RAPID CITY - The Rapid City Stevens boys soccer team completed a weekend sweep of Eastern South Dakota conference opponents as it vanquished Brookings, 1-0, Saturday afternoon at Sioux Park. The win, following a 4-2 Friday night win over Brandon Valley, evened the Raiders' season mark at 3-3.

The game's only goal came in the 15th minute of the second half as Stevens' junior forward Zak Prpich took a through pass from sophomore midfielder Logan Schaefers, outraced the Bobcat defenders to the ball and beat goalkeeper Ryan Dodd in the right corner of the net.

"Coach has been telling me to use my speed to get my goals," said Prpich. "I was just holding the line, and Logan and I both saw a split and he put the ball through. I just ran to it and beat the keeper."

That the goal came off a quick counter attack was fitting since the Raiders had dominated early first half action.

Brookings had just mounted its first deep penetration of the second half. Only minutes before Steven's Logan Schaefers dribbled past his defender and nearly scored from point-blank range. Prior to that missed opportunity, Jeremy Maier had sent a hard shot into the side of the net following an aggressive right wing rush. The Raider goal was perhaps long overdue.

The first half set the tone for the match as the Raiders midfielders dominated the action. They possessed the ball effectively, creating space for their forwards and setting up a number of advantages that went unfinished as the first half ended in a scoreless tie. Only a number of plays set up by Brookings' senior forward Ramsey Pickard created any Bobcat scoring opportunities.

For the Raiders, the key word this weekend was possession. The word was on everyone's tongue, from the top down.

"Possession for us is a key," said Stevens head coach Randy McKee. "It can be both our greatest strength and our great weakness. When we possess, we look pretty good. So many of these teams play that kick and chase style of soccer in which it is hard to maintain discipline. We don't want to do that. We want to control the ball and create chances in that manner."

Senior Aaron Foss, whose excellent footwork led to a number of Raider attacks, remembered the coach's lessons.

"Coach had us working on possession for a week or so and really drilled it into our heads that we have to do that to be successful," he said. "Last night we finished better than today but all we needed was one."

McKee liked what he saw on the defensive side of the pitch as well as picking out Moller for praise.

"You know you can't ask any more of a central defender. He has a lot of patience and always does a great job," McKee said. "He is always where he needs to be."

The Raider boys next game is Friday as they travel to Yankton to meet the Bucks.