Troy-Grand Haven semifinals match squares off two unfamiliar foes

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

Both Troy and Grand Haven have both had teams make long tournament runs in the past, and have combined for seven Final Four appearances including this season.

The two together make for an interesting pairing, when they meet in the Division 1 boys soccer state semifinals Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Holt. This is believed to be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Troy won the north region with a 2-1 double-overtime victory over fellow Oakland County school Walled Lake Northern, while Grand Haven prevailed in the west region.

Grand Haven has made the state semifinals twice before back in the 1990s. Ranked fifth, the Buccaneers are 17-1-3 and are having their best to date season record-wise, having defeated state power Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in the regional finals to reach this point.

“We don’t know too much about them,” admitted Troy coach Brian Zawislak.

Grand Haven has long had one of the more successful teams on Michigan’s west side, and has even reached the Final Four two other times, although not in recent years. In 1994, the Buccaneers were ousted in the semifinals by Plymouth Canton, while Grand Haven was knocked out in the semifinals round by Brighton in 1998.

Still, rarely playing teams east of Lansing, Grand Haven can make for an interesting opponent for schools in Southeastern Michigan and is truly an unknown for most teams on the state’s east side.

“We heard that (Rochester) Stoney Creek played them in a scrimmage tournament at the beginning of the season, so we can out some information there,” said Zawislak. “That was a long time ago. But to get this far, they have to be good.”

Troy, despite being a state powerhouse dating back to its inaugural season in 1981, is making just its fourth Final Four appearance. The Colts lost in the 1994 state semifinals to Warren DeLaSalle, were defeated by Plymouth Canton in the 1996 Class A state finals and finally claimed its first and only state title in boys soccer in 2003 with a 1-0 overtime victory over Saline. That was the last time Troy has been able to advance out of regional play, having stalled out in the regionals in three of the past seven seasons.

The Colts (20-2-1), who have won seven straight and are 7-1-1 in their last nine contests, are ranked sixth but spent the first month of the season ranked No. 1. Troy’s defense has been rock solid, as the Colts have given up only 12 goals in 23 games despite playing in the rugged OAA Red Division, annually home to several high-level programs, along with a brutally-tough non-league schedule against several other top-20-caliber teams.

The two losses were to Novi and Rochester Adams, two perennial powers that also logged weeks in the D-1 top 10 this season.

STINGY D: Troy's Willie Maddox is part of the Colts' defensive unit that has yielded only 12 goals in 23 games this season. Troy will take 16 shutouts and a 20-2-1 record into Wednesday's Division 1 state semifinals against Grand Haven. Photo | Larry Mckee, www.lmckeephotography.com

Troy has five players that have between five and 11 goals, led by Jason Leslie’s 11 tallies. The Colts, without a star player in the field, have posted 15 shutouts but are not an offensive juggernaut.

Defense has been the key for Troy this season. Junior Matt Smolinski is a national-rated Vardar Academy goalkeeper and is widely considered Michigan’s top goalkeeper in the prep ranks. The Colts’ backfield, which features senior David Eicher, juniors Luke Ridenour and Brandon Riddle, sophomore Allen Wang and freshman Willie Maddox, have all rotated time in the back to form one of the state’s top defensive units.

“I think our strength is definitely defense,” offered Zawislak. “We have some depth there. We have five guys that we use, so if someone is injured or isn’t playing well, then we have someone else to put in there.

“I think having five guys that can score goals, we’re not an easy team to defend,” added Zawislak. “We have five guys with five or more goals but we don’t have anyone with a ton of goals. Our best has 11 this season. Last week we had a defender score a goal and another defender push up and assist on the game winner (against Walled Lake Northern). We have a lot of different guys that are getting involved in the scoring.”

Troy’s team goals-against-average against a tough schedule is a sterling 0.52. Smolinski has logged 75 percent of the minutes in goal this season and has surrendered only five goals this season, including two in the postseason. The Colts’ lone bad loss this year, a 4-1 setback to top-five Novi, saw the Wildcats score three goals in the second half with Smolinski on the bench with an injury.

No team has scored more than one goal in a game against the Colts since the Novi loss and only Novi and Rochester Adams have scored more than one goal against Troy.

Being in the Final Four, Zawislak is expecting another tight game. The Colts have had to go to overtime in their two regional contests last week.

“I expect that it will be a good game,” admitted Zawislak, who guided Troy’s girls team to the state runner-up trophy in June. “We lost in the regional finals last season and in the regional finals (in 2008), both times to Grand Blanc. I think the guys really wanted to get past that (level) this season.”

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Tags: boys soccer, featured, Grand Haven Boys Soccer, high school boys soccer, MHSAA Division 1 Boys Soccer State Semifinals, Prep Boys Soccer, soccer, Troy Boys Soccer

Category: Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps, Troy