BOYS SOCCER: Rejuvenated Adams trips Romeo to advance to district finals
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — Better late than never.
After a trying, major rebuilding regular season, Rochester Adams has finally found its groove.
Five days after upsetting Division 1 10th-ranked and district top-seeded Rochester in a pre-district game (2-0), Adams found a way to win a second postseason game Monday.
The Highlanders netted a second-half tally and the defense made it stand in a 1-0 victory over Romeo in the district semifinals at Rochester Stoney Creek.
With the win, unheralded Adams (7-11-2) advanced to the district finals for the second straight year and will face Lake Orion at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Stoney Creek.
“All season long we have been trying different things out on the field. We didn’t return a single starter this season and we only had seven guys back total,” noted Hickey. “It took some time for us to gel and come up with the right lineup. We are finding ways to win. We had some struggles earlier in the season and had some rough games. But we are playing our best soccer right now.
“It’s been a long season,” continued Hickey. “Essentially, that was just battle testing us to get to the point where we are now, but we cannot take anything for granted. That’s what I’ve been preaching to these guys. They just started to turn things on at the right moment, but in the end it’s all about the effort they’re putting into these games.”
In 39 years of varsity soccer, Rochester Adams had never finished below .500 until this season — the Highlanders were right at the .500 mark back in 2007. Still, Adams has found another gear and have learned from its treacherous schedule, which resulted in a five-game losing streak just before districts and 2-5-1 record down the stretch of the regular season.
It is finally paying off in the postseason.
After Romeo controlled play for most of the first half, Adams pulled a reversal and had several quality chances in the second half that resulted in the game-winner in the 50th minute.
Junior midfielder Bruno Escobar sent a quick flick over to senior forward Nick Kochanski, who went in on a breakaway and sent the ball into the net using the outside of his right foot as Romeo goalkeeper Sebastian Stefan came rushing out from his line.
The goal came with 30:59 to play in the second half, while the Adams backline stood strong and senior goalkeeper Ethan Maxwell made six saves for the Highlanders’ fifth clean sheet of the season, including third straight and second consecutive in the postseason.
Hickey made some adjustments at halftime and Adams was a completely different team during the final 40 minutes.
“Thank goodness for halftime. The first half was just a really poor effort, and that can happen sometimes,” said Hickey. “But it’s definitely not acceptable because everybody is fighting for their lives and to be able to play another game, and we’re not ready to go. So we were very fortunate that we didn’t go down 2-0. We were able to get the goal and hold it. But that’s a good team.”
Romeo (9-9-3) came out attacking the Highlanders in the first half, earning a 6-2 shots edge over the first 40 minutes. The Bulldogs’ Reese Ford misfired on a penalty kick and Romeo also missed on two other close-range shots.
Romeo simply could not convert and in the second half Adams held a 10-4 shots edge while keeping the Bulldogs at bay.
Adams outshot Romeo 12-10, including a shot off the crossbar in the 62nd minute, while both teams traded off six shots directly on goal. Maxwell had six saves for Adams, while Stefan had five stops for Romeo. The Bulldogs held a 4-3 edge on cornerkicks, but were snakebite on scoring chances.
“We usually start games with a lot of energy, a lot of pace. But you’ve got to finish your chances,” sighed Romeo coach Vincent Vasilevski. “The boys followed the game plan, but the ball just didn’t go in the net today. We can’t say the effort was bad. It was a great effort. This group of seniors all started three years ago as sophomores on varsity with a 6-12 record and we got better from there. I’m very proud of the boys. (This one is) going to hurt a little bit.”
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