FARGO -- Grand Forks Central controlled the ball, but not the scoreboard.
The Knights were shut out 3-0 by Bismarck High here Friday in the opening round of the North Dakota boys high school soccer tournament.
While Central couldn't get on the scoreboard, Knights coach Mike Wilber said his team controlled play.
"Our team played really well,'' Wilber said. "We actually controlled the tempo of the game. It was just one of those things where we weren't able to score.''
Derek Trom broke the scoreless battle with a goal at the 30-minute mark.
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The score stayed 1-0 at intermission, then Randy Tardif scored twice, at 42 minutes and 72 minutes, in the second half.
Sean Cano had nine saves for the Knights, while Todd Kessler turned back four shots in goal for Bismarck.
"We had the ball on their end for the majority of game,'' Wilber said. "Their defense did a really good job of not letting us get that last pass and letting us break free. I was really happy with the effort. We played well; we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net.''
Central meets Fargo Shanley at 9 a.m. today in the consolation semifinals. Shanley dropped a 2-1 first-round decision to Bismarck Century.
