The varsity Dux soccer team opened their season with a 4-1 win over Coopersville on Friday night. Georgia Kuyers opened the scoring for the Dux off of a nice assist from Amarra Blattner, early in the first half. Coopersville scored the equalizer off of a cross that inadvertantly deflected off a Dux defender and into the back of the net. The score remained tied at the half.

"A combination of nerves and a lack of being able to be outside contributed to a little slower start than we wanted in the first half. Coopersville's speed and quickness on their turf gave us some problems defensively at first, and we struggled a little bit with timing and connectivity in our attack."

After some adjustments at half, the Dux scored 3 second half goals. After intercepting the ball near midfield, Blattner slipped a ball to Kuyers on a breakaway. Her initial shot was blocked by the keeper before she buried the rebound. Marissa Ybarra made it 3-1 after tapping in a corner kick from Rylee Smith. Smith connected with Ybarra once more to make the score 4-1.

Samarah Arendsen made 2 saves in net for the Dux.

"Really excited about how we approached and managed the second half. Our kids really bought into the adjustments we talked about at halftime, allowing us to play with more confidence and consistency, generating many good chances. Defensively, we tightened things up and did a good job of winning battles in the midfield. A solid performance for our first match. Very happy with the result."