Early goal not enough for Storm

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Corey Miller (Sr., Sioux City, Iowa) got the Storm on the board under five minutes in, but Puget Sound used corner kicks to tie the match and take the lead as the Loggers defeated Simpson 2-1 Sunday at Buxton Stadium.

Simpson (1-1-1) got off to a quick start, occupying the Puget Sound third early in the contest. Lucas Haak (Jr., Ankeny, Iowa) found Miller eight yards out at the 4:52 mark for his second goal of the season.

"We played very well for the first 25 minutes," Simpson head coach Mike Wilson said. "The intensity and energy wasn't there the rest of the way. We didn't possess well and we fell into their game. I felt like we passed up some opportunities in which we could have been more successful."

Puget Sound (1-1-1), out of Tacoma, Wash., got both goals from senior Cole Peterson. The first came off a corner kick in the 16th minute, which ricocheted in a crowd before Peterson tapped it in. The winning goal came at the 58:30 mark, when the 6-4 Peterson took advantage of another corner kick, this time flicking a header into the net off a free-ball.

"We gave up two goals on corner kicks today," Wilson said. "Set pieces in a big game are something we are going to have to work on for the rest of the year."

In all, the Loggers had seven corner kicks on the day compared to four for Simpson. Puget Sound also led the way in attempts, outshooting Simpson 8-6.

Josh Youngman (Pella, Iowa) took the loss in goal for the Storm, grabbing four saves on the afternoon. Chris McDonald made three saves in relief of Greg Saetrum for the Loggers, who left the game after the first half.

Despite a less-than favorable result, Wilson saw some positives and hopes the team takes some lessons away from Sunday's match.

"This was a great learning experience for us early in the year facing a great program in Puget Sound," Wilson said. "It was an opportunity for us to realize how hard we have to work to be successful. We can't rely on two and three opportunities to win games. We just have to chalk this one up to experience and move on to the next one."

The Storm will enjoy a five-day break from competition before hitting the pitch Sept. 12 against Crown at Buxton Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.