By Cort Reynolds

MILLER CITY__The visiting Ada High School boys soccer team suffered its first loss of the season 1-0 at Miller City in a battle of unbeatens on Wednesday, August 27.

The Bulldog boys fell to 2-0-1 with the close defeat. MC improved to 4-0 after the victory.

The Wildcats scored the game’s only goal in the fourth minute and made it stand up over the next 76 minutes to win the defensive struggle.

“We committed an early error and they capitalized on it,” said Ada second-year head coach Aaron Acheson. “That was the difference.

“Miller City was the best defensive team we have faced so far,” he continued. “Gotta give them credit.”

The Bulldogs put eight shots on goal compared to 10 by MC. Bulldog junior keeper Jacob Rush made 10 saves in goal as Ada suffered a rare shutout. 

“This match was decided by fine margins,” Acheson noted. “We showed resilience and matched Miller City in overall play, but the early lapse set the tone for the outcome. 

“We struggled to convert chances in the final third,” the coach noted. “Going forward, cutting down on early-game errors and improving finishing will be the difference in future close contests.”

“We will learn from this and be better moving forward. A character-building game for us,” Acheson noted. 

Ada hosts Van Buren (0-2) on Thursday, September 4 in the home and NCOSA league opener. They then entertain former NWC foe Spencerville (0-2) Saturday, Sept. 6 at 3 p.m.