Perfect at home: Bucks tame Lynx 4-0 to head into postseason on a roll
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
PONTIAC — Mitch Hildebrandt accomplished something this season that no other Michigan Bucks goaltender has done in the PDL franchise’s 16-year history: Never surrender a goal at home during the regular season.
Hildebrandt did not give up a goal in 45 minutes of work Saturday, leaving the game at halftime with the Bucks leading 2-0, and he has posted eight clean sheets in home games this season. Michigan, the PDL-Great Lakes Division champs, ended up wrapping up the regular season with a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Lynx at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas.
The Bucks scored two goals in each half and dominated the final 60 minutes of play to carry a fine 12-2-2 record into the PDL postseason. It marks the 14th time in 16 seasons that Michigan has reached the postseason.
“I think we can really do some damage in the playoffs,” said Hildebrandt, whose team has outscored the opposition 24-0 in home games this season. “We got a great mix of older guys and younger guys. Everything is just coming together for us with leadership and everybody is just playing their hearts out right now. Plus, we do play very well at home.”
Stefan St. Louis (Oakland University grad) staked the Bucks to a 1-0 lead at 20:49 of the first half, tucking in a breakaway shot from eight yards out to the near post. Luke Holmes (Akron) set up the marker with a perfectly-slotted ball through traffic.
Joey Dillon (Rochester Adams/Georgetown) set up the second goal. Sending a high, long cross to the opposite side of the field, Tommy Catalano (Oakland) snuck through the Lynx defense and laced a shot from the corner of the box that he curled inside the far post at 34:56.
Both teams traded off nine shots apiece in the first half but the Bucks allowed only one shot directly on goal in that span and were in command at the break.
Bucks coach Gary Parsons sat several starters in the first half and even gave some a night off. But several other key players were brought into the game in the second half, which helped Michigan pull away.
“We had some of the regulars sitting down. If you have a team where you can bring in those types of guys, they can do damage when the other team gets tired,” said Parsons. “When you watch the high-level games with teams like Barcelona, when they have those types of players sitting on the bench, they can bring them in. That’s why I’ve always told these guys that just because you’re coming off the bench doesn’t mean you’re not a good player. You don’t always want to start your best 11 all of the time. A guy coming in that’s a good player can make a lot of difference.”
Michigan, which will host the Central Conference semifinals and finals next Friday-Saturday at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas, outshot Toronto 11-1 in the second half and did not allow the guests to pose much of a threat after halftime. The Bucks held a 20-9 edge in total shots for the game, including 11-1 with shots directly on frame, and also held a 6-3 edge on cornerkicks.
Catalano made 3-0 at 69:39 with a bending, left-footed shot that sailed through a group of defenders. Sebastian Harris (Lake Orion/South Hampton) drew the assist with a long serve.
Holmes, who earlier missed a penalty kick after being tripped up in the box, got a chance at redemption and capped the scoring at 83:30, running onto a long pass from Dillon and finishing off a breakaway.
“We knew what we wanted to do, end up (in) first (place),” said Holmes. “It’s always nice to go into the playoffs with a positive result. We didn’t want to lose or have a tie going in. We went out and got some goals and ended up four-nill.”
Hildebrandt and Withrow officially gained the team’s 12th shutout of the season in 16 games — the Bucks have yielded only nine goals all season and only five in the final 10 games — and Michigan has surrendered only two goals in the month of July, those coming in a 2-1 loss to the Indiana Invaders on July 6, the last time the Bucks have lost.
“Mitch has been the player of the year so far this season — and deserved,” said Holmes. “He’s been so steady.”
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Category: Colleges / Other, Michigan Bucks
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