Cyclones show promise in 5-1 loss to Treynor Monday night at Merrill Field
HARLAN – The Harlan Community boys soccer team opened their season Monday night against the Treynor Cardinals, a program that has had the Cy-clones’ number in recent years.
That trend continued, as HCHS dropped its sixth straight contest to Treynor with a 5-1 loss.
Despite the result, the Cyclones showed encouraging signs on both ends of the field but were unable to overcome key moments against a strong Treynor squad.
HCHS generated eight total shots in the contest, placing four on target, but managed to convert just once. Junior Landon Nihsen provided the lone goal with 15:29 to go in the first half. He led the team with three shots and consistently creating pressure in the attacking third.
Despite the final score, head coach Levi Culp emphasized the progress his team is making, particularly in their offensive approach.“I was proud of our team, especially in how we worked to break Treynor down and move the ball offensively,” Culp said.
“We’re starting to make better decisions in posses-sion and are committed to playing a more controlled, possession-based style. That’s a big step forward.”
The Cyclones had contributions from multiple players, with six athletes registering at least one shot.
Phoenix Stevens, Jamison Clark, and Doolin Vaughan each recorded a shot on goal, showing balanced involvement across the lineup.
HCHS remained competitive throughout much of the match, trailing just 2–1 at halftime before coming out strong to begin the second half.
“Defensively, I thought we held up well, particularly after losing Sam Shields and Levi Schechinger,” Culp said.
“We were in the game at halftime down 2–1 and came out strong to start the second half.”
Ultimately, a few costly mistakes shifted momentum in favor of Treynor.“Unfortunately, we had a few tough breaks and some decisions that didn’t go our way, but more importantly, we made a few poor deci-sions in our own defensive third that made the game easier for Treynor,” Culp said.
“Credit to them, they’re a very solid team and they capitalized on those moments.”
In goal, junior Lucas Paulsen delivered a strong pe-formance despite the pressure, recording eight saves across 80 minutes with a 61.5% save rate. His efforts kept the Cyclones within reach for much of the contest.
While the result was not what the Cyclones hoped for, the foundation for growth is clear. “Our players shouldn’t hang their heads at all,” Culp said.
“This was our first full game playing in a new system, and for long stretches we showed that we can compete at a high level. The final score doesn’t fully reflect how competitive the game was.”
The coaching staff is already focused on areas of improvement moving forward.“We need to clean up our decision-making near our own goal and improve the timing and quality of our forward runs,” Culp said. “That said, the responsibility ultimately falls on me and our coaching staff. We’re not where we need to be yet in terms of fitness, and that’s something we will ad-dress immediately.”
The Cyclones will return to action Monday, April 6, when they travel to St. Albert for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
It will be the start of a busy week, as HCHS heads back to Council Bluffs on Thursday to face Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson at 5:30 p.m.
