Troy gets the best of Adams this time around
PROTECTING PROPERTY: Rochester Adams' Kylie Nylen (No. 2) shields the ball away from Troy's Kelsey Horbach (No. 3) and Emily Dzik (No. 8) during Tuesday's girls soccer match. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Looking at the big picture, the Troy-Rochester Adams girls soccer match Tuesday didn’t hold any major significance, other than two top-10 teams clashing in late April.
The two played their official OAA Red Division league game two weeks ago, which ended with a 1-1 draw, and left this match as just a non-league game between long-time state powers who have Final Four and perhaps state championship aspirations.
But the two did perhaps plant another seed in preparation for potential long postseason runs by opting to play each other a second time this season.
Second-ranked Troy won the battle this time around, 1-0, but coaching staffs on both sides are fully aware of the long-term benefits it could have on the respective programs come the postseason.
Adams, ranked fifth, reached the Division 1 state semifinals last season, with Troy bowing out in the D-1 regional finals.
“We talked about a model of consistency throughout the year and we wanted to make sure we didn’t let our foot off the gas,” said Troy coach Brian Zawislak, whose team upended Division 2 top-ranked Birmingham Marian one night earlier, 2-0. “Just keep going and we want to put our best product on the field and look for results.
“We (want to keep) going after it, regardless of our opponent, ” said Zawislak. “We want to put our best product on the field. We knew beforehand that we were going to play the strong schedule, so we wanted to prepare throughout the preseason, even back in January, with fitness. We were thinking about those things. We wanted to put ourselves up against the best.”
Held to only five shots in the first half, Troy (7-0-1) made one count with 19:04 to play in the first half. Nadine Bratu put the Colts in the lead when she was left open in the box following an Erin Wrubel cornerkick and laced a shot through traffic into the corner of the net from 15 yards out.
Troy sophomore Alison Holland made five saves for her team’s fourth shutout of the season, and the Colts defense held firm despite being on their heels for the entire second half.
Adams outshot Troy by a 11-5 margin, including 5-4 with shots on frame. Adams didn’t allow the Colts to attempt a single shot attempt in the second half, but simply could not net the equalizer.
“You can’t miss chances,” said Adams Aaron Donaghy, whose team suffered their first loss of the season. “You can’t miss when you have the shot. Not against Troy, because when they get the shot, they’re going to bury it like they did.”
Even with the wind at their backs in the second half, Adams struggled to find the back of the net. Mackenzie Barber, who misfired on a first-half breakaway, even missed an open-net cross from Merlin Beckwith with 20 minutes to play. Beckwith misfired on a couple of close-range chances in the game with shots just wide of the post.
Since the OAA went to two divisions in 2009 and teams only play divisional foes once in terms of the league standings, Adams and Troy still play the home-and-home series.
“I told the girls before the game that you sharpen steel on steel,” said Donaghy. “These are two good teams and you want to see how your teams are going to play. I’m sure they took the same attitude. These type of games are what you want to prepare them for districts or regionals. That kind of intensity, that kind of speed, (against) that kind of talent. We were using it to measure where our positions are at and where are ball movements are at.
“This will help us later on, playing this type of schedule.”
Jessica Wineke made three saves in the loss for Adams (5-1-2), including one off a shot by Irene Young where she back-peddled to punch a bending shot over the crossbar late in the first half that would have given the Colts a two-goal cushion.
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Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps, Rochester Adams, Troy
