BOYS SOCCER: What can ‘Brown’ do for you? Adams senior goalkeeper delivers in clutch to become best in school history
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — One player’s departure was a blessing in disguise for Dylan Brown.
When Brown was a freshman at Rochester Adams, the Highlanders’ returning goalkeeper, Spencer Ward, opted to play with the Vardar Academy and not for Adams for the remainder of his high school days.
That left the door open for Dylan Brown, who stepped into the next-man-up scenario and performed quite well during the 2013 season.
“We knew he could be good, but he was a freshman and freshmen are never prepared for the intensity of varsity games when they first reach high school. It takes time,” offered Adams coach Josh Hickey. “But when we got to the state tournament, he was our No. 1 goalkeeper by then. He was playing great.”
Brown shared time in goal with then-senior Eric McClain and won nine games his freshman season. More importantly, Brown became the No. 1 goalkeeper in the state tournament, leading Adams to a district championship, a 4-1 postseason record and a berth in the Division 1 regional finals.
Adams lost in the regional finals to Traverse City West (2-1), but not before Brown cemented his spot as the team’s goalkeeper of the future.
“I think we kind of surprised some people,” said Brown of Adams’ run to the Elite Eight in 2013. “We knew we could do it.”
That run with a young team set the table for the highly-successful 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
Brown won 13 more games as a sophomore and was red-hot in the postseason, emerging as the backbone of the Highlanders’ defense that plucked off a few ranked teams. Adams eventually finished as the state runner-up that season, falling to Plymouth Canton 1-0 in the title match.
RISING TO THE OCCASION: Rochester Adams senior goalkeeper Dylan Brown has been nothing short of exceptional during his prep career with the Highlanders, setting multiple school records.
As a junior, Brown won 17 more games in goal, helped the Highlanders capture the OAA Red Division crown and help make another deep postseason run, this time reaching the state semifinals before falling to Canton 3-2 in a shootout.
This season, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Brown had aided a 12-4-4 record, another OAA-Red Division crown, and a No. 5 state ranking entering the postseason. He has been everything but a one-year wonder.
“He’s a clutch goalkeeper. He shows it in games,” said Hickey. “He always rises to the occasion. If a game reaches overtime or a shootout, I know we’ll have a chance because Dylan thrives in those situations. The saves he makes in big games. He always gives us a chance.”
Over the course of his career, Brown has been the winning goalkeeper 51 times, posted 38 shutouts and has a goals-against-average under 1.00 for his career.
He has yielded only seven goals this season playing over 90 percent of the minutes in goal for the Highlanders (12-4-4), good for a sterling 0.36 GAA.That low mark is not only the fewest goals allowed in the regular season for Rochester Adams, but one of the lowest totals in state history.
Brown already owns multiple goalkeeping school records or ranks in the top five in multiple categories. His 38 career clean sheets to date is by far another school mark.
He also ranks in the top 25 in several goalkeeping career categories in state history, according to the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association.
Brown is also a clutch goalkeeper, posting a 5-1 record in games that has reached a shootout while making nine saves in those shootout sessions. For a school that has boasted legions of All-State players dating back to its original squad in 1981, including two Mr. Soccer winners, Brown has etched his name in Adams lore.
“I just try to help my team win games,” said Brown. “When I was a freshman, Adams had a goalie that decided to play for the Academy. I made varsity that year and was given a chance. We made a run that year and we have been able to go far all three years.”
Brown was All-State Third Team as a sophomore and All-State First Team as a junior — and is the sole returning Division 1 First Team pick from last season. The three-time team captain has won numerous all-league, all-district and all-region honors during his four-year career and will be up for more postseason accolades again in November.
Although he has gained the attention with contact and offers from several Division I and Division II colleges, Brown will take his talents to NCAA Division III powerhouse Denison University in Ohio.
His high school career is not yet complete.
Brown and the Highlanders open up state tournament play Oct. 17 against Clarkston, which spent most of the season ranked in the top 20 before dropping out late in the regular season.
On the field and on the stat sheet, Dylan Brown has accomplished a lot for Rochester Adams.
So, what can Brown do for you?
“We have some unfinished business,” said Brown following the Highlanders’ league-title clinching victory over Troy Athens on Oct. 11. “We want to try to make another run and hopefully go after the state championship.”
If that dream becomes a reality, the Brown will prove that he can deliver.
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