The Oxford Wildcats Varsity Soccer team did not perform as well as they hoped last week, losing against Fenton and tying two nail-biting games against the Holly Bronchos and Lapeer East Eagles.
During their opener against Holly, the Wildcats had several chances and unlucky breaks which resulted in a devastating 2-2 tie with their division foes. The first half provided little action, and other than a missed penalty kick by Keane Kalso at 28:00, neither team had many offensive scoring chances.
The second half, however, brought a completely different storyline, as Dave Kurchin opened the scoring with a goal just minutes into the half. Kurchin then scored again five minutes later to give the Cats a 2-0 lead. Eddie Summers had a chance to make it 3-0 with a penalty kick at 32:30. His first attempt went in the net, but was called back because the whistle hadn’t been blown. His second also went in, but was also called no goal because of a hesitation by Summers.
Holly then scored twice, and almost won the game on a penalty kick with 20 seconds remaining after Oxford goalie Alan Adorjan was called for tripping a player. However, the kick was unsuccessful and the game ended in a disappointing tie.
The Wildcats continued to struggle on Thursday as they lost to the Fenton Tigers by a score of 5-2. Chris Schnur left the game with a mildly strained MCL, however, he is not expected to miss any action. Senior Jimmy Henry, who is also recovering from a strained MCL suffered in a game against Davison two weeks ago, did not play.
On Monday against the Lapeer East Eagles, the Wildcats once again came away with a disappointing tie. For most of the first half, there was no scoring until Lapeer East netted a goal with under 5:00 remaining to take a 1-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, Oxford Senior Jimmy Henry scored three unanswered goals to give Oxford a 3-1 lead. Lapeer East then scored two late goals, including one with 59 seconds remaining, to force the tie. Oxford’s starting goaltender Alan Adorjan missed the game with an injured thumb, and Chris Schnur, who is also coming off of an injury, played well as the fill in.
The battered and bruised Wildcats hope to rebound this week as Oxford takes on the Brandon Blackhawks on Sept. 10 and the Lapeer West Panthers on Sept. 15, both at home.
By Mike Stechschulte
Mike Stechschulte is a Junior at Oxford High School and plans to major in the field of journalism.