East Grand Forks Senior High started the boys soccer season by allowing three or more goals in five of its first six games, going 1-4-1.
Now the Green Wave are banking on their defense going into the Section 8A playoffs.
Senior High is 5-6-2 heading into today’s regular-season finale at noon against visiting Fergus Falls Hillcrest. The section tournament begins Tuesday, with pairings yet to be determined.
The Wave have allowed more than two goals only once in their last seven games, going 4-2-1 in that span.
“We’ve really grown defensively,’’ Senior High coach Jake Jensen said. “Drew (Kallock) has had some really good games in goal. Nathaniel Emery, Blake Moen and Kayden Riopelle have started to control games defensively.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Our defense has been good most of the year. As the guys have started to understand their roles better, its gotten better.’’
Kallock has a .788 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average.
Senior High has needed a stingy defense. AbdiMalik Abdi (11 goals-2 assists) and Guled Hashi (5-3) are the only Wave players with more than five points. Kole Chupka (4-1) has been a more consistent contributor of late.
“We’re still trying to put some pieces together on offense,’’ Jensen said.
Wave begin title defense
East Grand Forks Senior High returns a veteran lineup from the team that won the Section 8A girls tennis dual tournament last season. That doesn’t make the Green Wave the favorite in this season’s 8A tournament, to be held Thursday and Friday in Fargo.
Thief River Falls is the No. 1 seed, followed by Perham, Senior High and Crookston.
“Thief River Falls is the favorite,’’ Wave coach Kyle Hanson. “But I think we can beat them if we’re playing really well. I know we can beat Perham and Crookston, too, if we’re playing well. And we are playing better now than when we lost to those teams during the season.
“We are a team that can win again. We’ve been very strong in singles, and our doubles teams are playing much better than they were earlier in the season.’’
ADVERTISEMENT
Senior High’s top players have been Maggie Dietrich, Brynn Havis, Katelyn Farder and Delaney Aaker. Dietrich is the No. 4 seed in singles, while the Farder-Aaker team received the No. 4 seed in doubles.
The section singles and doubles tournaments will be held Friday and Saturday in Fargo.
Riders to add to Hall
Twenty-one people will be inducted into the Grand Forks Red River High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday.
New inductees will be Matt Malm, Bob Zimney, Jay Johnson, Nick Cichy, John Koppy, Gary Purpur, Ingrid Lawrence, Briona Reynolds, Jermy Zimney, Greg Murphy, Craig Riendeau, Grant Potulny, Ryan Potulny, Nora Narloch, Don Barcome Jr., Todd Schaefer, Liza Wischer, Jackie Myers, Julia Pedersen, Annie Leake and Tom Montgomery.
The inductees will be recognized Thursday at 1 p.m. at a homecoming pep rally and at the 7 p.m. homecoming game.
The induction ceremony will be at 7 p.m. Friday in the Red River Theatre and is open to the public.
