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Late goal again dooms Cougars soccer

JANESVILLE — It was down to the wire again for Janesville Craig High School’s boys soccer team.

After suffering a 1-0 loss to Monona Grove with a goal in the 98th minute of a double-overtime game Saturday, the Cougars got nipped

3-2 here Tuesday night when Middleton scored in the 79th minute of a Big Eight Conference game.

“Middleton’s one of the better teams in our league, and we played one of our best games of the year,” Craig coach Charles Friedrich said after the tough battle with the third-place Cardinals (8-3-2, 4-1). “It probably should’ve been a tie.’’

The Cardinals broke the 2-2 tie, however, when Ransom Boyd rolled a shot into the corner of the net with a minute remaining.

“It was just a scramble in the box,’’ Friedrich said. “Max (Niedermeier) initially had the save, but the ball hit the back of the post and dribbled in.’’

Craig got the early lead in a 1-1 first half when Tom Kitching scored on an assist from Mo McCrone at the seven-minute mark.

The Cougars regained the lead at 2-1 on McCrone’s 28-yard shot for an unassisted goal at the 52-minute mark.

Logan Matheny, one of the Big Eight’s top scorers, got his only goal of the night on a penalty kick to lift Middleton into the 2-2 tie at the 66-minute mark. And that carried the suspense down to the wire.

Craig takes a 1-4 conference record 5-7-1 overall mark into a Big Eight game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Janesville Parker.

MIDDLETON 3, CRAIG 2

Middleton 1 2—3

Janesville Craig 1 1—2

First Half

JC—Tom Kitching (Mo McCrone), 7:00. M—Zach Williams (Dan Fisher), 23:00.

Second Half

JC—McCrone, 52:00. M—Logan Matheny (penalty kick), 66:00. M—Ramsom Boyd, 79:00.

Saves—Zach Rotert (M) 11, Max Niedermeier (JC) 17.