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Soccer: Mountaineers, Bluejays draw 2-2

Iron Mountain's Jurgen Kleiman, center, scores a goal against Three Lakes as teammate David Brule, left, looks on Monday at Commemorative Field in Kingsford. (Adam Niemi/The Daily News)

UPDATE: A red card given to Iron Mountain’s David Brule on Monday was changed to a yellow card late Tuesday morning. Tuesday’s edition of The Daily News will not reflect this update.

KINGSFORD — Iron Mountain launched a salvo of shots on goal but failed to come up with a game-winner in a 2-2 draw against Three Lakes on Monday.

The Mountaineers (1-1-2) substituted in the second half to try and stay fresh against the Bluejays (1-1-1), who carried just 11 players. The substitutions worked, allowing the Mountaineers a dominant advantage in possession, especially in the final third.

Then, as the Bluejays’ defense held strong with a couple key saves and blocked shots, the Mountaineers became frustrated. With the clock closing out, the Bluejays were happy to draw while the Mountaineers feel a win was at hand.

David Brule was initially handed a red card after going for a header just before the final whistle. The red was changed to a yellow card late Tuesday morning. Brule would have sat out Thursday’s game at Marquette, but a yellow means he will be able to play.

“It was tough to understand and I could see a foul, I could see maybe a yellow card, tough to say that would be a red card,” said Iron Mountain coach and Brule’s father, David Brule. “We have to respect the ref’s decision either way. I think it was frustrating, we got a lot of pressure, a lot of good chances. We weren’t able to get any real good chances on the net, but dominating possession in the second half. Wish we could’ve seen it all game, but we’re doing well. We’ve got a lot of stuff to work on, but it’s early.”

The Mountaineers’ offense started with Jurgen Kleiman’s goal in the third minute of the first half. He found the net on a rebound after his initial shot was saved. The scoring chance came off a cross.

“The first goal we had was nice. It’s what we want to see — a cross and we put it in,” Coach Brule said. “We got a lot of good pressure at the end, unfortunately not enough to pull out a win. Even though they’ve only got 11 players, they played tough.”

Three Lakes answered when Jack Meixner found the back of the net in the seventh minute. Eli Ribbe added a goal in the 32nd minute, a kick off his left foot while falling. The ball tucked inside the right post.

“Great game, I’m really impressed with our guys having no subs, three freshmen just playing hard the whole night,” Three Lakes coach Rob Ribbe said. “Just really, really encouraged for us. A tie is a win.”

Brule tied the game in the 14th minute of the second half after a flurry of offensive chances on goal. Just a minute before, Brule’s kick was turned away by the goaltender. Coach Brule said the Mountaineers may have expected an easier contest after watching Kingsford handle the Bluejays 6-0 on Aug. 24.

“We started off a little slow. I think the kids expected this to be easier than it actually was,” Brule said. “This is a good team with some strong players. In the second half, they adjusted well.”

Three Lakes 2 0 — 2

Iron Mountain 1 1 — 2

First Half

IM — Jurgen Kleiman, 3:15.

TL — Jack Meixner, 7:00.

TL — Eli Ribbe, 32:03.

Second Half

IM — David Brule, 14:05.

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