The Battle Ground Tigers boys soccer team saw a 3-0 lead evaporate as the rain, nor the Mountain View Thunder let up. The Tigers’, however, got the crucial game-winning goal from Sam Gourley in a 4-3 win in the first game of the season on Wednesday, March 11.
Senior captain Bryland Fick launched a pair of first-half goals for the Tigers. A goal by sophomore Ben Gurrad extended a 3-0 lead for the Tigers and Gourley gave Battle Ground its go-ahead score. But it would not have been a seven-goal thriller to kick off the spring sports season without the efforts by Mountain View senior Jackson Radi, who kept the pressure on with a hat trick.
The early-season game not only debuted a new energy for Battle Ground boys soccer in comparison to recent years, but it also marked the first appearance of Alan Croft at the helm.
“I have to say, my boys, they showed resilience. They showed determination,” Croft said. “Our first game, you know, we did have a rough season last year, but I think we have a very good squad this year and we’re ready for our next game.”
The Tigers’ next game, the in-school district rivalry against Prairie High School on Friday, March 13, resulted in an X-X win/loss.
For Croft, the opening game spark resulted in a reminder to take it one step at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time, he said.
“We’re focusing on our next game,” Croft said after the March 11 win. “We’re not looking too far down the road. We’re just going to put in the work at practice, and good things will happen for us.”
Croft comes to the Tigers with 18 years of coaching experience in various clubs across the Portland/Vancouver Metro area.
“I had my own training academy called ‘Footwork Academy’,” he said. “I played futsal for about 10 years now. I’ve coached Futsal, and took some teams to the national level. I just love the game. I’ve been playing for 30-plus years, and I’m glad to share my passion with these kids.”
Battle Ground is next slated to play on the road at Evergreen High School for a 7 p.m. matchup on Wednesday, March 18.
