Duluth East persevered to a 2-0 victory, thanks in large part to defensive tact, grit and a bit of luck. 

“They put a lot of pressure on us, but we got some lucky bounces, and when we had the opportunity, we scored,” Duluth East coach Corey Bachand said. “The boys played with a lot of heart today.”

Duluth East (1-0) played with the lead the majority of the way after senior midfielder and captain Evan Tomczyk got the 'Hounds started, scoring off a header four minutes in. 

Park Center (0-1) came back swinging, trying to play catchup the rest of the opening half, then played the bulk of the second 40 minutes on Duluth East’s half of the pitch. The Pirates moved the ball on the wings and creatively developed scoring chances, only to run into a metaphorical wall. The 'Hounds defense carried a heavy load, but methodically kept the scoring chances on the outside as much as they could, while locking down the box with increasing efficiency. 

“We like to defend in layers,” junior captain and defender Callum Greenan said. “The first layer is our forwards and we want them pressing up. If they get beat, we have our mids and defensive mid who can close everything down. If it gets past all of that, we have our center backs who can clear it out. Through all that, we were able to force them take a lot of bad shots that didn’t have much of a chance of going in.”

Duluth East is working to replace eight starters from last year’s squad that finished third at the Class 3A state tournament and went 19-2-1 overall. Key injuries and some players deemed ineligible have slowed the 'Hounds out of the gate this season as Bachand was forced to test out the bench in live action Thursday. A lot of the flash from a year ago is gone, and this group will look to adjust its style slightly in hopes of assembling a squad that can find similar success.

“We’ve lost a lot of talented seniors from last year’s team, and we know this year we are going to have to play together as a team more,” Greenan said. “Today we defended and got going on the counterattacks. It’s a great way to start the season.”

Shutdown defense is what is expected to carry the 'Hounds now.  

“We play so defensive-minded this year because we don’t have any of the big wheelers we had last year,’ Bachand said. “We really have tightened down our box, and it’s going to be hard to penetrate. And we’ve got some speed up top, and when they get the opportunity, we’ve been scoring goals in practice. It played out today in much the same way.”

With just under 10 minutes remaining, Duluth East added a second score when freshman Will Smith buried a close-range shot following a scramble in front of Park Center’s goal. 

The goal helped breathe new life into a 'Hounds team that had its back against the wall down the stretch. Duluth East’s effort and resolve sharpened in the waning minutes as the 'Hounds turned away legitimate scoring chances, and subsequently put away the Pirates.

“I saw a lot of compete, don’t break,” Bachand said. “We were back on our heels a lot today, but we found a way to earn a victory.”