It was a tale of 65 minutes and 25 minutes of game time for the boys varsity soccer team last night against Northview.

Junior Henry Kostbade was the lone goal scorer for the Rangers last night, as he scored the first goal of the game to give FHC a 1-0 lead. However, that was all FHC could muster in a 5-1 loss to the Wildcats.

“The boys played the best I’ve seen all season for the first 65 minutes,” head coach Paul Kramer said. “[Their] Ball movement, one-touch passing, and defensive covering were all phenomenal.”

With another win secured over West Catholic the past Saturday, FHC looked to finally get back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

The first half was the best the Rangers have played all season long. With Henry putting the team ahead 1-0 early, it was all about capitalizing on any chance they could get. The Northview offense was held to only a couple of solid offensive possessions because of the Rangers’ stellar defense. With quick ball movement and time of possession on offense being controlled, the boys went into halftime with a 1-0 lead. 

After halftime, the message was clear to the Rangers: fight for possession of the ball and keep playing with a chip on their shoulder. In the first 20 minutes of the second half, that message was relayed to the team. But as the game progressed, the Rangers’ play got sloppier. Northview capitalized on those mistakes and found themselves up 2-1 in the middle of the second half. From there on out, it was all Northview. The Wildcats scored three more goals to secure the 5-1 win.

“These are the learning lessons of a still fairly young team,” coach Kramer said. “Like any good competitor, it’s not how many times you get knocked down but how many times you get back up that matters.”

After that loss, the boys are 4-6-1 and host Byron Center on Thursday, September 23, at 6:45 PM. This game will be senior night for FHC.