Miller takes blame for Cheboygan soccer's 1-1 tie with Roscommon
CHEBOYGAN – About a week ago – when it was raining outside – Cheboygan boys soccer coach Bob Miller took his players into the gym instead of practicing on the field like they normally do.
One week later, Miller admitted he himself made a mistake.
On Wednesday, playing in wetter conditions, Miller’s Chiefs were far from sharp in a 1-1 tie against the Roscommon Bucks at home.
Just two days after thrashing Oscoda 10-4 on the road, Miller thought his team would carry momentum over into Wednesday.
Unfortunately for Miller, the Chiefs weren’t as crisp as he wanted them to be.
So, he took the blame.
“Our performance was horrible – that's what I think. I just told the boys (after the game), ‘This loss is my fault,’” said Miller. “Last week, we went into the gym and worked on our conditioning, because that was the focus at the time, but had I been a little more forward looking, we would’ve been (outside), because the missed touches were early and often.
“This was my error.”
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The Chiefs (2-1-1, 1-1-1 Northern Michigan Soccer League) struggled to get a hold of the game from the beginning against the Bucks (0-2-1, 0-2-1), who created several chances but were either wasteful in front of goal or were denied by Cheboygan senior goalkeeper Leland Steffen.
Despite being outplayed for most of the half, the Chiefs didn’t allow a goal and took the lead when sophomore midfielder Ethan Goulet slid by a couple Roscommon defenders and hammered a shot that went in for a goal and a 1-0 Cheboygan lead with 5:25 before the break. The Chiefs maintained the slender advantage going into halftime.
Down but not out, the Bucks started off the second half brilliantly, taking advantage of poor Cheboygan passing and equalizing with a goal from Ben Hamina. The Bucks generated more chances, but fortunately for the Chiefs, Steffen came to the rescue a few more times before the contest concluded.
The teams remained deadlocked with under 10 minutes left, but the Chiefs missed a big chance when freshman Killian Miller’s shot went over the crossbar, keeping it at 1-1. That’s the last big chance either team had in the game.
As a result, both teams went home with a draw.
“We did produce one opportunity kind of at the end there – and Killian's (Miller) beating himself over that miss,” Miller said. “Ethan (Goulet) has been consistent. He has scored a goal in every game, he’s been a consistent player for us, and Ian Jackson and Jaxon Dann and Gary Lane, they worked their butts off all game. Brady Lockwood seems to come into the game a little bit later. He’s a strong finisher.
“One missed opportunity after the other, we kind of gave that game away.”
As for the Bucks, they felt the same way, especially after squandering several huge chances in the game.
At the same time, their coach was still satisfied with his team’s tough display away from home.
“Possession-wise, I think we out-possessed them, especially in shots, and it was about 70-30,” said Roscommon coach John Sinnaeve. “We could’ve scored a number of goals, but that keeper (Steffen) played really well.
“We had a lot of chances, we just couldn’t put it in, but we are much improved – much, much improved – from last year, so that’s nice to see.”
Cheboygan hopes to bounce back when it travels to Sault Ste. Marie for a 5 p.m. clash on Monday, Aug. 28.
For Miller, he believes aggressive play is what’s missing at the moment.
“Winning those balls in the middle, closing on the ball, not giving (the opponent) time to pick their heads up and look after they collect it – be aggressive, aggressive,” Miller said. “It was very complacent today. They (Roscommon) were slide tackling, they were going after the ball, and we were watching them go after the ball.”
Dann, Miller net hat tricks in road win at Oscoda
Goals might’ve been hard to come by on Wednesday, but they weren’t on Monday for the Chiefs, who put 10 past the Oscoda Owls in a six-goal triumph.
Dann and Killian Miller both registered hat tricks for the Chiefs, who received two goals from Ian Jackson and a goal apiece from Kelsey Lamb and Goulet.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Miller takes blame in Cheboygan soccer's 1-1 tie with Roscommon
