Houghton's Braden Kari (18) works the ball past Boyne City's Felix Bair (14) and Cameron Little (9) on Friday in a Division 3 District 33 quarterfinal game at Alumni Field in Houghton. (Eddie O’Neill/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — It was a windy Friday afternoon at Alumni Field in Houghton. However, it could not slow down senior Ethan Heckle and the Houghton Gremlins (fourth seed) soccer team from posting a 4-0 shutout against the Boyne City Ramblers (fifth seed) in a Division 3 District 33 quarterfinal game.

The Ramblers won the coin toss and aptly chose to go with the wind at their backs to open the first half. However, it was the Gremlins who proved that the wind was not going to be an issue as they scored first.

At the 35:30 mark, forward Heckel put in a loose ball that was bouncing around the box. Beto Marin was credited with the assist.

“To go up 1-0 with that early goal against the wind was nice,” said Gremlins coach Mark Lounibos. “The second goal before halftime was key.”

Heckel’s second goal occurred with less than two minutes to go before the half. Henry Lounibos fed Heckel a perfect pass, and it put Heckel in a 1-on-1 with a defender and the goalie to beat, and he won the battle with a grounder that found the back of the net.

“I told the guys at half time that we need a goal in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Two is not enough,” said Mark Lounibos.

He got what he wanted, albeit one-minute late, by way of a penalty shot at the 29-minute mark. A Boyne City foul in the penalty box resulted in an easy third goal for Heckel and a 3-0 cushion for the Gremlins.

The Gremlins kept up the pressure and controlled the flow of the game.

“Our midfield kept winning balls and putting the pressure on up front,” Mark Lounibos added. ” I knew that if we controlled the midfield we would control the game.”

The Gremlins had an impressive 15 shots on goal. The Ramblers had just one. One of Houghton’s last shots came off the foot of Eli Garnell and resulted in a fourth goal at the seven-minute mark. Heckel earned the assist.

“Boyne City is a solid team,” said Lounibos. “We were focused on winning this one, and we did.”

Up next

With the win, the Gremlins will travel downstate to face the winner of the Iron Mountain (eighth seed)/Elk Rapids (first seed) game which was played on Saturday. That game will be a District 33 seminal game to be played on Wednesday in Elk Rapids.