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There weren't too many complaints for the Grand Island Northwest boys soccer team following its season opener on Tuesday.
Despite playing Kearney, the preseason No. 4-rated team in Class A which already had two games under its belt, the Vikings kept the outcome in doubt until the finish.
But in the end it was C.J. Wergin's goal in the 65th minute that allowed the Bearcats (3-0) to escape with a 2-1 victory.
"Kearney is one heck of a team," GINW coach Roger Doud said. "I'm proud of our kids. Whenever we play Kearney, we know they'll be fast and physical. We stayed with them until the end."
Both teams scored once in the first half, and it stayed that way until Wergin's game-winner.
The Bearcats had several chances in front of the net, and Vikings failed to cleanly clear the ball. It finally bounced to Wergin, who converted on a close-range opportunity.
"They scored that goal, and it was a little unlucky on our part," Doud said. "It pinballed there and we had it cleared but didn't quite get it out. Give Kearney credit they kept it alive."
Kearney repeatedly had the better scoring chances in the second half, but Northwest senior goalkeeper Adam Wemhoff made several huge saves to keep the score even.
"Adam Wemhoff was a stud in the back," Doud said. "We knew we'd have to count on Adam since all three (players) in the back line are new. We needed Adam to step up and he did."
Class B preseason No. 10 Northwest took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute on an odd-looking play. It started with Bard Rauert's corner kick, and Rauert scored on a shot that saw Kearney goalkeeper Lance Johnson go down. A Bearcat defender tried to kick the ball away but didn't get to it until after it crossed the plane.
Johnson stayed down for a few minutes and was replaced by freshman Dillon Miller before returning to the game prior to halftime.
Kearney tied it up in the 30th minute. Forward Josh Gable, who had several prime scoring chances throughout the game, took a breakaway pass 20 feet past midfield and went in all alone.
"Kearney won a dogfight," Doud said. "It was not decided until time was up. Now we'll gear up for (Columbus) Lakeview for Thursday."
GIRLS
Kearney 3, Northwest 0
Kearney shut out Northwest, but Viking coach Craig Charron was far from discouraged.
His young team kept a Bearcat team that come into the game 1-1 to one goal in the first half.
"We felt good after the first half," Charron said. "We had the wind in our face and they had the wind in back.
"But we couldn't generate offense in the second half. After the first 10-15 minutes, it was a little better. But we lost our confidence after their second score."
The Vikings need to focus on getting more shots on goal, Charron said.
"We were controlling the ball, then we got to a point where we were just kicking the ball instead of passing," he said. "The girls did a nice job. We just need to figure out a way to score."
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