By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
Niles' boys' soccer team opened its season Saturday with a pair of shutout victories to win Buchanan's Phil Vandnburg Tournament.
Passing and defense were keys for the Vikings, as Niles moved to 2-0 early in the season.
Niles started the four-team tournament with a 6-0 victory over Brandywine. The Vikings dominated the Bobcats, out-shooting Brandywine 20-0 in shots on goal.
The first half went scoreless until a Colin Smith goal with 5:24 remaining gave Niles the only score it would need. Michael Tanke assisted on the goal.
Tanke assisted Brian Coulston on another score less than a minute later to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Tanke, Nick Sharkey, Maurico Terra and Danny Rodts all notched goals in the second half to round out the scoring for Niles. C.J. Rumpf, Tanke and Terra assisted on the goals.
Buchanan beat Cass in its first game to set up a Bucks-Vikings final in the tournament.
Niles again dominated offensively and defensively, holding Buchanan to 0 shots on goal, while getting 16 of their own, en rout to a 3-0 victory.
Like the first game, the first half remained scoreless until late, when Niles' Cody Riggenbach scored with four minutes left.
Rumpf added two goals in the second half, both assisted by Jerred Rockafellow, to give the Vikings the final 3-0 margin.
The Vikings look to remain perfect Tuesday at home against Berrien Springs. The match starts at 5 p.m.