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| Robin DeCastro solid defensive effort (file photo by Jim Lindquist) |
A defensive error produced the game's first score 13:01 into the second half and the Irish put the game away on a penalty kick following an inadvertent hand ball call with under five minutes to play.
"The outcome of the game is not representative of the level of the play of our team." Tiger coach Julian Buss said. "We retaliated after they scored and probably should have gotten a call when our player looked like he was fouled in front of the net.
"Then the hand ball call set up their second goal. It was a tough call, one of those unfortunate situations where the ball happened to pop up to the arm. You could see it was unintentional but it had to be called."
Buss said the outcome did not mean there were no positives to take from the season opener.
"The starting 11 showed they can play a fast game with good passing and movement," he said. "We are still getting used to each other and some new players got a chance to see the pace of the varsity game. All in all, I would call the opener a success."
Buss said he liked the midfield play of Jared Wolt and Blake Smith and thought Robin DeCastro had a solid night defensively. The Tiger coach was also pleased with the play of Sam Peterson in his first varsity start in goal.
The Tigers jump back into action Saturday morning with a non-conference home game with Lakeville North. Game time is 11:00 a.m. at Tiger Stadium.
