By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
A pair of second half goals by Mike Tanke lifted visiting Niles to a 2-0 victory in the opening round of the Big 16 Conference Black Division Tournament Thursday afternoon.
The Vikings' victory turned the tables on the Chieftains, who defeated Niles 2-0 during the regular season.
In a game that featured plenty of defense, Tanke broke the scoreless deadlock in the 60th minute.
Tanke, who came off the field with a injury in the second half, completed the scoring on a direct kick in the 75th minute.
Dowagiac outshot the Vikings 17-15.
&#8221The players prepared hard this week and I was happy with how they stayed with the plan that we worked on,“; Niles coach Jerry Holtgren said. &#8221When we play Dowagiac, there are no surprises. We both know each other well and expect a competitive match.
Niles also won the junior varsity contest Thursday, 2-1.
Nathan Allison scored both goals for the Vikings. Jordan Parks assisted on one of those goals.
Dowagiac will host a first round Division 3 district game on Monday, Oct. 24.
The Chieftains will entertain Buchanan at 4:30 p.m.