Houghton’s Caleb Wiitanen looks up field for a pass during a game against Kingsford Monday at Alumni Field in Houghton. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The Houghton Gremlins’ soccer team knew they had their work cut out as they took to the turf of Alumni Field on Monday against the Kingsford Flivvers. The Flivvers had dealt the Gremlins (7-2-1) their only loss so far this season. They fell 6-0 in a match in the first week of September.

While the Houghton squad played well, the Flivvers still had their number in a 7-3 win.

“There is a reason they are a top-ranked team in the state (No. 6 in MHSAA Division 3),” stated Houghton’s coach Mark Lounibus. “They are quick, strong, and good with the ball.”

All seven of their goals came courtesy of the Buckley brothers. Senior Jaxon had four and sophomore Jett put the other three in.

While it was a back-and-forth match in the first 10 minutes, Jett broke the ice at around the 30-minute mark with a shot from 15 yards out.

Less than 10 minutes later, Jaxon found the net, and he did it again at the 15:30 mark. It was 3-0 after 40 minutes.

The Flivvers (11-1-1) had won the first half, not just with three unanswered goals, but with their tight defense. They were winning balls and staying one step ahead of the Gremlins.

According to Kingsford coach Jeff Gordon, defense has been a key to a winning season.

“It starts with the defense and goes to the mids (midfielders),” he stated. “The Buckleys obviously had a great show tonight, but if it wasn’t for our mids controlling the ball and getting it to them, it wouldn’t have worked. Defense has been winning games for us all season as it did today.”

While Lounibos liked his team’s effort in the first half, he told them they needed to be a little more aggressive in the second and score some goals, and they did.

Less than a minute into the second half, Houghton’s Grant Northey found the back of the net off a loose ball in the box.

However, a 3-1 game turned into a 4-1 Kingsford lead just three minutes later as Jaxon Buckley put a ball past Gremlins’ keeper Jonah Falker.

That is the way the score stood until the midway point of the second. It was then that Ethan Heckel turned around with a defender on him and popped one in to make it a 4-2 game.

Heckel was right back it four minutes later pushing the Gremlins within one with his second goal of the night at the 16-minute mark.

It was game on for the Gremlins as momentum was on their side..

“We gave it our best,” noted Lounibos. “I think, though, we just got tired as we had guys in there the whole game.”

On the other bench, Gordon told his boys to calm down and play their game.

“There was a lull there for seven minutes or so where we let our guard down, they scored, and we got anxious,” he said. “Once we calmed back down, we were able to score again.”

The Buckley brothers finished the game with goals five, six and seven, all within the final 10 minutes of the match.

Lounibos chalked this one up not as a loss on paper, but certainly as a win in terms of effort.

“We played them better this time around,” he said. “I am proud of them. We are getting better. “

UP NEXT

The Flivvers and the Gremlins will be back in action this Friday at 4 p.m. in Kingsford.