Grand, Yellowjackets get back in win column

Brian Grand goes up for the header.

Box Score

Yellowjackets 2, Hamline 1

Last week was a tough one for the Yellowjacket men's soccer team. They played six halves of soccer during the week, and looking at the way the team performed in five of them you would think that they would have won two, or possibly all three games. Unfortunately luck just didn't smile on them and they found themselves on a three-game losing streak entering Wednesday's match with Hamline.

Long story short - their luck turned around.

For the first time in four matches the Yellowjackets got a bit of a lucky bounce in the second half, a bounce that propelled them to a 2-1 win at Public Schools Stadium in Duluth.

One thing that was just like last week, however, was where the offense came from. Junior Brian Grand (North Branch, Minn./North Branch), a transfer from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, scored both goals for the Yellowjackets last week, one each in losses to Augsburg and Gustavus Adolphus. On Wednesday night, Grand again was the offensive catalyst, scoring both goals as the Yellowjackets halted their skid.

Grand opened the scoring in the 20th minute, taking a crossing pass from Nate Engel (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) and blasting it past Hamline goalkeeper Joey Matesi to make it 1-0.

Hamline, who was unbeaten at 3-0 coming into the match, evened things up a short time later. Less than seven minutes after the Yellowjackets took the lead Michael Ramirez scored his first goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1. That's how the first half would come to a close.

The Yellowjackets carried a territorial advantage in the first half, and had the advantage in shots at 10-6. The teams were even in shots on goal in the opening frame, tied at 4-4.

As the second half unfolded again had the advantage in territory and shots, but the game remained tied. That changed near the midpoint, when the Yellowjackets finally found that luck they'd been seeking, and again it was on a goal from Grand.

Grand let shot go that hit the cross bar, then caromed off the back of Matesi and into the goal to give the Yellowjackets a 2-1 lead in the 67th minute.

From there the Yellowjacket defense shut the door and brought an end to the losing streak.

Matt Elder (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) got the start in goal and finished with four saves, improving to 2-2-1 on the year. Matesi made five saves in taking the loss.

The Yellowjackets (2-3-1, 0-0-0 WIAC) will now head back on the road on Friday, September 13 when they travel to St. Paul, Minn. to take on Macalester College. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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