A pivotal matchup for both teams coming into Monday night gave the fans just what they were looking for on Senior Night at Bulldog Stadium. Sturgis was sitting in the top 3 in the Wolverine, and after tight loss to Plainwell last week they needed a win to hold onto their hopes of winning the crown. Though Otsego slipped up in its early season Conference matches and were out of title contention, they had pride, top 4 placement in the league table, and their Seniors to play for on the night!

The match started by honoring Keegan Timmerman, our only 4 year Varsity player from this year's class, as well as exchange students Lucas Silva and Yusif Gurbanli. The boys and fans honored their Seniors in the last home match at Bulldog Stadium this season, and it was time to get down to business. Sturgis is a fast team with a ton of options going forward. They came in determined to give the Dawgs a fight, but Otsego had a score to settle. Since joining the Wolverine in 2014/15, Sturgis and Otsego had gone back and forth in hotly contested matches that were both physical and explosive. 2014 saw Sturgis win a very close 1-0 match, with the Bulldogs missing a chance to level the score on a breakaway with under a minute left. 2015's match at Bulldog Stadium was a rather unexpected rout by the home side, winning 4-0 against a talented but disjointed looking Sturgis team who could not seem to connect in the final third like they were accustomed to. 2016 was the match that truly tested the Dawgs as a team, and as young men. Emotions ran high, scorelines were tight, cards were shown, and the match went through 2 overtime periods knotted at 2 apiece. When penalties came, the Sturgis goalkeeper showed up and won his team the match. That was the first real emotional and mental test of last season for the Dawgs, and this year's team remembered how it felt to watch Sturgis dance and sing and wave flags on their home field after a huge win. Otsego went into this match with a determination and fire that payed off in a big way.

The opening fifteen minutes of play were back and forth, with both teams having a go and testing their opposition's back line. Both stood up to the test, and the midfielders were left to battle for 50/50 balls. Though a bit shaky at the start, Otsego's midfield led by Junior Captain Josh Loll organized themselves and denied Sturgis the space they required to really put them in a position to break the game going forward. Otsego was using the wide areas well, and it paid off in the 18th minute as Senior Captain Keegan Timmerman bolted up the right side with the ball. Beating 3 defenders in the process, he unleashed a shot headed for the far post that the goalkeeper initially saved, but the rebound was left for a sliding Jace Engels. Bulldogs up 1-0.

Play continued with the Sturgis attack firing just wide a few times, and both teams trading corner kick and set piece opportunities. With eight minutes remaining in the first half, Loll took the ball from a Sturgis player and wasted no time as he deposited the ball into the net from nearly 30 yards out. A 2-0 advantage going into the break was a good feeling, but Otsego knew they would not be allowed to rest on that lead.

The second half saw some increased physicality and chippy play, as well as the predicted offensive push from Sturgis. Otsego's rear guard held up to the test beautifully, anchored by Jerin Jameson and Cole Sallee. Outside backs Hunter Lucas, Jon Reitenour, and Jack Waters denied the Sturgis attackers service, and did a great job supporting play while in possession. Juniors Loll and Ian McClellan moved around all over to fill gaps defensively in the second frame, knowing that stiff defense was the order of the day. Jayden Dentler , after making a huge slididng 1v1 save in the first half, held strong and managed the game like a seasoned vet en route to his fourth conference shutout (7.5 total on the year). All the usual suspects showed up for this match in terms of quality play, but a couple attack minded players did a really nice job helping to preserve a lead. Addi Atwater, Engels, and Timmerman are used to fueling the team's attack, but were called upon Monday to provide some much needed pressure on Sturgis to disrupt them in the middle third. Coleton Hutchinson, a Freshman midfielder, stepped into some big tackles in the second half and really solidified the middle of the park in a way most Freshmen would struggle to replicate.

Offensive Man of the Match honors go to Jace Engels for continuing his three match trend of scoring the game winning goal. Defensive Man of the Match honors are shared by the entire team for the effort to defend as 11, and shut down the Sturgis Trojans at all three levels. The dawgs travel to Plainwell Thursday in their final regular season match of the year. Plainwell sits atop the conference standings, and has a winning streak over Otsego longer than most would like to remember. A win or draw will put the Dawgs in good position to finish in the top 4 of the Wolverine, and possibly shake Plainwell's title hopes dependent upon other results.