tying goal, forcing a couple of late saves by the Bulldogs goalie.
The win keeps Peshtigo in the top half of the Packerland Conference, something that Denny says is both a sign of what the team has grown from and where it's headed.
"I think it's a good look. I think it shows kind of how far this team has come in the last two years," Denny said. "I just hope they keep it going. From here on out, we just have to play our hardest."
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