BOYS SOCCER: Adams trips up Stoney Creek for 10th district crown
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — A year after winning the school’s first state title in 1999, members of Rochester Adams boys soccer team started a fad that each member of the state tournament roster would die his hair in blonde to signal team unity.
Perhaps there is something in the superstition that really works like magic. The Highlanders have played every postseason game since 2000 with the died-hair approach and have been quite successful in the postseason.
Blonde-haired Adams, ranked third in the Division 1 entering the postseason, captured its 10th district crown in a 17-year span and third straight Saturday afternoon, tripping up host Rochester Stoney Creek, 1-0, in the district finals to advance to next week’s regional at Fraser.
“It is something that we always do — tradition,” admitted senior Cameron Vogt of the hair-dying.
It was Vogt who got his foot on the game’s only goal. Chasing down a perfectly-slotted ball from senior Connor McDevitt in the corner of the penalty box, Vogt ripped a bending shot that sailed just inside the far post with 36:21 left in the first half.
It helped send the Highlanders into the regional round for the third straight season and fourth time in seven years. Adams will face Bloomfield Hills Wednesday in the D-1 regional semifinals.
“Three in a row — that’s a very big accomplishment,” added Vogt. “We know what to expect in the regionals, states, anything. It’s awesome.”
Pin-point passing helped set up the game winner.
“Connor McDevitt was playing right wing, he saw me making a good run across on the left,” continued Vogt. “Great ball, I had a great first touch and finished on the left. The goalie was out of position, I saw the opening and I finished it.”
Junior Dylan Brown made five saves for his third straight shutout and his 10th overall for the Highlanders, who have recorded 12 total clean sheets in 23 games. Brown has allowed 12 goals playing a bulk of the minutes and has a goals-against-average of 0.60.
Brown made a pair of acrobatic saves and commanded the box, where Stoney Creek sailed five corner kicks into danger zone. Adams outshot Stoney Creek by a slim 10-8 margin, including 6-5 with not shots on frame, and Brown and the Highlanders thwarted Stoney Creek’s consistent pressure in the final 20 minutes.
The Highlanders (14-6-3), co-champions of the OAA Red Division, finished as the state runner-up last season and have been to the D-1 Final Four five times — all since 1999.
Adams won a state title in 1999, lost in the finals in 2001, reached the state semifinals in 2004 and 2009 and again reached the championship match in 2014 where the Highlanders fell to unbeaten Plymouth Canton (1-0).
Having multiple players back from last year’s state runner-up team and a regional finalist squad in 2013 has given the Highlanders some swagger in the postseason.
“The experience helps for sure, just with composure, people understanding how it is, what it’s like,” offered Adams coach Josh Hickey, who took over at Adams in 2009. “Getting there is another story. Things have to go right, you have to battle hard. You gotta out-play people. We’ll see what happens, but they put themselves in a position to do something. I’m proud of them.”
Stoney Creek, a young team that will return nine starters next season, came on strong down the stretch. The Cougars (9-11-3) finished 6-3-2 in their final 11 games but could not solve the Highlanders’ stingy defense.
Adams defeated Stoney Creek 2-1 in September and the two teams tied 0-0 in October.
“We gave up one early. You can’t do it especially in a game like this because goals are at an absolute premium,” said Stoney Creek coach Adam Bican. “You give one up against a team who’s good, they’re defensively organized all the time, it’s hard to get in behind them. Best of luck to them, they played well. They’ve had a great season, they have a great team and we wish them the best. They’re cross-town rivals but we really pull for them in the state tournament.”
Stoney Creek had a few grand chances, including Brown swatting the ball off the line on a wild goal-mouth scramble with 8:15 to play and another with 24:19 remaining in the first half when Michael Melaragni’s shot sailed just wide of the post on a breakaway.
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