Boys The Tigers squad came back from a pair of unfortunate calls Tuesday night against the Rivers Rams to claim their first win of the season in a well-deserved fashion. NACI got on the board first when Cale Lamport crossed in a ball to Jessy Doerksen who one-timed a shot to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead midway through the half. The Rams tied it up about 10 minutes later when the Tigers were called for a handball in the box and Rivers scored on the ensuing penalty kick. Both teams battled back-and-forth to finish out the half tied at 1-1. Wyatt Salmon put NACI back in the lead at 2-1 midway through the second half as he ran onto a bouncing ball and fired it past the Rivers keeper. Rivers got fortunate again shortly after, as NACI was called on another handball in the box and the Rams once again scored on the penalty kick to tie it 2-2. The Tigers continued to create chances but it wasn’t until Luc Tomoniko brought the ball upfield and laid off a pass to Lamport - who in turn fired home his second goal of the night - that NACI was able to clinch a 3-2 win. “I was very happy with our game. The team played together well as a unit and moved the ball well among themselves,” coach Daryl Critchlow said. “Despite two penalty kicks, they remained positive and persevered for a well-deserved win.” The team ran into a bit more trouble Thursday night when NACI faced the always strong MacGregor Mustangs. Despite a great defensive effort, solid goaltending and full-game effort from NACI, an experienced MacGregor side was able to top the Tigers 10-1. Luc Tomoniko scored NACI’s goal after making a great run down the wing. Girls The Lady Tigers played themselves into a two-game unbeaten streak Tuesday night in Neepawa against the Rivers Rams. Both squads had their scoring opportunities throughout, with Neepawa getting its best chance on goal in the dying minutes of the game courtesy a scramble in front of Rivers’ net, but neither team was able to find goal and the game ended in a 0-0 draw. NACI goalkeeper Keli Turner had an outstanding game to earn the shutout, while her defensive line played great soccer to keep Rivers’ scoring chances to a minimum. The Tigers midfield distributed the ball well throughout the game, while the forwards created some great scoring chances off strong team attacks. Thursday night the Lady Tigers extended their unbeaten streak to a third game against MacGregor after the two sides exchanged a flurry of goals to open the match. Brooke DeKoning scored five minutes in off a pass from Megan Porrier; the play started from a long throw-in over MacGregor’s defense by Taylor Kilburn. Rivers tied it shortly after but Joanie LeMay scored from 25 feet out in the 13th minute and Porrier scored one minute later to take a 3-1 lead. MacGregor fought back to finish out the half though, and scored twice to tie it at 3-3. Midway through the second half DeKoning put NACI back in the driver’s seat when she poked one past the keeper. However, MacGregor’s game-ending push resulted in a goal with three minutes left to tie it at 4-4 and end the scoring. “I thought, overall, we played two solid, exciting games this week,” coach Kaiten Critchlow said. “The girls are now making good soccer plays out there and are moving on the field really well. It’s always tough to tie a game late like we did against MacGregor, but we have only lost once in five zone games this year so that is a great accomplishment in itself.” Both Tigers teams finish out the schedule this week with a game yesterday (Tuesday) against Minnedosa in Neepawa, and the zone finals tournament Thursday in MacGregor.