With rain and snow in the forecast for Friday's scheduled boys soccer season opener between defending state champion Millard West and Millard North, the schools decided to move the game up a day and take advantage of temperatures in the mid-60s.

Millard West senior forward Brendan White heated up in a hurry Thursday, collecting a goal and an assist as Millard West dumped the visiting Mustangs 3-0.

“We're just happy to be out in the sunshine,” Millard West coach Ron Beernink said. “I think this is only our sixth time outdoors and for Millard North about the same.”

Millard North coach Bill Cunningham said that while both teams have been affected by the lack of outdoor practice time, the Mustangs didn't respond as well as Millard West.

“We were a little disorganized,” Cunningham said. “We really haven't had any days outside to get organized.”

Millard West's Eric Emerson was flawless in goal as he recorded six saves, including a stop on a penalty kick by the Mustangs' JP Pulverenti in the second half that would have pulled the Mustangs to a one-goal deficit with 22:35 remaining.

“The penalty-kick save was huge,” Beernink said. “That could have made it 2-1.”

Cunningham said his team played the Wildcats evenly on the field.

“It was a little bit unlucky for us,” he said. “The guy that missed the penalty kick, JP, that's the first one I've seen him miss.”

Millard North controlled the game at times and managed to get off 14 shots, six of them on goal, but Emerson stopped everything that came his way.

“Quite honestly,” Beernink said, “I think I have more things to worry about my team than Millard North does, in spite of the score.”

Senior forward Tim Kellner got the Wildcats on the board in the 20th minute as he took a crossing pass from Jeff Hudson and slipped the ball past Mustang goalkeeper Brian Talcott for a 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats made it 2-0 with 22:56 remaining in the game as a potent Millard West counterattack resulted in White's first goal of the season.

“That second goal, the counter, was really a coaching mistake,” Cunningham said. “We just didn't have enough organization.”

Millard West tallied its final goal in the 70th minute as Andrew Kallman headed the ball into the goal past Talcott off a corner kick by White.

Talcott recorded six saves.

Millard North (0-1-0).....................0 0—0
At Millard West (1-0-0)........................1 2—3

Goals: MW, Tim Kellner (Jeff Hudson) 19:35; Brendan White (Cody Thayer), 57:04; Andrew Kallman (White) 69:25. Shots: MN 14, MW 19. Shots on goal: MN 6, MW 9. Saves: MN, Brian Talcott 6, MW, Eric Emerson 6. Fouls MN 5, MW 11. A: 275 (est.)

Contact the writer:

444-1201, sports@owh.com

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