Dexter Defeats Monroe to Open SEC League Play

By Alex Hardie

On Dexter’s home field, the Dreadnaughts opened up Southeast Conference league play against Monroe with a solid second half performance that produced four goals, and their fourth straight victory on Thursday.

“It wasn’t the best soccer we have played,” Dexter coach Scott Forrester said of the first half. “Having nine days without a game showed, as we struggled possessing the ball and creating a higher number of scoring chances.”

Both teams created a couple of scoring opportunities, and the Dreads had a little more possession. A scoreless first half changed just over three minutes into the second when Tony Pisto fired a shot on the Trojan goal that rebounded out to a waiting Jake Kilian who fired a defenseless shot in for the 1-0 lead.

Twelve minutes later Thomas Cansfield served a ball from the left side of the field near the goal line to a well positioned Nils Valdmanis, who placed the shot past a couple of defenders and the keeper. With 18 minutes remaining on the clock, Bobby Toth scored the first of his two goals when he picked up a poorly cleared ball and fired a laser from 20 yards out to make it 3-0.

Toth’s second goal was set up by Bryce Pederson’s piercing diagonal ball with 11 minutes left in the match. Keepers Rhys Moller and Trenton Aeschliman combined for the shut-out, the team’s third for the season.

Dexter now is 4-2-1 overall and is 1-0-0 in conference play.

The Dreadnaughts travel to Oxford for a three game tournament Saturday and then travel to Ann Arbor Huron on Tuesday in a return to SEC play.