The MHS boys soccer team hit the road for three Valley games last week and came within an eyelash of a couple of wins.
The boys played to a 0-0 tie with Wausau West on Tuesday and lost 4-3 in overtime at SPASH on Saturday. Wausau East routed them 6-1 on Thursday.
The Panthers scored in the 13th minute of Saturday’s contest, but the Bluejays roared back with a vengeance, taking a 2-1 lead on unassisted goals from David Pophal and Austin Hass that held up to halftime.
After SPASH tied it in the second, Cole Boyd fed Kriss Philipp for a 3-2 Merrill lead. But Jordan Krush was able to tie it up before the end of the game, and Eric Plaster won it for the Panthers in the 6th minute of overtime.
Nathan Beyer made 11 saves for Merrill of shots on goal. David Tuchinsky (5) and Joel Murillo (4) combined for 9 saves of Merrill shots.
Dead even
The Bluejays and Warriors played 100 minutes without a score, with a pair of 40-minute halves and two 10-minute OT periods.
Shots were quite even also. Beyer made 12 saves, while Nich Hurlburt came up with 14.
East the beast
East racked up two goals in the 1st 4:36, before Hass cut it to 2-1 in the 13th minute. But the Lumberjacks made it 3-1 by half and doubled it after intermission.
East out-shot MHS just 9-8.
Jack McGinnity gave 2 goals and an assist to East.
Beyer finished with 3saves, while’s East’s Bryce Taylor stopped 7.
Merrill fell to 0-5-2 while West is at 1-3-3 and SPASH is holding at 1-3-2. Wausau East.