The men's soccer team traveled to Livonia, MI today to faceoff against Region 12 foe, the Schoolcraft Ocelots. In a tightly played game, the Lakers would eventually succumb to the Ocelots with 2 late goals cementing the defeat by a score of 5-1. Trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes, Lakeland broke thru for the tying goal at the 25 minute mark. On the goal, Jomar Bravo chipped the ball over the defense to a streaking Alex Webster-Gutierrez. Webster-Gutierrez then swiftly beat the keeper to knot the score at 1.  The teams would remain tied until their were 5 minutes to play in the half. The Lakers then made two critical mistakes and the Ocelots capitalized on both to take a 3-1 lead into the break. In the second half, the teams would continue to battle. With 15 minutes to play, the Lakers had a tremendous passing sequence that led to a 1v1 with the goalie. Unfortunately, the Lakers were unable to convert. As the Lakers pressed up to score while time was running down, the Ocelots took advantage and netted two more late goals.

Till Oppermann was credited with 9 saves, including a penalty kick, in the Laker loss.

Ty's Talk: "I was very please with our effort today. The final score was not indictive to how close a game this was. We showed a lot of strength as a team. I believe this will help us come back even better and stronger for our next game. Our heads are up and we'll come back ready after the quick turnaround." 

Next Up: The Lakers will play host to the Cuyahoga Triceratops on Tuesday (9/17) at Laker Field. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm.