Young caps seven-goal week to aid Troy’s district cause
Editor’s note: Jake Lourim is part of the www.northoaklandsports.com Student Correspondence Program, open to all future journalism students at the high school or collegiate level. Interested, contact Senior Editor Dan Stickradt at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com or Sales/Marketing Manager Dennis VanWingerden at dennis@northoaklandsports.com)
BY JAKE LOURIM
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
TROY — Business is business.
Junior Irene Young led the Troy soccer team to a district title last week, routing Walled
Lake Northern Tuesday, Walled Lake Central Thursday and Waterford Mott Saturday for the championship.
Young scored seven goals for the tournament.
After trouncing Walled Lake Northern 4-0, Walled Lake Central 8-0 and Waterford Mott 5-0, the Colts put more than enough balls into the back of the net, usually off of some nice passes that got behind the defense and some forwards that beat the defense to them.
Zawislak explained his strategy to expose holes in the opponents’ defense by saying that Troy possesses the ball, pulls the opposing team’s defenders out of position, and then pokes the ball in past the defense.
Young got the Colts on the board Saturday by beating the Mott goalie to a Madison Hirsch cross and sliding it in. Her next goal was from a perfect Erin Farley cross right to Young’s feet.
Freshman speedster Phylisha Drayton put in the next two goals of the day, outrunning the Mott defense to get to passes from Jennifer Busk and Hirsch, respectively.
“We’ve relied on Madison and Irene to do a lot of work on top, but it’s very comforting
to know that I can pull Phylisha off the bench and we don’t lose any energy,” said
Zawislak. “Not only is she fast, she has a nose for the goal.”
Young also had a hat trick in Thursday’s semifinal, with two goals self-created and one on a pass from Hirsch, who consistently exhibited some efficient passing skills.
The strong-legged Young is also a wizard in space, not often missing with time to shoot.
She scored the only goal of the first half against Northern by dribbling past the defense on the far side, then sending the ball into the opposite corner of the net. The junior’s second goal of that game was late in the second half when she raced into the box and poked in a pass from Jenna Gardner.
“It’s such a luxury to have Irene because anytime she gets it, she’s always dangerous,
either setting someone up or looking to score herself,” Zawislak said. “Irene tells me that
her job is to score goals. She takes it very seriously; if she doesn’t score, she feels like
she’s not doing her job for the team.”
Perhaps equally impressive throughout the tournament was the Troy defense, which won a lopsided possession battle and only allowed one irrelevant shot the whole week.
Holland shared the blowout shutouts with senior Mallika Wadhawan.
Troy was the first to nearly every ball, something of which Zawislak reiterated the
importance every game.
“We were putting immediate pressure on them and not giving them a chance to get
comfortable,” said the coach. “We wanted to win the first ball out of the air.”
“We created a lot of opportunities by pressuring them and not letting them have a lot of
time on the ball,” added Young.
Each game, Zawislak sent out his young team, and each game they won easily. The coach has gotten his team accustomed to the atmosphere of game day, no matter the stage, making his team among the most consistent in the state even with such young talent.
Using the example of sophomore starter Madison Hirsch, Zawislak said that “We’ve
developed that approach with her. To her, this is just another game. They’ve done a good job all year of making it like a business-like approach.”
The aggressiveness and pressure defensively also, said Zawislak, had something to do with the fact that it had been drilled in the players’ heads.
And the result is a district championship.
“You take that moment to the times in March and February where you haven’t touched
the ball, you’re just running up and down the hallways,” said Zawislak. “In those times,
in March and February, you’re talking about how you’re tired [then], but it’s going to pay
off in June when you’re winning a championship. I’m really proud of the way the girls
persevered.”
With the district title checked off, Troy will hit the road to Lake Orion Tuesday to take on
Rochester Adams, with whom the Colts tied and beat during the regular season. The winner will play Friday against either Grand Blanc or Midland Dow.
“Once you get into that level, it’s a game of inches — anything can happen,” said Zawislak.
But now, the coach has got his team peaking at just the right time.
“The girls are getting into a little bit of a rhythm,” Zawislak added Thursday. “That game
Tuesday really inspired them. A lot of them look forward to this time of year. Now, they’re really motivated because they know they’re playing for something.”
Each game inspires the team a little bit more.
Then, it’s time to go take care of business.
(Jake Lourim is part of the student correspondence program at the Stickradt Media Group / www.northoaklandsports.com )
Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Troy
