Marquette’s Liam Hewitt boots a corner kick in the second half that led to the Sentinels’ third goal during a high school boys soccer game played against Houghton at the Kaufman Sports Complex in Marquette on Thursday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Senior High School boys soccer team closed out its regular season with a dominant 3-0 win over Houghton on Thursday night at Kaufman Sports Complex in Marquette.

The Sentinels, now 13-2-2, secured their eighth shutout in their past nine games, while the Gremlins, coming off a tough loss to Kingsford, fell to 3-4-2 as they struggled to generate offense.

Sentinels head coach Dan Salmon emphasized the importance of finishing the regular season strong after a 3-3 tie against Houghton earlier in the season.

“We didn’t feel like we played very well on Tuesday night against Sault Ste. Marie, and the last time we played Houghton, they came back and tied us,” Salmon said. “So that was our focus, finishing strong and ending the regular season on a high note. The boys answered the call.”

Marquette wasted no time establishing its dominance early, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead on a goal scored by Kaleb Chipelewski and assisted by Charlie Hrodey.

Then with 16 minutes left in the first half, Chipelewski struck again, scoring with an assist going to Liam Hewitt to extend the lead to 2-0.

The Sentinels kept Houghton pinned in their own zone for much of the half, creating numerous scoring opportunities.

Despite a brief push from Houghton in the closing minutes, the Sentinels’ defense, anchored by goalie Edan Hautamaki, held strong, for the two-goal halftime advantage. Hautamaki was called on to make two saves, both in the opening half.

The Sentinels started the second half with renewed energy, firing two quick shots on goal, but both were saved by the Gremlins’ goalkeeper.

An offside call gave Houghton brief possession, but Marquette quickly regained control and continued to press. At the 28:44 mark, Henry Wood capitalized on a corner kick made by Hewitt, settling the ball down and firing it past the goalie to give Marquette a commanding 3-0 lead.

The pace slowed midway through the half, with both teams trading possessions, but Marquette remained in control.

The Sentinels nearly scored again with 21 minutes left when Seth Sandstrom hit the left post.

As the clock wound down, the Gremlins mounted one last push, keeping possession in Marquette’s zone for several minutes, but their efforts were stifled by the Sentinels’ defense. A final rush by Marquette was stopped by Houghton’s defense for the final tally.

Salmon spoke on his team’s defensive performance, noting the improvements since their last encounter with Houghton.

“The last time we played them, we gave up three goals. After that game, we really tried to get the defense to clamp down…. It was just another challenge,” he said. “Shut them down. Don’t let them get any goals. They had three last time, and they rose to the challenge. The defense did.”

Looking ahead to the playoffs, he stressed the importance of staying focused.

“From here on out, it’s ‘lose and you’re done.’ We play the winner of Sault Ste. Marie and Gaylord and we’ve beat them both,” Salmon said. “But the challenge now for us is to stay focused and then not let up, thinking we have a lesser opponent. Playoff soccer is a whole different game.”

Marquette’s district opener will be against the Soo-Gaylord winner at home on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.