GARDEN CORNERS — It was a short day of soccer for Big Bay de Noc and Hannahville here Saturday as they dropped opening-round matches in the Northern Lights League tournament.

Big Bay dropped a 3-2 decision to Beaver Island, and Hannahville was edged by Bay Mills Ojibwe Charter 2-1 in a shoot-out at Manistique.

Munising Baptist then retained its title with a 4-3 victory over Beaver Island.

“They were swinging at us with everything they had,” said Bobcats’ coach Jason LaFlamme. “We just happened to score one more goal. It got a little scary in the end.”

Sophomore Cameron Miller, a transfer from Rapid River, scored both goals for Big Bay, which finished 1-4-2.

“The first half killed us,” said Big Bay coach Alex Ranguette. “We came out flat, and they got us on our heels. We have a very young team. Most of our kids are in eighth and ninth grade. We had a rough season. We lost some matches due to the virus (Covid-19). Although, we were competitive in every single match, which gives us hope for next year. We just have to keep developing these young players.”

Big Bay trailed 3-1 at halftime prior to scoring the lone goal in the second half.

Mason Thunder scored from 40 feet for Hannahville (1-2-2), which was outscored 3-0 in the shoot-out.

“That was a perfect shot,” said Hannahville coach Dan Kleikamp. “We played well, but it just wasn’t our day. Give credit to Ojibwe. Their kids played hard. This was our first match in a month, and we had only three practices since Sept. 17. Although, it was a great match. We had a lot of opportunities. We just couldn’t get the ball into the net.”

In a rainy championship match, Bobcats’ freshman Josh Maloney converted on a free kick from 40 yards out for a 4-2 lead with 19 minutes, 16 seconds left to play.

Islanders’ senior Elisha Richards then completed a hat trick from the doorstep with 9:31 remaining.

Bobcats’ sophomore Ryan Swift opened the scoring from 10 feet away, and Brett Cromell added their second goal on a penalty shot with 8:40 left in the first half.

Richards brought the Islanders within 2-1 at 2:30.

The Bobcats regained their two-goal just 63 seconds into the second half on a cross by senior Matt Johns.

Richards then made it 3-2 on a penalty shot 72 seconds later.

“When they made it 4-3, I was real nervous,” said LaFlamme. “With a wet ball, anything can happen. I’m proud of our kids for hanging in there.”

Swift scored twice for Munising Baptist in a 4-0 semifinal triumph over Ojibwe. Maloney and Cromell also hit goals.