MACOMB – William Pruzinsky saved two second-half penalty kicks, and the Macomb Lutheran North Mustangs held on for a 2-1 victory over the Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood Cranes Thursday night in a battle of previously unbeaten teams.

Julian Gibbs scored twice in the first half to stake the Mustangs to the lead. He opened the scoring midway through the half when he got on the end of a long ball and used his first touch to chip the ball over the charging goalkeeper with 24:39 on the clock.

Lutheran North goalkeeper William Pruzinsky stops his second penalty kick of the night, his saves helping the Mustangs capture a 2-1 victory over Cranbrook-Kingswood Thursday night in Macomb. (TIMOTHY ARRICK – For MediaNews Group)

Gibbs doubled Lutheran North’s lead to 2-0 in the final minute of the half, stealing the ball and slotting home a shot from the left side with just 32.5 seconds to play before halftime.

That second goal would prove crucial. The Mustangs came out strong early in the second half looking for a third goal, but could not find it.

After surviving the opening minutes of the second half, the Cranes got settled and dominated the final 30 minutes as they threw everything into the offense. Sparked by the play of Paul Kaczmar, Cranbrook filled up the stat sheet after halftime, earning 16 set pieces of various types, including the two penalty kicks.

“The man of the match was our goalie. From my angle, they looked like PKs, so I can’t complain about those fouls. But what do you say when you save two PKs? It’s just great,” Mustangs head coach Anthony Vani said.

Cranbrook finally got on the board with 6:18 remaining in the game when Kaczmar’s free kick was dropped into a crowd of players in the penalty area and Derek Forsberg deflected it in to cut Lutheran North’s lead in half.

“I thought the effort was there in the second half. I thought we created a lot of opportunities in the final third,” Cranbrook head coach Jacob Nunner said.

Lutheran North’s Andrew Nastasi (left) and Cranbrook-Kingswood’s Andrew Chang battle for the ball during the Mustangs’ 2-1 victory Thursday night in Macomb. (TIMOTHY ARRICK – For MediaNews Group)

That was all the Cranes could get past Mustang goalie William Pruzinsky, who was spectacular in the second half. Pruzinsky finished with 10 saves, including the pair of spot kicks, the last coming with only 1:31 on the clock as Lutheran North fought off Cranbrook’s late offensive onslaught to secure the victory in what had been at times a chippy, chirpy affair in the second half.

“The ref was trying to keep control of the game,” Vani said. “but these are 17-year-old boys, and they forget that in the end the score is the only thing that people remember.”
“I think he (the ref) did a good job managing the game. It’s an intense rivalry. It’s boys’ high school soccer, so there is going to be a lot of testosterone pumping. I think overall both sides managed themselves. It definitely had moments where it got a little intense, but that’s just part of the game,” Nunner said.

With the win, the Mustangs improve to 8-0 on the season and sit atop the Catholic High School League AA Division with a 4-0 league mark. Lutheran North has a few days off before hosting both Ann Arbor Greenhills and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard in two more divisional contests next week.

“I’ve said it before, the sky is the limit,” Vani said. “Everybody pretty much did their job, which is always the thing. If we all walk, pull the rope the same direction, good things happen.”

Cranbrook (3-1 overall, 3-1 CHSL) now sits one game behind in the standings after suffering its first loss of the year. The Cranes are back in action Saturday against Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard before traveling to Dearborn Divine Chil on Tuesday as their league season also marches on.

“I’m proud of the boys. There are some things to tighten up, but I think the comeback from the first half to the second half, I thought they did well to compete and to go for it. And I think the opportunities were there to win the game. It wasn’t perfect, but I applaud their mentality to get back in it,” Nunner said.