The bulldogs lost a close one to Williamston tonight in a fairly tight match. Our undoing was our lack of focus to begin the game and then again right at the end of the game. But the majority of the match was played with good intent and the Bulldogs were playing well against an historically good soccer program in Williamston. Very early in the match we spotted them 3 goals which is never something you want to do. But we made some defensive adjustments on the fly and battled back with opportunities and counter attacks of our own. Once we got past the early bumps we were on track and playing well. As the 1st half wound down we fought our way back as Devon Reyes picked the pocket of a defender and slotted it past the keeper to get us back in the game. Not long after, Ionia had another attack in the Williamston box where senior Logan Gertz drifted into the middle and hammered a close-range effort into the back of the net. The half ended 3-2 and Ionia were feeling somewhat on the ascendency.

Half-time featured our Senior Night ceremony in which we recognized our five seniors who have been a part of the program for all four years of their high school career. Tonight was the last home game for Cole Listerman, Seth Groom, Logan Gertz, Aaron Barna and Cooper Roberts. These players have been a big part of our program and we will miss them.

The second half was another entertaining show with both teams having opportunities and Ionia coming so close to tying it up on several occasions. In the end Williamston were able to take advantage of a couple of late chances and that sealed the win for them. It was a hard fought loss but the players should be proud of their efforts tonight.    

Stats at a Glance:
7 Shots at Goal

Goals: 1-Devon Reyes, 1-Logan Gertz

Goalkeeper Kyle Jones: 12 saves

Record: 3-10-0

Next game on Saturday 10:00 a.m., away at Portland.