The Bulldogs traveled to Holt Saturday to face off with Division 1 opponent Holt. The Rams had struggled to find results in their first two matches, recording a 6-1 loss to Marshall, and a 3-3 draw of Mason. Otsego, on the other hand, was undefeated at 5-0 headed into the match. Regardless of record or recent form, this one proved to be a tough and fast-paced affair. Otsego hopped on the front foot early and Senior striker Cait Kitchen rang a shot off the crossbar from outside the 18 to begin the Bulldogs' barrage of the Holt goal. The Dawgs had the slight wind advantage in the first half, and a number of narrowly missed opportunities kept Otsego off the board early. Holt earned a couple free kicks from 30-40 yards out, and finally cashed in when #13 crushed one through traffic and in at the far post. 1-0 Holt at the half.

The second half began much in the same way as the first. Though Otsego did not have the wind with them, creativity and service into the final third were both in the Dawgs' favor. Otsego's mids were doing a good job dealing with the physicality and pressure put on them by the Rams' central players, but just weren't finding the connections with the forward that would really test Holt's back line. The middle portion of the second half was dominated by Holt, and they put the OHS back line under a good bit of pressure. Senior center backs Taylor Schuesler and Alexis Petty kept Holt's #17 at bay, while a host of outside backs did their best to win the 1v1 battles against the wide forwards. Holding midfielder Lauren Nieboer was pivotal once again for the Dawgs, and did an excellent job providing a screen in front of our back line and providing a physical presence to an otherwise undersized midfield. Otsego poured on the pressure and threw numbers forward late on, but it would not be enough.

The test of traveling to an unfamiliar opponent, especially one who competes two divisions above you, is always one we want to pose to our girls. The more physical, skilled, and quick the opponent the better it will prepare our players for the tests within our conference and our district. Aside from the miscommunication on the free kick, our players acquitted themselves very well, and even had a stranglehold on the game in moments. The bottom line is that both teams played a very even match, were asked questions, and found ways to provide some very good answers. 

Otsego hosts non-conference opponent Hastings Monday night at Bulldog Stadium. JV at 5 p.m., and Varsity at 6:30 p.m.