Cheboygan – About a week ago – When it was raining outside – Cheboygan boys soccer coach Bob Miller He took his players to the gym instead of practicing on the field like they usually do.
One week later, Miller admitted that he himself had made a mistake.
On Wednesday, playing in wetter conditions, Miller heads It was far from sharp in a 1-1 draw against Roscommon Bucks at home.
Just two days after beating Oscoda 10-4 on the road, Miller thought his team would continue the momentum through Wednesday.
Unfortunately for Miller, the leaders weren’t as straightforward as he wanted them to be.
So, take the blame.
“Our performance was terrible – that’s what I think. I just told the guys (after the game), that this loss was my fault,” Miller said. “Last week, we went to the gym and worked on our conditioning, because that was the focus of that. Time, but if I had looked forward a little, we would have been (out), because the missed touches were early and often.
“It was my fault.”
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The Chiefs (2-1-1, 1-1-1 Northern Michigan Football League) struggled to control the game from the start against the Bucks (0-2-1, 0-2-1), who created several chances but either squandered In front of the goal or saved by Cheboygan senior goalkeeper Leland Stephen.
Despite outplaying them for most of the first half, the Chiefs didn’t allow a goal and took the lead when midfielder Ethan Gullit slipped past two Roscommon defenders and slotted a shot into the goal and Cheboygan led 1-0 with 5:25 before the break. The Chiefs maintained a slight advantage at the end of the first half.
The Bucks started the second half brightly, taking advantage of a weak Cheboygan pass, and equalized with Ben Hamina’s goal. The Bucks produced more chances, but fortunately for the Chiefs, Steven came to the rescue several times before the contest ended.
The teams remained deadlocked with less than 10 minutes remaining, but the Chiefs missed a great chance when newcomer Killian Miller’s shot went over the bar, keeping the score at 1-1. This is the last big chance either team had in the match.
As a result, the two teams went home with a tie.
“We produced one chance at the end there – and Killian (Miller) beat himself up for that missed opportunity,” said Miller. “Ethan (Goulet) was consistent. He scored a goal every game, he was a consistent player for us and Ian Jackson, Jackson Dunn and Gary Lane worked really well throughout the game. Brady Lockwood seems to have entered the game a bit later. He’s a solid striker.
“We missed one chance after another, we kind of missed that game.”
As for Bucks, he felt the same way, especially after wasting several great chances in the match.
Meanwhile, their coach was still pleased with his team’s strong away performance.
“Possession-wise, I think we outplayed them, especially in shooting, and it was about 70-30,” said Roscommon coach John Senaeff. “We could have scored a number of goals, but this goalkeeper (Steven) played really well.
“We had a lot of chances, we couldn’t take them, but we’ve improved a lot – a lot better – than last year, so it’s nice to see that.”
Cheboygan hopes to bounce back when he travels to Sault Ste. Mary’s Face at 5 p.m. on Monday, August 28th.
As for Miller, he believes aggressive play is what we lack at the moment.
“Winning those balls in the middle, getting close to the ball, not giving (opponents) time to raise their heads and take care of collecting them – be aggressive, aggressive,” Miller said. “He was very satisfied today. They (Roscommon) were getting in and chasing the ball and we were watching them chasing the ball.”
Dan and Miller hat tricks in the win on the road at Oscoda
It might have been a tough day to score goals on Wednesday, but it wasn’t on Monday for the Chiefs, who netted 10 goals against Oscoda Owls in a six-goal victory.
Dan and Killian Miller scored hat-tricks for the Chiefs, who conceded two goals from Ian Jackson and one each from Kelsey Lamb and Gullit.
This article originally appeared on the Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Miller takes the blame in Cheboygan Football’s 1-1 draw with Roscommon