GIRLS SOCCER: Halftime lineup switch sparks Troy past North Farmington for regional semifinal win
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BY JAKE LOURIM
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
GROSSE POINTE — Through one half, OAA White foe North Farmington provided Troy a stiff challenge, stopping four shots and holding the Colts scoreless.
But halftime provided Troy coach Brian Zawislak to make some quick adjustments, and this time they gave him just the spark he wanted.
Senior Grace Goodrich moved from right back to forward for the second half and scored the game-winning goal 12 minutes into the second half to earn Troy a 1-0 Division 1 regional semifinal win over North Farmington at Grosse Pointe North.
The Colts now advance to the regional final to play Friday at 6 p.m. against New Baltimore Anchor Bay at Grosse Pointe North. Anchor Bay defeated Grosse Pointe South, 1-0, in Wednesday’s other semifinal.
Troy started out in its usual 4-4-2 formation with Madison Hirsch at the top and Phylisha Drayton and Goodrich at outside back. At halftime, Zawislak moved Drayton and Goodrich to forward and Hirsch to right back. It only took 12 minutes for the move to pay dividends.
“I thought if we could get pressure, then we could get our outside backs going forward,” Zawislak said. “Maybe Hirsch and Jamie Hawkey would get the ball facing the goal and try to create something that way. We just said that good defending would create an attack.”
HIGHER GROUND: Troy’s Kayla Porter (No. 2 on left) gets a leg up on North Farmington’s Carina Wright during Wednesday’s Division 1 regional semifinals. Photo | Ken Swart, Swart Photography.
Senior Sara Wideman, playing center midfielder, served a ball down the right flank for Goodrich, who was one step ahead of her defender on the outside and shot it past North Farmington goalkeeper Katie Foss inside the left post. Foss finished with eight saves.
“I saw that I had space in front of me that I could take up,” Goodrich said. “It was just another opportunity to take and just place a ball in.
“In our positions, we can see what the forwards need to do, because we can see the whole field in front of us, and the forwards can see the whole field behind them,” Goodrich said. “I think they can get some idea of what needs to be done. In switching that up, we were able to step into that and change up anything we weren’t doing.”
The space Goodrich had to make her move was scarce for Troy, as North Farmington (10-6-6) played several players back and made it congested in the final third.
“We just talked about trying to read the game and pick our head up,” Zawislak said. “I thought we were rushing things once we got around the box. I think we just needed to do a better job of organizing things inside the box.”
The Colts controlled play for most of the first half as North Farmington played tight defense, quickly clearing any ball that came near the zone. Troy owned the possession battle, but passed it forward between midfielders and struggled to generate chances. When Troy pushed forward more in the second half, it finally found the game-winner it needed.
That was more than enough against the Raiders, who managed only one shot on goal all night.
They turned up the pressure in the last ten minutes, and senior captain Megan Moore shot a free kick just wide left with 7:26 to go. Then, a throw-in was deflected in the box to an open Raiders forward, who fired it at Troy senior goalie Alison Holland, who made the save, her first of the night. The Colts killed the last two minutes by sending the ball into the corner and guarding it.
Holland finished the game with five saves for her ninth shutout of the season.
“I like our chances when we’re up,” Zawislak said. “I think our tournament experience puts us in a position where we’ve been there before.”
Moving senior midfielder Erin Wrubel to the back line in the second half only solidified Troy’s defensive effort, adding a Division I recruit in Wrubel to the trio of Hirsch, senior Jamie Hawkey and senior Brittany Guitar.
North Farmington’s last-gasp shot with two minutes left provided a scare, but Troy ran out the final moments easily, heading to its fifth straight regional championship. The Colts have won three out of the past four and have reached two straight state championship games, but for Goodrich, this trip to the regional final will be just as sweet.
It is also the 14th time in 20 seasons that Troy has reached at least the Elite Eight, more than any other school in Division 1 during that span.
“We’ve been here before,” Goodrich said, “but every time we’re able to get here, it’s just another chance to get ourselves back in the state finals.”
Now, Troy will prepare to play Anchor Bay on Friday at 6 p.m. at Grosse Pointe North after Anchor Bay beat Grosse Pointe South in a shootout on Wednesday night. The Colts beat Anchor Bay on May 20, 3-1, as sophomore Sarah Troccoli scored two goals and Hirsch added one.
Troy also defeated Anchor Bay in the regional semifinals last season, 2-0, and ousted Grosse Pointe South in the final, 1-0. The Tars (16-2-3, 9-1-2 MAC White) have shown their ability to score in bunches, but the Colts had little trouble with them two weeks ago, pulling ahead 3-0 early.
TROY GIRLS SOCCER IN POSTSEASON THE PAST 20 YEARS
— List compiled by Dan Stickradt
2013: Still playing; regional finalist.
2012: State Runner-Up, lost to Okemos (2-0).
2011: State Runner-Up, lost to Novi (1-0).
2010: Regional Finalist, lost to Novi (1-0).
2009: Final Four, lost to Utica Eisenhower (3-2).
2008: Lost in districts.
2007: Lost in districts.
2007: Lost in districts.
2006: Lost in districts.
2005: Final Four, lost to Novi (5-0).
2004: Regional Semifinalist, lost to Grosse Pointe South (1-0).
2003: State Champions, defeated Brighton (2-1, 2OT).
2002: Final Four, lost to Saginaw Heritage (2-1).
2001: State Runner-Up, lost to Plymouth Canton (3-1).
2000: Final Four, lost to Troy Athens (2-1).
1999: Regional Finalist, lost to Grosse Pointe South (3-0).
1998: Lost in districts.
1997: Regional Finalist, lost to Rochester Adams (NA).
1996: State Runner-Up, lost to Plymouth Canton (2-0).
1995: Lost in districts.
1994: State Champions, defeated Brighton (3-2).
— List compiled by Dan Stickradt
(Jake Lourim is a senior at Troy High School and a member of the S.H.P. Media Group / www.northoaklandsports.com Student Correspondence Program. He is publisher of website www.troycoltsportsupdate.com and a member of the Troy school newspaper editorial staff. He can be reached by e-mail at j.lourim@comcast.net)
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