Boys soccer: Willmar too much for Brainerd

WILLMAR - Brainerd scored early against Willmar Tuesday in a Central Lakes Conference match, but the Cardinals would score six goals before the Warriors would strike again as Willmar remained undefeated by rolling to an 8-2 rout.
The match was played in a consistent mist, which Willmar coach Jeff Winter said worked in the Cardinals’ favor.
“Overall, it made the ball faster,” said Winter. “It suits our game well since we pass the ball quickly.”
The Cardinals had plenty of passes go for assists as they led 5-1 at halftime after netting five goals in a 15-minute span. Kunil Ismail opened the Willmar scoring in the 25th minute to tie the match and Diego Millan struck three minutes later to give the home team a 2-1 lead.
David Gomez, Oscar Rivera and Marcos Nino later scored in the opening half to put the visiting Warriors (2-3-0, 2-5-0) in a hole too big to dig out of.
“We had some really nice goals,” said Winter. “On the first one, Kunil showed his speed. He got the ball and had to get around the defender and scored on a tough angle. And Oscar made a nice header goal.”
Brainerd was able to muster only three shots on Willmar goalie Manuel Obregon in the first half. Joe Castillo manned the Willmar net in the second half, collecting eight saves.
Nick McLouth, Ismail and Gerson Maldonado-Garcia added insurance goals in the second half to help Willmar win its first CLC match in three tries. The Cardinals are 4-0-2 overall and host CLC rival Alexandria Thursday at 5 p.m., back at Kennedy Elementary.
Willmar 8, Brainerd 2
Brainerd (2-3-0, 2-5-0) 1 1 - 2
Willmar (1-0-2, 4-0-2) 5 3 - 8
FIRST HALF – Brn: Aden Davis (penalty kick) 12:00 … Wil: Kunil Ismail (Teza Harrison) 25:00 … Wil: Diego Millan (Matt Wiedeman) 28:00 … Wil: David Gomez (Millan) 36:00 … Wil: Oscar Rivera (Gomez) 38:00 … Wil: Marcos Nino (Nick McLouth) 40:00
SECOND HALF – Wil: McLouth (Nino) 43:00 … Brn: Taylor Schloemer 58:00 … Wil: Ismail (Gerson Maldonado-Garcia) 73:00 … Wil: Maldonado-Garcia (Ricardo Contreras) 79:00
GOALIE SAVES – Brainerd: Joseph Anderholm 7 … Willmar: first half: Manuel Obregon 2, second half: Jose Castillo 8
DEFENSIVE SAVES – none