LocalSportsJournal.com
Nobody scored in regulation or in the first overtime on Wednesday night, when Lakes 8 Conference rivals Ludington and Orchard View met in the 
first round of the Division 3 soccer regionals at Clare High School.
Nobody actually scored in the second overtime, either, but the ball went in the Orchard View goal, and Ludington escaped with an extremely tight 1-0 victory to keep its season alive.
The goal came when an Orchard View player tried to clear the ball away from his team’s goal, and it accidently went in. It occurred with only 3:45 remaining in the second overtime period, and the Orioles held on from there.
Ludington now advances to play Elk Rapids on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the regional finals at Clare. The winner will advance to next week’s state semifinals.
The victory completed a three-game sweep for Ludington over Orchard View this season. The Orioles beat their conference rival twice during the regular season. The Orioles also beat the Cardinals in last year’s regional finals.
Orchard View finished the season with a 15-5-3 record and a district championship. It was the Cardinals’ third district title in the last four years.
“They say it’s really hard to beat a team three times in a season, but (Ludington coach Kris Anderson) is a great coach,” said Orchard View Coach Kyle Skodack. “Ludington always makes a good run in October.
“But we’ve won districts three out of the last four years, and we’re starting to get into bigger games. The scores keep getting better and better, and we are staying closer with these really good teams. As a program I would say we’re starting to turn some heads.”
