HCHS boys win against Panorama, lose to Treynor in opening week

The HCHS Cyclones boys soccer team earned a 6-1 win in their season opener Monday against the Panorama Panthers.

“It is always nice to start out the season with a win,” said Cyclone Head Coach Dave Voge. “We started out slow, but really picked up momentum as the first half went on, and that carried over into the second half.”

Both teams got off to a slow start, as the game was tied at one heading into halftime.

“They did not start out like we would have liked, but they found a way to create better opportunities to score as the first half went on,” Voge said. “Panorama has a lot of height and speed, and we just weren't ready for that at kickoff. It was nice to see how the guys adjusted to the speed of play, and they did a better job of double teaming the ball and winning it back once we had lost possession.”

During the second half, the Cyclone offense erupted, scoring five of their six goals including two from Senior Spencer Fink and Sophomore Landon Nihsen, and one each from Junior Cody Swank and Sophomore Alex McCulley.

“As a coach, you like to see multiple players scoring during a game,” Voge added. “It makes it more difficult for your opponent to focus on one player. Plus, it builds confidence in the whole team knowing it doesn't have to rely on one person to do the scoring.”

Cyclones lose close battle to Cardinals

The Cyclone boys soccer team lost a close match to Treynor Tuesday night at Merrill Field, despite a 20 foot goal by sophomore Landon Nihsen to tie the game right before halftime.

“I was proud of how they kept their demeanor and how they fought,” said Cyclone Head Coach Dave Voge. “When he [Nihsen] did that, he gave us a big spark and I think that helped us a lot, so it was good to see.”

The first goal of the game came from Freshman Cardinal Finn Mieska with just under 20 minutes remaining in the first half, before Nihsen was able to tie the game at halftime.

“It was a pretty even game,” Voge said. “I thought Treynor controlled the ball a little bit better. It was a good back-and-forth battle.”

The Cardinals were able to put themselves ahead for good in the second half, when Freshman Cole Alff scored a goal with ten minutes remaining in the game, giving his team their first win of the season.

The Cyclones return to Merrill Field Monday for a showdown with St. Albert. The 2-0 Falcons are led by Junior Kyle Irwin with three goals, Junior Cain Hughes with one assist, and Senior Dannie Holtz with 13 saves.

“St. Albert is always a very tough team,” Voge said. “It’ll be our first conference game. We had back-to-back games here, so we’ll let the boys rest and work on some fundamentals and be ready to go on Monday.”