Mind over rival: Troy opens season with 3-0 shutout of Athens
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
TROY — Now the shoe is definitely on the other foot.
Troy has now won three straight against rival Troy Athens in girls soccer after going five seasons with only ties and losses against the Red Hawks. The latest win came Tuesday in a 3-0 shutout of host Athens in the OAA Red Division and season opener for both teams.
Troy also defeated Athens last April in the regular season, then again in a district opener in June. This time Troy (1-0-0, 1-0-0) scored all three goals in the first half and held off the Red Hawks’ attack in the second half.
“It’s great to build confidence, but we got to remember it’s the first game of the season and we still have a lot of games left,” said senior Irene Young, who scored one of the three goals for the Colts. “We got to keep working hard.”
Troy coach Brian Zawislak saw it as an early-season victory, but by no means does he feel Troy holds a sizeable margin over Athens.
“They are a very good team, don’t get me wrong. They’re not 100 percent right now. They’re banged up a bit,” said Zawislak. “I still think they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with once the season comes around. Maybe a little bit. We still respect the fact that they’re a very good (team).”
Young scored what proved to be the game-winner with 31:35 still to play in the first half, retrieving a perfectly slotted ball from Madison Hirsch through traffic and finishing off the breakaway past Athens goalkeeper Jenna O’Dell.
The Colts made it 2-0 nearly 11 minutes later, when Erin Farley pounced on a loose ball in front of the Athens net. Jennifer Buck’s free kick sailed into the penalty box with Farley knocking in the close-range shot after the ball bounced off multiple players.
Freshman Phylisha Drayton capped the scoring for Troy with 14:24 remaining in the first half, chasing after the ball at the tip of the box before knocking a shot off the hands of O’Dell.
Sophomore Alison Holland notched the shutout on two saves.
Zawislak felt it was a case of his team finishing chances while limiting Athens. Troy outshot Athens 12-9 for the game, including 8-2 with shots on frame.
“We’ve really concentrated in practice, with the limited space we’ve had, to try and make sure we’re efficient with our finishing,” said Zawislak. “Not just hitting a ball to hit a ball, hitting a ball for a purpose. We did. We weren’t blasting out the back of the net on any of those goals, but they scored. It was just good finishing.”
In the second half, Athens controlled play but could break through. The Red Hawks outshot Troy 6-4 in the second half.
“Obviously, you can’t dig yourself a three-goal deficit at halftime, especially a team like Troy High, and expect to win,” said Athens coach Tim Storch. “I thought the first five minutes we came out fairly well and we had a chance or two. Then we backed down a little. Their (first) goal I thought looked off sides to me. The referee had a different perspective, so I’m not going to say he was wrong and I was right or (vise-versa). The second goal they had a free kick and it kind of skidded off our wall and they got to the loose ball. The third goal was a defensive error.
“The goals (allowed) are correctable,” added Storch. “We’re still learning. It’s early in the season. I thought we learned a bit about ourselves. I thought we played a much better second half. We had a lot of really chances. There was no quit in us and that’s one thing I liked.”
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