Alpena’s soccer team powered past Standish 8-1 on Saturday, getting hat tricks from Joe LaCross and Reece Dragiewicz in a dominant performance before the playoffs.
LaCross finished with three goals and three assists. He opened the scoring on a pass from Mason Burns, then added two more goals before halftime. Dragiewicz scored once during the opening half, giving Alpena a 4-0 lead at the break.
Alpena builds an overwhelming lead
Dragiewicz scored early in the second half on a pass from LaCross. Parker Kaiser and Dragiewicz then added goals, stretching Alpena’s advantage to 7-0.
Standish got on the scoreboard to make it 7-1, but Preston Barthal completed the scoring by finishing a pass from LaCross. The goal was Barthal’s first at the varsity level.
Alpena coach Ken Dragiewicz credited the team’s response after a slow opening. “We started a little slow, but the boys picked up their game after Joe added the first goal,” he said. He also praised LaCross’s all-around contribution: “Joe played another solid game, not only scoring goals but distributing the ball as well.”
Bench players step up as playoffs near
Brady Kadrich, Mason Kaiser, Greyson Christensen-Cooper, Garrett Chabot, Marqus Parker and Barthal all contributed off the bench. The coach said Alpena is managing several injuries but received important support from those players.
“I thought our entire team played well,” Dragiewicz said. “We have a few injuries, and guys really stepped up.”
Jayden Crandall made two saves in goal for Alpena. With the postseason approaching, Dragiewicz said the team was “Looking forward to the last week and a half before the playoffs.”