Adams eliminates Stoney Creek to reach district finals

TRIPPED UP: Rochester Adams' MacKenzie Barber is on the rough end of a slide tackle by Rochester Stoney Creek's Joanie Sieja during Thursday's Division 1 district semifinal. Barber had the last laugh, scoring twice in a 4-0 victory over the Cougars. Staff Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

LAKE ORION — Rochester Adams broke a season-long hex Thursday night. The Highlanders scored on a cornerkick.

While finishing on set pieces has been a glaring weakness this season, the cornerkick goal was part of a four-goal explosion, as Adams ousted Rochester Stoney Creek, 4-0, in a Division 1 district semifinal at Lake Orion.

The Highlanders, state semifinalists last season, advanced to the district finals Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lake Orion, where they will take Clarkston, a 2-1 overtime winner over Waterford Kettering, in the first district semifinal Thursday.

“(We scored on a cornerkick) after about a million attempts,” laughed Adams coach Aaron Donaghy. “Too many of them.”

This will be the sixth time in 12 years that Adams and Clarkston have met for the district championship, although Adams was far from perfect in advancing past the Cougars to earn a date with the Wolves.

“What we talked about before the game that we need to pick up our attitude. The first half we weren’t quite there and they were. Stoney played a really good first half,” admitted Donaghy. “It could have been 0-0 or 1-1 because they had the nice breakaway (broken up before a shot attempt). In the second half we had to go more to our style. Bring the ball down and play more possession. Let’s keep the rhythm to our feet.”

Adams attempted 67 cornerkicks before converting on their 68^th attempt of the season, when Julie Genouw got on the end of an Allison Reed service and cashed in from two yards out, which gave Adams a 2-0 lead with 24:23 to play in the contest.

That helped open the floodgates. Adams outshot Stoney Creek 25-7, including 14-4 with shots directly on goal, and the Highlanders routinely pressured the Cougars’ net all evening. Adams had the game’s only four cornerkicks.

The Highlanders, who led 1-0 at the half, scored twice in the final two minutes. MacKenzie Barber scored on a breakaway feed from Macy Houghtlin for a 3-0 lead, while Houghtlin scooped up a loose ball and curled in a low shot from inside the box with 43 seconds left to cap the scoring.

Barber scored what proved to be the game-winner with 26:36 still to play in the opening half.  Taking a quick touch from Hannah Lee, Barber laced a shot from just inside the penalty box that sailed inside the far post. Adams outshot Stoney Creek 12-0 in the first half.

Stoney Creek did not attempt a single shot in the first half and did not even fire a shot on goal until there was under 25 minutes to play. The Cougars muffed an apparent breakaway midway through the first half, as the Highlanders’ defense was able to slide back in time before a shot was attempted.

The Cougars’ best chance came when Joanie Sieja’s shot from 15 yards out was cleared away from the far post by Adams freshman Tiffany Buckler with 21:10 remaining in the contest.

Jessica Wineke made three saves for the shutout for Adams (14-2-3).

“We worked hard today but Adams has a bunch of kids going to play college soccer and we don’t, “said Stoney Creek assistant coach Doug Steinard. “We didn’t create a lot of chances. When it comes down to it, Adams is a better team than us right now. Which is fine. We started four freshmen today.”

Adams faces a familiar foe in Clarkston for the district championship. The Highlanders defeated the Wolves, 3-1, in last year’s district title bout and are 5-0 all-time against Clarkston in district championship games dating back to 1998.

Adams defeated Clarkston 6-0 in an OAA Red Division game back in April.

“They are very well-organized. They play hard,” said Donaghy of Clarkston. “The game in the middle of season was a bad day, it was freezing, the weather was really crummy. So we don’t use that (as a barometer). Watching them against (Kettering), they looked good.”

Tags: featured, girls soccer, high school girls soccer, MHSAA Girls Soccer Districts

Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek