After a decisive win in their first game of the season, the Brandon boys soccer squad came back to earth Monday, Aug. 25.
The Blackhawks dropped a 2-0 contest to host Pontiac Notre Dame Prep that day, evening their record at 1-1. Matt Kalson and Paul Halabu each scored a goal for the Irish.
“Honestly, the big difference was they were a very physical team,” Brandon coach Nathan Hunter said. “That’s something we’ll have to improve on. Overall, our kids were very competitive, but we got pushed off the ball.”
Hunter said playing against such a physical team early in the season will help the Blackhawks in the long run.
“We talked about this loss and learning from it,” he said. “It was a good experience playing that team.”
The Blackhawks opened their season Aug. 22 with a 10-0 rout of visiting North Branch. Brandon led 9-0 at the end of the first half.
Senior Ben Reed and juniors Joey Smith and Chris Hunter contributed two goals each for Brandon, while seniors Aaron Baylis and Jason Martin, junior Tony Chester and freshman Ryan Morales each chipped in with a goal.
Junior Steve Kumpar played the first half in goal for the Blackhawks, while sophomore netminder Jerry Cronk played the second half.
The Blackhawks host Goodrich Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.