GIRLS SOCCER: Stoney Creek hands Rochester first OAA-Red loss
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — With its back against the wall, Rochester Stoney Creek stepped up and took control of its own destiny.
The Cougars, ranked sixth in the state in Division 1, held off previously unbeaten Rochester, 2-1, Tuesday, in a key OAA Red Division girls soccer match.
The win propelled Stoney Creek past Rochester in the standings and into sole possession of first place in the eight-team division. If the Cougars defeat Lake Orion next Tuesday in their final league game, they can win the league title outright.
Seventh-ranked Rochester must defeat Troy next week and pray for Lake Orion to draw with Stoney Creek or defeat the Cougars to have a chance at the coveted title in the state’s toughest league.
“Our goal is to win the league and district,” admitted Stoney Creek coach Bryan Mittelstadt. “We had our one little mistake and lost to (Troy) Athens. We knew we couldn’t have another in this league.”
Stoney Creek dominated play for stretches in the first half to take a 2-0 lead, then hung on down the stretch to knock Rochester (7-1-1, 4-1-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten.
“We got the lead and we knew they were going to bring it,” added Mittelstadt. “Rochester has a lot of speed, but we just wanted to stay composed. Tonight’s game meant a lot to both sides.”
Indeed.
The league, which has produced a state finalist in 11 of its previous 18 school years, had three teams ranked in the top 10 this week with a fourth squad listed as honorable mention. Stoney Creek came out like a team looking to grab pole position.
The Cougars’ fast start resulted in two goals in the first 31:44.
Stoney Creek (11-1-0, 5-1-0) cashed in first with 34:46 left to play in the first half, when junior Madison Schupbach broke through the defense and deposited her shot into the back of the net.
The Cougars made it a two-goal cushion on a Rochester defensive error, which saw a defender whiff on a clear and a wide-open senior Cierra Inscho blasted home a shot through traffic from 20 yards out with 8:16 remaining in the first half.
Rochester was able to cut into the lead when junior Gemma Najar flicked home a long service feed from senior Sofia Farah with 2:35 left in the half. The Falcons could not net the equalizer over the final 42 minutes of play.
Stoney Creek had two grand opportunities to add to its lead in the second half, including a shot that rang off the crossbar midway through the second half. Rochester squandered two late cornerkicks plus a shot with two minutes left that soared just above the net.
Rochester coach Cliff Brandmier felt the game was won in the first half, where his Falcons played flat-footed.
“We didn’t show up in the first half,” he said. “I was really impressed with how (Stoney Creek) played. Getting the goal late in the first half made it a game, and I think in the second half, we had some really good chances. But we played okay for about the first two minutes, then Stoney Creek came out and took it to us and got the early goal. We tried to comeback.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Stoney Creek,” continued Brandmier. “I think they were the reason why we were playing so badly. Give them credit. They deserved to win this game.”
Scoring early goals has been the bread and butter for Stoney Creek all season, leading the Cougars to their best start in their brief 11-year history.
“We’ve really benefited a lot this year from getting goals and chances in the first 10 minutes of the game,” offered Mittelstadt. “Getting the first goal and the first opportunities is something that we work on (all the time). In our only loss, Athens got the early goal and they were able to hold on against us.”
Stoney Creek held an 11-7shots advantage in the game, including 7-5 with shots on frame. The Cougars also held a 3-2 edge on cornerkicks.
Halee Michael gained the win between the posts for the Cougars, notching four saves. Stephanie Heber recorded five saves for Rochester, which must recoup after suffering its first blow of the season and falling into second place in the league.
“I think we might have gotten caught up in being undefeated,” noted Brandmier. “Now that we lost, I think we can stop looking at the standings and the state rankings and really just pay attention to getting healthy.”
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