BIG RAPIDS — Ludington limited Midland to just three shots on goal, and managed to capitalize on the one opportunity it had for a 1-0 win Tuesday night in the Division 2 district semifinals.
Playing at the Ferris State University facilities in Big Rapids, the Orioles thus survive and move on to the district championship game.
“I knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Ludington coach Kris Anderson. “They’re a very good defensive team, very well organized and make it very difficult to create a lot of opportunities.
“We knew it was going to be a close 80 minutes or maybe more type of game. We happened to get the one opportunity we capitalized on and played strong defensively all night long.”
Parker Wendt tallied the Orioles’ only goal of the game, unassisted. Gabe Gamez started in goal.
Midland had numerous other opportunities, Anderson said. The Orioles were able to stave off two dangerous scoring chances for Midland, one on a cross and another off a corner kick.
“We thwarted a lot of Midland’s attacking opportunities,” added Anderson. “We did have some other good opportunities that we just didn’t quite capitalize on.”
Ludington had 13 shots on goal.
The Orioles improved to 16-5 on the season and they’ll return to Big Rapids at 7 p.m. Thursday to take on Cedar Springs.
