Logger boys win first match of new head coach's career in Libby

The Libby Loggers boy’s soccer team got their season started off on the right foot with their 4-3 victory over Hamilton, Saturday, Aug. 29.

First year coach, Rodd Zeiler, said he was pleased with the way his team performed in their first game of the season.

“We had a lot of great assists,” Zeiler said. “We had fantastic coordination of our midfield offense. Our defensive protection was good. We did a great job of passing the ball and keeping the motion fluid. We kept to the outside and stayed wide. I was really happy with their physical performance despite the smoke.”

Zeiler said he thinks his team will have a good season if they are able to overcome their mistakes and keep their heads in the game.

“In all honesty I think we will do very well if we don’t get down on ourselves,” he said. “If they keep their head in the game and keep their eyes up. If we make a mistake they just have to overcome them by keeping their head up. They just have to forget about those mistakes. I use a term called claim it and take it. It just means if you make a mistake that’s fine just claim it and say my bad and get your head back in the game. They did a good job of that. If somebody made a mistake they supported each other. They showed a lot of maturity.”

The Loggers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and Zeiler said he liked the poise his team showed late in the game.

“Hamilton fought equally as hard,” he said. “We scored three goals and jumped out to an early lead. They came right back and tied the game at three. They played with a lot of gusto. They didn’t give up and it was cool to see. It was a good way to start the season. If we would have put our heads down after they tied it they could have had us. The team showed a lot of poise.”

The Loggers scored the game-winning goal near the four-minute mark of the game. The next game for the Loggers will be Thursday, Sept. 3, at Whitefish.