GIRLS SOCCER: Troy pulls away from Berkley to reach regional finals
BY DAN STICKRADT
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TROY — It was only a matter of time.
After being held in check by Berkley through 40 minute, 13th-ranked Troy erupted for four second half goals in ousting the upstart Bears, 4-0 in a Division 1 regional semifinal at Troy.
Troy (11-5-2) will face formerly-ranked Rochester Adams at 7 p.m. Thursday for the regional championship and a berth in the Final Four.
“I don’t think we played all that great in the first half,” said Troy coach Dan Troccoli. “I told the girls at the half that we needed to slow it down, settle down and possess the ball and then things would (open up) a little bit. I think we were able to do that in the second half.”
All four of Troy’s goals were unassisted.
Freshman Olivia Rush scored what proved to be the game-winner with 33:26 left in the second half. Rush picked off a clear, spun around, beat her mark and uncorked a 18-yard shot inside the far post.
Junior Bri Scillion pushed the lead to 2-0 less than two minutes later with a 15-yard shot to the right corner with 31:55 left.
Junior Marissa Young converted a penalty kick with 13:59 left, while junior Sydney Parpart drilled a high free kick from outside of the box that sailed over to the far post with 6:26 to play to cap the scoring.
“Once we got that first goal, I think we settled down a little bit,” said Broccoli. “We were able to play our game. We’ve played such a tough schedule — nobody has played a tougher schedule than us — and it’s not like (Berkley) did anything that we haven’t seen. We just needed to play our style.”
Senior Cassidy Dawson notched the shutout for Troy, not having to record a save. It marked the Colts’ sixth shutout of the campaign and third in four state tournament games.
The Colts, who reached the state semifinals last season, hold a 12-1 scoring edge in the postseason, yielding a late goal to Troy Athens in last Friday’s district finals.
Berkley (8-7-4) did create a cornerkick and a couple of crosses into the box during the first half, but struggled to gain any momentum in the second half.
“I think once they scored that first goal that kind of took the wind out of our sails a little bit, then they scored again a couple of minutes later,” said Berkley coach Cliff Brandmier. “I thought we did a good job sticking to our games plan in the first half. We didn’t let them do much and we did create a couple of chances. I think they just wore us down a little in the second half. Troy is a very good team.”
ROCHESTER ADAMS 1, CLINTON TOWNSHIP CHIPPEWA VALLEY 0: Far from a thing of beauty, Rochester Adams is still alive in the Division 1 state tournament.
The Highlanders, who defeated state-ranked Utica Eisenhower, 2-1, in a shootout in last Thursday’s district title match, overcame a less-than-stellar effort to oust upstart Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 1-0, in Tuesday’s Division 1 regional semifinals at Troy.
Adams (10-6-6) will face 13th-ranked Troy at 7 p.m. Thursday for the regional championship and a berth in the Final Four. The Highlanders, who are making their 17th appearance in regional play over a 30-year span, last won a regional in 2012.
“You don’t have to play your best in the tournament — you just have to win,” offered Adams coach Josh Hickey. “We didn’t play all that great. But it was good enough to win, fortunately.”
Adams held a 15-4 shots advantage in the game, including 7-2 with shots directly on frame, and attempted four cornerkicks, but could only muster a goal in the 22nd minute.
Senior Sara Samolinski (Saginaw Valley State) cashed in a short-range rebound following a blast by freshman Cassidy Tomezak with 18:47 left in the first half for the game’s only goal.
Sophomore Maddie Dolenga registered two saves for her team’s 10th shutout of the campaign and third in four tournament contests.
“We really needed to play better. We were lucky. It’s the final 16 in the state and stranger things can happen,” noted Hickey. “I don’t think that will happen Thursday when we play Troy. But I think we’ll (have to) play with a lot more effort, even if we don’t play well, we’ll play with a little more urgency.”
Chippewa Valley’s biggest threat with 7:10 left in the game when freshman Keira Boskovich laced a shot just over the crossbar. The chances for the Big Reds were few and far between and all four shot attempts came over the final 40 minutes.
Adams applied plenty of pressure after that point and even had a goal called back due to an offsides call with 1:55 to play. The Highlanders still couldn’t add an insurance goal.
Chippewa Valley, which upset state-ranked Macomb Dakota in the district finals, finished 9-9-4 and did so with only five seniors on the roster.
“We needed to play a great game in order to beat a team like Adams,” conceded veteran Chippewa Valley coach Gerry Haggerty. “Defensively, we did a good job holding them to one goal. But we didn’t have very many chances.”
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