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In a battle of undefeated teams, Maple Grove sneaks past Blaine in final 10 minutes

By Ryan Williamson, SportsEngine , 09/05/17, 7:15PM CDT

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The Crimsons' Alex Downing scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick.


Maple Grove junior forward Alex Downing (45) maneuvers around Noah Trautman (22) at midfield. Downing scored twice for the Crimson including the game winner with under four minutes remaining in the contest. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

After getting Maple Grove on the board with a goal in the first half, Crimson forward Alex Downing came through once again late in Tuesday’s match against Blaine.

With less than four minutes remaining in the second half and the game tied 2-2, Downing was chosen to take a penalty shot for Maple Grove after an intentional handball. The junior capitalized on the opportunity as the Crimson defeated the Blaine 3-2 in a clash of Northwest Suburban conference foes at Maple Grove Crimson Stadium.

“I thought we handled it well and continued to get shots on goal,” said Crimson co-head coach Greg Leininger. “We felt OK and made adjustments.” 

Maple Grove trailed for most of the second half. But with 9:18 to go in the final half, Crimson senior forward Josh Machtemes tied the game at 2-2 on a scrum in front of the Blaine net. Tuesday’s match was the first time Maple Grove (3-0) trailed in a match this season.

The Bengals (2-3) found offense via senior forward Michael Hoberg. He scored on a long shot in the first half to get the game to 1-1. He scored early in the second half to give Blaine a 2-1 lead.

“He’s a player and probably one of the top kids in the state,” said Bengals head coach Berry Arrowsmith.

The game appeared to be in Blaine’s control for much of the second half. But late heroics proved to be enough for the Crimson to stay undefeated.

“We’ve got a lot of defensive-minded guys, but we still found a way to get the ball to the net,” Leininger said.


Michael Hoberg's (11) shot slips past Maple Grove goalkeeper Matthew Hennessey. Hoberg scored both goals for the Bengals in their 3-2 loss to the Crimson on Tuesday night. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

First Report

After getting Maple Grove on the board with a goal in the first half, Crimson forward Alex Downing came through once again late in Tuesday’s match against Blaine.

With less than four minutes remaining in the second half and the game tied 2-2, Downing was chosen to take a penalty shot for Maple Grove after an intentional handball. The junior capitalized on the opportunity as the Crimson defeated the Blaine 3-2 in a clash of Northwest Suburban conference foes at Maple Grove Crimson Stadium.

Maple Grove trailed for most of the second half. But with 9:18 to go in the final half, Crimson senior forward Josh Machtemes tied the game at 2-2 on a scrum in front of the Blaine net. Tuesday’s match was the first time Maple Grove (3-0) trailed in a match this season.

The Bengals (2-3) found offense via senior forward Michael Hoberg. He scored on a long shot in the first half to get the game to 1-1. He scored early in the second half to give Blaine a 2-1 lead.

The game appeared to be in Blaine’s control for much of the second half. But late heroics proved to be enough for the Crimson to stay undefeated.

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