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Life in sudden death: Marquette boys soccer team wins shootout to remain unbeaten, capture tourney title in Wisconsin

Marquette’s Evan Sysko battles for the ball against a Kingsford player during their high school boys soccer game at the Lakeland Union Tournament on Saturday in Minocqua, Wis. (Photo courtesy MSHS soccer)

By Journal Sports Staff

MINOCQUA, Wis. — The boys soccer team at Marquette Senior High School won a sudden-death shootout to capture the championship of the Lakeland Union tournament in Wisconsin on Saturday.

The Redmen defeated fellow Upper Peninsula squad Kingsford 4-0 in its opener before tying host Lakeland Union in the finals 1-1 in regulation.

Marquette ran its record to a perfect 14-0 following its success in the shootout and will play at Iron Mountain tonight.

In the win over the Flivvers, Ezra

Pickard scored a three-goal hat trick in the second half after teammate Enzo Stabile opened the scoring in the first half. Stabile’s goal was assisted by Axel Vermaat, while assists on Pickard’s goals went to Isaac Johnson and Kaleb Chipelewski as Pickard’s initial score was unassisted.

Marquette goalkeeper Harrison Anthos makes one of his four saves during the shootout in the championship game of the Lakeland Union Tournament against the host Thunderbirds on Saturday in Minocqua, Wis. (Photo courtesy MSHS soccer)

Harrison Anthos made six saves in net to be credited with the shutout.

“We were missing some players for this tournament on both sides of the ball and we weren’t sure how the team would respond, but they stepped up big,” MSHS head coach Dan Salmon said. “Ezra had a phenomenal game.”

The championship was a battle of unbeatens as Lakeland Union entered at 10-0-1. After a scoreless first half, Max Dawson scored unassisted on a breakaway, according to an email account from Salmon.

The Thunderbirds tied it up with about 14 minutes remaining in regulation, but MSHS was initially awarded a penalty kick with time running down. However, the center referee changed the call to a free kick as time expired.

“We were not happy with how that game ended in regulation so it was good motivation going into the shootout,” Salmon said.

In the first shootout, Hayden Byma, Vermaat and Indigo Catalano each converted their kicks, while Anthos stopping two in net, moving it to a sudden-death shootout.

After a save by Lakeland, Anthos answered with his own save. The seventh kicker for Marquette was Dawson, who converted.

Anthos then made the tournament-ending save on Lakeland’s next shooter.

“Harrison again came up big for us as did freshman Indigo Catalano,” Salmon said. “A shootout in a championship game comes with a lot of pressure. They handled it quite well.”

Anthos faced nine shots in regulation and seven in the shootout, stopping four.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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