HOLT - Huron High School sophomore goalie Drew Shepherd had five saves and one goal against in the River Rats' 1-1 tie with Holt on Tuesday night. A solid night for a goalie, but not extraordinary numbers by any stretch of the imagination.

One save, however, made Shepherd's performance stand above the rest.

With one-minute, 41-seconds remaining in the game and the score tied, Holt was awarded a penalty kick after Marcus Spivey was whistled for jumping into a Holt forward on a contested header in the box.

A "terrible call" in the unbiased opinion of Huron boys soccer coach Reese Richardson, but a call nonetheless.

Two-time all-state selection Ben Gates stepped to the penalty spot for the Rams and went for the upper-right corner, but Shepherd guessed correctly and turned the ball away to preserve the tie for Huron against last year's Division 1 state runners-up.

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"Shepherd looked like (U.S. men's national team goalie) Tim Howard. He came out of nowhere, and I'm talking on a well struck PK heading toward the upper corner," said Richardson. "I mean (Gates) blasted it and the only way a keeper is getting in the way of that is if he guesses perfect and makes a phenomenal save.

"I was very happy that Drew was able to preserve the tie," Richardson added. "It would have been very frustrating to come away with less than a tie and very difficult to pick the guys up after playing the way we did to not get a solid result."

Huron (0-1-1) had the game's only lead in the first half when Steve Weidenbach ended up with a loose ball at his feet in front of the net, and was able to finish. Richardson credited Weidenbach for his ability to finish despite taking a very limited number of shots in the early part of the season

The majority of his praise, however, was reserved for freshman Henry Huang, whose cross from the left wing set up Weidenbach's opportunistic goal.

"He's been giving us some of our best minutes on the left flank," said Richardson, who hesitated to give away what he feels could be a secret weapon for his team.

But if the freshman continues to play with the brilliance with which Richardson describes him, he won't be much of a secret for long.

"(Huang) comes in and takes team by surprise with his ability to see the field and create opportunities," Richardson said. "I've just been very pleased with his play so far."

Gates equalized for Holt in the 45th minute.

Huron (0-1-1) continues with its bear of an out of conference schedule Wednesday night when it hosts Warren De La Salle, a regular contender for the D1 state title.

"We train hard and we really hope that games like this will give us a little more out ourselves going into the regular season," said Richardson.

MORE BOYS SOCCER
East Lansing 3, Chelsea 1: Elijah Arons' put the Bulldogs ahead early, but East Lansing's two second half goals prove to be the difference. (Rest of the Story | Boxscore)

GIRLS GOLF
Jackson Northwest Invitational: Chelsea sophomore Gabby Triveline led her team to third place finish at the Jackson Northwest Invitational after shooting a 79 at Hankerd Hills Golf Course, three off medalist honors. The host Mounties took first. (Results | Jackson Citizen Patriot Story)

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Novi Quad: Chelsea falls to Bloomfield Hills Marian, Novi and Brighton at quad. (Rest of the Story | Boxscore)

Tonight's high school roundup was compiled by Josh Coudret and Pete Cunningham. Coaches may submit results by calling the prep sports desk at 734-623-2565 or send an e-mail to prepsports@annarbor.com.