HOUGHTON — It wasn’t an ideal way to start a postseason, sitting nearly six hours on a bus, only to have to turn around a few hours later and make the trip all over again.
But, the Boyne City girls soccer team certainly made the most of a trip into the Upper Peninsula to Houghton to begin Division 3 district play and the ride home was spent in celebration.
The Ramblers delivered a 3-0 win over the Gremlins to begin postseason play Wednesday night, advancing them into a much closer matchup next week.
“Awesome game.” Boyne City coach Eric Leaman said excited afterward. “Everyone had their best game of the season.”
From their three goals, to s shutout, Leaman credited the entire team for standing out in the match.
Kaelyn Matelski kept up her recent scoring run with a pair of goals, then sophomore Cecilia Nadeau scored the other.
Piper Olivier earned the win in goal behind a solid and veteran backline in front of her.
The win brought Boyne to a 7-8-3 record and advances them to a district semifinal matchup against Traverse City St. Francis at 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 26 in Traverse City.
They’ve yet to meet the Glads this season. TCSF opened with a bye after a 12-4-2 campaign, earning wins over the likes of Elk Rapids, Leland and Marquette this season.
A complete look at Boyne’s Division 3 bracket can be found below.
DIVISION 3 DISTRICT 33
Host: Non-Traditional
Wednesday, May 20
Boyne City 3, Houghton 0
Kingsford 8, Kalkaska 0
Thursday, May 21
Grayling (3-12-2) at Cheboygan (9-5-2), 5 p.m.
Tuesday, May 26
Boyne City (7-8-3) at TC St. Francis (12-4-2), 6 p.m.
Cheboygan/Grayling at Kingsford (9-4), 6 p.m.
Friday, May 26
District Championship at TBD, 6 p.m.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Boyne City continues on after nearly six-hour trip to begin districts
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
