Pair of late goals gives Sturgis soccer district-opening victory

STURGIS — For more than 73 minutes of game time on Tuesday, the Edwardsburg-Sturgis district soccer match went without a goal on the board. Then, everything changed in the final few moments of the match. Sturgis took advantage of an Edwardsburg turnover in the midfield and sent a through-ball up the field to the team's best scorer.

Rubi Anicua found herself racing toward the ball on the Edwardsburg side of the pitch on that counterattack. She beat everyone to the ball and dribbled it toward the Eddie goal, ultimately blasting a shot into the back of the net to put the Trojans ahead in the 74th minute. SHS BACK TO STATE: Sturgis tennis heads back to state finals after winning regional title WOLVERINE RECORDS: Sturgis two-mile relay, Three Rivers' Wenzel set new Wolverine records It was all Sturgis needed, though the Trojans won the match 2-0.

Sturgis was hosting the opening-round district contest against the Eddies and had a little bit of revenge on their minds. "It feels great. This team has worked hard, and when you see the progress from last year, it's a rewarding feeling," second-year coach Jose Arias said.

"When you take a big step like we did this year, it's just so nice to see. " Edwardsburg beat Sturgis 3-2 back in April. Sturgis improved to 11-6-1 on the season with the victory on Tuesday.