BOYS SOCCER: Troy Athens escapes Anchor Bay in shootout to win 11th regional title
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
@LocalSportsFans
TROY — Quinn LeBay may have looked like a man of steal out on soccer pitch in the freezing cold. Inside, he was all butterflies.
He also was the difference maker in the end for host Troy Athens.
The senior midfielder calmly tucked his penalty shot into the corner of the net, and host Troy Athens captured its 11th regional title in the program’s 40th season Thursday night in a thrilling, 4-3 victory over previously-unbeaten New Baltimore Anchor Bay.
“I was definitely nervous,” smiled LeBay. “But once I got out there (to the spot), I took some deep breaths, decided where I was going to place it and put it in the back of the net. I was kind of aiming for the lower right hand corner. We practice penalties every day.”
Athens prevailed in a 6-5 differential on penalty shots in the shootout after 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime play which saw the game tied at 3-3.
Both teams converted on their first five penalties. Athens junior goalkeeper Matt Gawthrop dove to make the save on Anchor Bay’s sixth shooter, Kiet Thammavongsa, setting the stage for the Red Hawks’ LeBay.
It marks Athens’ third regional title and trip to the Final Four in five seasons. Overall, the Red Hawks are 11-2 in regional finals in their storied history.
“I’m thrilled and so proud of these kids. With as many kids (14) as we lost go graduation to be able to do this and get to the Final Four is amazing,” said Athens coach Todd Heugh. “We had a nice core of kids back that want to add to our (legacy) and want to leave their mark on the program. We’re in the semifinals again and I feel they have done that.”
Anchor Bay was making its first appearance in the regional finals since 2001 when it lost to Rochester Adams (3-0). The Tars lost only two games over two seasons only to come up short of the Final Four.
“It’s a hard way to lose because in a shootout anything can happen,” said Anchor Bay coach Nate Williams. “We were so close.
“I’m very happy with my team for the way they came back and never backing down. They faced adversity and never gave up,” added Williams. “In a way, we had the (defending state) champs on the ropes. We just couldn’t get that last one to go into the net.”
Athens took a 2-0 lead at the half.
Senior forward TJ Renaud made it 1-0 after he was ripped down in the penalty box and laced home his ensuing penalty shot with 36:56 still to go in the first half.
The Red Hawks, who held a 9-4 shots edge in the first half, picked up a second goal with 27:33 remaining in the half on unusual circumstances. After Renaud turned the ball over on the attack, an Anchor Bay defender passed the ball back towards the net and the Tars’ goalkeeper Evan Linsley was caught napping by the post and the ball rolled into the net as an own goal.
Anchor Bay finally got untracked in the second half. The first goal came when junior midfielder Carson Hodgson floated a long serve into the box and junior forward Tommy Mittelstadt headed it in with 23:10 to play in regulation.
Athens regained some momentum less than a minute later when senior midfielder Adrian Lekocaj’s pass to an onrushing junior forward Ryan Gruca was corralled and Gruca split defenders before cashing in his breakaway with 22:34 left.
Anchor Bay (11-1-0) scored twice within a span of 1:05 of the second half to tie the game at 3-3.
Senior midfielder Ethan Welchner set up Anchor Bay’s second goal as he bet a defender on the right side and slotted the ball into the box and was tapped in by junior forward Jake Ursitti with 14:43 left.
The Tars scored again at the 13:38 mark, this time on a give-and-go rush with Carson Hodgson setting up junior twin brother Tanner Hodgson for a close-range goal.
Both teams had late chances but could not convert again in regulation. Neither team scored during to two 10-minute overtime periods, where Anchor Bay outshot Athens, 5-1.
Anchor Bay actually had a 18-17 edge on total shots with a 9-6 margin on cornerkicks, while Athens held a 12-10 differential with shots on frame.
Athens, winners of six state titles since its inception in 1981, will face Traverse City West (21-1-2) in the state semifinals next Wednesday at Holt. It is a rematch of last year’s state title game that the Red Hawks won 4-1 in overtime.
Not before some intense moments against Anchor Bay. It marked the first time since the 2017 campaign that Athens yielded three goals in a game and the Tars proved to be a worthy opponent.
“(Anchor Bay) is a heckuva team. They can really pass and move the ball well and they have no quit of them,” said Heugh. “We got a fortunate break on the second goal. It’s uncharacteristic to squander two goal leads. We did it twice. We lost momentum when they scored to make it 2-1. We made it 3-1 and usually that’s good for us. Kudos for them for coming back. They’re well-coached, organized, they battled. But we talked today that crazy things happen in the regional round. The regional round is always a difficult game to play. After we lost momentum we were a little bit rattled. We gathered ourselves, played a couple of men hurt, and we got to (the shootout). It’s a coin toss from there.”
Category: Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Most Recently Updated Stories, NOS reference, Prep Wraps, Soccer, Sport, Top Stories, Troy Athens, Uncategorized
