Michigan Tech midfielder Sophie Rater battles with a Ferris State player during a game Sunday at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — A goal by junior midfielder Reilly Lovercheck pulled the Michigan Tech Huskies soccer team into a 1-1 tie with the Ferris State Bulldogs. However, a tally with less than four minutes left on a defensive breakdown lifted the Bulldogs to the win, 2-1, Sunday at Kearly Stadium.

While their second half was much better than their first, Huskies coach Melissa Kuhar wants her team to understand that they need to put 90 minutes together that look more like the last 45 if they want more success.

“We have to put a full game together,” she said. “We didn’t have a great, a clean, first half. A lot of balls played out of bounds, balls to the other team, not super clean. That kicked us in the butt a bit, kind of put us down.

“We kind of dug ourselves a hole. I think if we would (have played) the way we played in the second half, in the first, this is a little different game.”

The Huskies (1-8-1 overall, 1-4-1 GLIAC) trailed 1-0 in the first half after Ava Fuller put the Bulldogs on the board in the 32nd minute when she took advantage of a ball that bounced around after a corner kick. Once she got it, she turned and beat Huskies keeper Bri Barrows with a low kick at 31:21.

However, after that ball beat Barrows, the Huskies turned things around. They had a great late half scoring chance when freshman midfielder Karli Koskinen battled to a ball in the corner to Bulldogs keeper Korinne Ihrke’s right. Koskinen had a teammate in front, but her pass was snagged by Ihrke before it got there.

After a spirited discussion by Kuhar at half time, the Huskies came out stronger in the second half. Their first good scoring chance came off a pass from freshman midfielder Sophie Rater to junior forward Brooke Green. Green chased the ball down at the goal line, then she shook off a Bulldogs defender, turned towards the net and fired a shot at Ihrke.

A little over seven minutes later, Lovercheck took a long lead pass from freshman midfielder Peyton Wetzel. Lovercheck broke in alone and beat Ihrke with a low shot at 63:23.

“It’s confidence stuff, right? By her being able to score, she’s got some speed,” Kuhar said. “There’s a reason she’s on our track team as well here. She’s got some speed.

“Peyton played a beautiful ball into her. Yet another assist for Peyton. There’s a unique connection the two of them have up there.”

The Huskies had a chance to break the tie with just over 18 minutes left when junior midfielder Ryley Winrich had a free kick. She fired a shot that sailed over Ihrke and under the crossbar, but at the last moment, Ihrke reached up and knocked the ball over the crossbar.

Over the next 14 minutes, the Bulldogs pushed and pushed, but the Huskies stood their ground, with Barrows making two key stops before Ferris State took advantage of a miscue by the Huskies.

Natalia Leavens was able to drive through the middle of the Huskies’ defense and she beat Barrows with a low shot at 86:19.

“We didn’t play a great ball out, and then lost it in the middle there,” said Kuhar. “Our defense was just sitting too far back, and we didn’t step quick enough. That girl’s speedy. She’s fast. She was just as good as her freshman year last year, so we knew she was going to cause some issues out of the middle, but we didn’t step completely to that ball. She had full range to just hit it wherever she wanted.

“That’s something we can clean up on the defensive side. You’re looking back there at a freshman playing center back in the second half. So, there’s going to be growing pains.”

Barrows finished with six saves for the Huskies in the loss. Ihrke made five stops for the Bulldogs.

Up next

The Huskies hit the road to face the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Sunday in Marquette.