As sophomore Kyle Webb came down the field in the first 9 minutes of the game against Reeths-Puffer on Thursday, he booted a rocket into the net. The Rangers went up 1-0 against the Rockets, looking to grab another win and climb over the .500 mark. It wouldn’t happen, though, as the Rangers fell just short in the end, giving up a late goal to the fifteenth-ranked Rockets to lose 2-1.

“We had a lot of opportunities to score on offense,” senior Sam Kelly said. “We just couldn’t capitalize on those chances.”

After Kyle’s goal, it was fellow sophomore Kasey Dantuma who caught the spotlight. He saved all of his shots until 10 minutes left in the first half, as the offense kept the pressure on the Rockets’ goalkeeper. FHC had seven quality shots on net for the rest of the half, but none could go in with the Reeths-Puffer keeper posing as a brick wall.

As the final 10 minutes of the first half was coming to a close, the FHC offense put on the brakes a little bit. But as the offense was coming down the field for the Rangers, Reeths-Puffer capitalized on the opportunity and stole the ball at midfield. It looked like the Rockets were offside on the attack, but the referees let it play on. Reeths-Puffer tied the game at one with a beautiful kick into the left corner of the goal. At the half, the game was tied 1-1.

In the second half, it was more of the same story as the first. Seniors Sam Kelly and Ben Taylor had some great shots on the net with the team combining for 10 shots on goal. Even with such excellent shots, the Rockets goalie was just too much and kept everything in front of him. With Kasey playing similiarly for the Rangers, it looked like this game was bound to go into overtime. As the last one and a half minutes winded down on the clock, the Rangers’ attack made another crucial turnover at midfield. The Rockets’ attack had a great advantage, as they took a shot into the right corner and it sank into the net. Reeths-Puffer led 2-1 and held its lead until the final whistle rang.

“Unfortunately, you don’t win by style points,” head coach Paul Kramer said. “It was a great effort by the guys and a great learning experience against a very good team in our division.”

The boys now are 2-3 and will look to bounce back Tuesday, September 9th over Greenville at Legacy Field at 6:40 PM.