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GIRLS SOCCER: New kid on the block Okemos ruins Troy’s title party

Dan Stickradt | June 21, 2012 | Comments (1)

BY JAKE LOURIM

STUDENT CORRESPONDENT

j.lourim@comcast.net

EASTLANSING — Most of the giants were gone.

Top-ranked Northville, bye-bye.

Defending state champion Novi, out of the picture.

OAA Red champion Rochester Adams, departed.

They were all out of the girls soccer tournament, and the only one left standing from the east side was Troy.

So when eighth-ranked Troy headed back up to Michigan State on Saturday, 364 days after they were disappointed with a 1-0 loss to Novi, ready to finish the job and bring home the ultimate hardware.

They were playing to send coach Brian Zawislak’s first full class out as a winner. They were playing to avenge last year’s loss on the same field. They were playing to give the seniors, who had been to the state quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, one last win.

PARTING SHOTS: Troy sophomore Phylisha Drayton hugs senior Irene Young following Saturday's 2-0 loss to Okemos in the Division 1 state finals. young was one of thee Troy players that participated in their 25th postseason game spanning four seasons. Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotgraphy.com

After coming so close for so many years — within inches sometimes — Troy was so excited to get back and tend to its unfinished business.

“They’re so geeked to get back there and try to bring a title home,” Zawislak said after his team punched its ticket to the final with a state semifinal victory over Canton. “They put themselves in a position, and at this point it could be a bounce here or there.”

And who was on the other side? Okemos.

The Chieftains came out of the Capital Area Athletic Conference. They came in as underdogs, though they were ranked higher at No. 2. They hadn’t played for a championship since 2006 in Division 2.

Eight teams played for the state title since their last visit.

Yet Okemos came in and spoiled the party.

Troy started three players — seniors Irene Young, Jenn Busk, and Alyssa Cabelof —who were playing in their 25th career playoff game. Okemos’ seniors were only playing in their 20th.

The Cheiftains’ seniors had never won a regional until this year.

“We’ve been here before and they haven’t,” junior forward Madison Hirsch said Zawislak told the team before the semifinal. The same was true for the Chieftains as it was for Plymouth Canton.

Yet Okemos came in and spoiled the party.

The Chieftains did it with speed, getting two forwards behind the Troy defense for an easy goal in the first half. They did it with finesse, lofting a goal over Troy goalie Alison Holland for a finish. And they did it with defense, never allowing the Colts much of a chance to get back in the game.

When ESPN released its national rankings at the beginning of the Michigan season, Troy was at No. 3, the favorite. Defending champion Novi was at No. 5, and Canton and Northville sat at 12th and 26th, respectively — all very viable contenders.

Okemos didn’t even sniff the rankings. But the Chieftains came in and proved they were the best team in the state as the new kid on the block.

The Troy senior class was 21-4 in the playoffs, and with three regional championships, was one of the best classes in school history. But when the buzzer went off at DeMartin Stadium, there was no doubt what emotions were running through the Colts’ heads.

“Oh, they’re disappointed,” Zawislak said. “They thought this was their year. They really believed in themselves that they could win it, and they’re upset that they didn’t finish the job.”

A total of 25 games in four years and they thought they had seen it all. They’d been down, they’d been up, and they’d been tied. They’d been in regulation, they’d been in overtime, and they’d been in shootouts. They’d been in rain, wind, and heat so scorching they could fry an egg on the turf.

“I’m really proud of the seniors,” Zawislak said. “I think they’ve really established a standard. We owe a lot to them — they’ve been a good example on and off the field.”

But when they went back up to the state championship Saturday, they couldn’t get over the hump.

For that, they can blame the new kid on the block.