PETOSKEY ― Gaylord and Petoskey are rivals in every sport, in some sports more than others. While beating Petoskey is always somewhere on the list of preseason goals for the GHS soccer team, it has been a line on their to-do list they haven’t been able to check off in nearly five years.
That finally changed Thursday night.
The Blue Devils traveled to Petoskey on Aug. 21, hoping to end that nearly five-year winless streak with a victory over their biggest rival in both teams’ Big North Conference opener. They did just that, using a barrage of goals in the second half to secure a 5-4 comeback victory over Petoskey, their first win over the Northmen since 2019.
“We went into halftime down 2-0, we were really flat and slow in the opening 40 minutes,” said coach Brandon Contreras. “We had a chat at halftime in the locker room and the boys responded.”
Petoskey got up on GHS early, putting up two goals in the first half to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. However, the second half belonged to the Blue Devils as scored four unanswered goals out of halftime, taking a 4-2 advantage and all the momentum from the home team.
Petoskey countered with a goal of their own, but GHS scored a header late to give themselves a 5-3 cushion. The Northmen made one final run, scoring with around two minutes remaining to trim the deficit to one goal, but GHS was able to run out the remainder of the clock and secure its first win over Petoskey in 13 matchups (0-12-2 in the previous 12).
Seniors Lucas Hella and Matthew Vanderveer both had two goals apiece, while junior Korben Sajdak had one.
“Most of this squad was pulled up to varsity their freshman and sophomore years when we were really down on numbers. They have taken their lumps the last two seasons and have really grown into a great team and group of kids. It’s going to be a fun year,” said Contreras.
GHS (2-4-0, 1-0 BNC) had started the year slowly, losing its first four matches before its first win against Midland Cavalry Baptist on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Now, they’ve won two games straight, including the BNC opener, and their expectations continue to rise. For now, their upperclassmen will celebrate a rivalry win they’ve long awaited.
“Petoskey is a great soccer program, well-coached and always up for a fight,” said Contreras. “We are going to have to be on our ‘A game’ when they come to our place in a few weeks, but getting out of their place with a win is an awesome feeling. It was a good night.”
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: ‘It was a good night’ Gaylord soccer ends winless drought against Petoskey, wins 5-4
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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