DETROIT LAKES – The sun was shining and a pleasant breeze was blowing as the Detroit Lakes boys soccer team welcomed Alexandria to the Rotary Soccer Fields for the Lakers’ first home game on Saturday, Aug. 24.
The Cardinals welcomed the Lakers with a dominant 10-1 victory in the Central Lakes Conference. Alexandria’s Otto Anderson scored six goals. Detroit Lakes fell to an 0-2 start to the season.
Alexandria scored early and often in the first half, and before the Lakers could blink, they were down 2-0 after Anderson and Sawyer Blair scored the game’s first two goals.
“We’re definitely still finding ourselves as a team,” said Detroit Lakes head coach Jessie Olson. “I thought we played well the whole first half, especially the first 20 minutes. Anything Alexandria did, we can correct. We know what we need to work on, that’s for sure.”
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
The Cardinals went all out in the first half, their offense troubling the Detroit Lakes defenders with exceptional passing and ball placement. After a Lakers error on the ball, Anderson found the back of the net for his second goal, giving Alexandria a 3-0 lead 14 minutes into the game.
Anderson didn’t let up and scored his third goal less than a minute later after his shot bounced off Detroit Lakes’ goalkeeper Owen Lipton. The Cardinals extended their lead to 4-0 before the 20th minute of the first period.
“Alexandria figured out right away how to break through our defense,” Olson said. “They saw the passing lanes and executed them perfectly to create some really nice chances. We’re a young team with not a lot of experience, but you have to give them credit for being a great team and they showed that today.”
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
The Lakers scored their only goal of the game in the 19th minute when Grayson Kohler broke through the Alexandria defense and fired the ball into the net.
The Detroit Lakes defense showed improvement toward the end of the first half. They rushed the ball and did their best to keep the Cardinals in front of them. Lipton used his long stature to make a few nice saves.
The Cardinals didn’t stay scoreless for long, as Anderson received a great pass from his teammate and scored Alexandria’s fifth goal of the game. Alexandria scored one more goal before the end of the period to make it 6-1.
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
Alexandria’s defense was not intimidated in the second half as Detroit Lakes struggled to keep possession in their half. The Cardinals offense picked up where it left off, scoring four goals in the second half. Anderson scored twice to complete the double hat trick. Rogan Anderson and Patrick Klecker each scored one goal.
“The result wasn’t what we were hoping for, but it was nice to have some of the younger players in the game and get some experience,” Olson said. “We’re going to work a lot on movement and flow. They’re still figuring out what style of play the others have. It’s hard to be rigid in football. There’s a lot of creativity, so we have to give the guys space to find themselves.”
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
The Lakers will have some initial struggles throughout the season. That’s true of all teams, but Olson is confident her team will fight through the adversity and continue to work hard. She wants her team to make mistakes because they become learning opportunities and that will only make the team better in the long run.
“We need to continue to work together and grow together as a team,” Olson said. “We’ve been pushing them hard in practice to really challenge themselves, perform at their peak and get better every time.”
ALEXANDRIA 10 DETROIT LAKES 1
ALEX – 6 4 – 10
DL – 1 0 – 1
FIRST HALF RESULTS – 1, ALEX GOAL, O. Anderson, 2′; 2, ALEX GOAL, Blair, 10′; 3, ALEX GOAL, O Anderson, 13′; 4, ALEX GOAL, O Anderson, 14′; 1, DL GOAL, Kohler, 19′; 5, ALEX GOAL, O. Anderson, 27′; 6, ALEX GOAL, Klecker, 36′
SECOND HALF GOALS – 7, ALEX GOAL, O. Anderson, 42′; 8, ALEX GOAL, R. Anderson, 48′; 9, ALEX GOAL, O. Anderson, 56′; 10, ALEX GOAL, Klecker, 73′
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
Cooper Kanthak/Detroit Lakes Tribune
Cooper Kanthak is a sports reporter for the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and the Wadena Pioneer Journal. Cooper graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in journalism with a minor in digital and social media. Originally from Pipestone, Minnesota, he has a passion for all things sports. You can reach Cooper at [email protected].
