Park Center falls to Northwest Suburban Conference rivals Maple Grove on Tuesday
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — On a night when Maple Grove appeared destined for a clear victory, Park Center came from behind three times to push the game to a tense ending. Throughout the second half, the unbeaten Maple Grove side comfortably led by a two-goal margin.
It was an action-packed game, with goals from both ends spicing up an eventful evening for the home team. The Crimson went on the offensive from the first minute and would get the deserved lead through Jordan Ross. Ross wasn’t done yet and doubled the lead with a well-worked-out flick just before the hour mark.
The battle for all three points was epic, Park Center proving to be no pushovers in a duel that was seen as the Crimson’s to lose. Park Center High school was beehive activities, with the stands littered with excited fans.
While the home team fans were upbeat about this fixture, coach Gregg Leininger was cautious and diplomatic in his post-match comments.
“Every time we play these guys it’s just a battle,” Maple Grove head coach Gregg Leininger said. “These games get like that. …We just go at each other.”
The Pirates put up a spirited fight to trim down the lead to 3-2 in the second half, and coach Leininger wasn’t impressed.
“We like to put pressure on teams and we get those goals,” Leininger said. “Obviously we let up some goals too and it turns into that every year.”
When Ross scored the fourth goal for the Crimson and his third of the night, it appeared like the game was finally out of reach for the Pirates. However, just three minutes after Ross’ goal, the Pirates responded through Sidike Jabateh, who also netted his third of the night.
“It was an end to end game,” Ross said. “Park Center has always been a tough opponent. They have a pool of talented players on the defensive and offensive end, so they’re one of the teams that will punish you with any slight mistake.”
Maple Grove remains unbeaten, although it has only played conference opponents.
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