CASSOPOLIS — Buchanan boys soccer player A.J. Reed showed he can be an offensive force in Monday’s Lakeland Conference match against Cassopolis.

And, if needed, he can play goalie.

Reed had four assists and played goalie over the final 10 minutes and had a save as the Bucks beat the Rangers, 5-1.

Reed shared the offensive spotlight with teammate Kevin Dey, who scored four goals.

Dey and Reed stepped up in the absence of offensive standout Sam Swem, who suffered a torn ACL in the Bucks second game of the year against Niles. Swem was Buchanan’s top scorer last year with eight goals and he had a goal and two assists this year before the knee injury.

“A.J. has really stepped it up since Swem went out,” said Buchanan coach Brian Pruett, whose team improved to 3-3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Lakeland Conference. “He was named captain over the weekend (at the Coloma Tournament) because he’s provided good leadership. Even at forward, he’s created a lot of our offense and gotten other guys involved. He didn’t score as much (against Cassopolis) as he wanted to, but all those assists show he’s always in the right spots and helping out the team.”

Less than seven minutes into the match, Buchanan already owned a 3-0 lead with Reed assisting on all three of those goals. Off Reed corner kicks, the Bucks scored their first two goals. The first corner from Reed set up Dey for Buchanan’s first goal with 36:48 left in the first half. Reed’s corner kick to Alex Martinez gave Buchanan a 2-0 lead with 35:57 left in the first half.

“We’re lucky that we have size,” Pruett said about his team’s success on corner kicks. “We can win balls, but we struggle to put the ball in the net. It was nice to finally finish today.”

The Bucks took a 3-0 lead with 33:18 left in the first half when Dey scored from five yards on an assist from Reed.

“He’s always in the right spot and we’re good at getting him the ball,” Pruett said about Dey’s play. “Sometimes, he struggles on finishing. Today, it all came together. The headers were perfect and the volleys were perfect. It was nice to see him benefit from the hard work he’s been putting in at practice.”

Cassopolis didn’t get its first shot of the contest until 23 minutes left in the first half. On its third shot, Shawn Teter scored from 10 yards with 14:29 left before halftime.

“Teter performed well,” said Cassopolis coach Tony Cantanzarite, whose team fell to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the league. “He distributes the ball well and has good vision.”

Buchanan quickly regained its three goal advantage when Dey scored off a free kick assist from Reed with 8:57 left in the first half.

The Bucks owned a 17-3 shots on goal advantage in the first half.

“We were just flat,” Cantanzarite said. “I had a couple guys that didn’t want to adhere to the pregame conversation and wanted to interject. We also have guys that aren’t showing up for practice. I play the kids that pay the dues and show up. The kids that felt they were entitled got to spend a little time on the bench and the ones that are here bleeding and sweating with me everyday got the playing time at the beginning.”

The lone goal in the second half came from Dey on an assist from Martinez, who had his shot deflected by a defender and head towards Dey.

Buchanan…5

Cassopolis…1

Halftime score

Buchanan 4, Cassopolis 1

 

First half

B – Kevin Dey (A.J. Reed assist) 36:48

B – Alex Martinez (Reed assist) 35:57

B – Dey (Reed assist) 33:18

C – Shawn Teter 14:28

B – Dey (Reed assist) 8:57

 

Second half

B – Dey (Martinez assist) 27:33

 

Shots on goal

Buchanan 24, Cassopolis 8

 

Saves

Buchanan 3 (Cade Vargo 2, Reed 1)

Cassopolis 7 (Tom Bosler)

 

Corner kicks

Buchanan 7, Cassopolis 2

 

Records

Buchanan 3-3-1, 1-0 Lakeland; Cassopolis 2-3, 1-1 Lakeland