Pontiac – Winning the CHSL boys soccer championship is nothing new for Warren DeLaSalle. The Pilots handled defending A-B champ, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 3-1, for its fifth crown in the last six years, and 16th since 1985.
For Dearborn Divine Child, however, its 4-1 conquest of Pontiac Notre Dame Prep for the C-D title was its first since the Falcons started playing soccer in 1991.
DeLaSalle: “Don’t touch it!”
The jubilant Pilots gathered for the team photo. More than one player could be heard yelling, “Don’t touch it!” Seniors were careful to kneel next to “it” for individual portraits.
The “it” was the CHSL trophy, on the ground in the chilly, misty gloom of Pontiac Notre Dame field.
“It’s a tradition that started back in 1990,” explained Coach Thaier Mukhtar. “The kids don’t touch the trophy because it isn’t the one we want to win. We want the Big One.”
That “One” is the state championship trophy. DeLaSalle has five in their trophy case now, most recently in 2005 when, ironically, the Pilots nipped Brother Rice, 2-1.
The quest for the sixth trophy began this week against Roseville in the Fraser District. The state finals are scheduled for Nov. 5. The undefeated Pilots (16-0-4) are highly regarded by the Michigan Soccer Coaches Association, which has DLS ranked No. 1 in Division 1 and No. 1 among “Super Six” teams in the state.
Junior Mike Leone slipped the ball past Rice goalkeeper, Chris Penoyer, at 30:47 of the first half for DLS’s first score. Penoyer, by the way, made a couple of sensational saves on a shot and a rebound by Leone with a minute to play before the half to keep Rice in the game.
Senior Marco DiMercurio made it 2-0 DLS at 23:30 of second half. The Warriors restored the one-goal deficit three minutes later on junior Russell Cicerone’s shot into the right corner past Pilots’ goalie, Nick Orlando, who had a relatively light night’s work with just five saves compared to a dozen shots on goal against Penoyer.
Sophomore Noah Hicks put the game away with a goal out of a scrum in front of the net at the 11:39 mark.
Mukhtar credited the Pilots defense, in particular junior Austin Piwinski and sophomores Connor Ballantyne and Louis Zingas. “They had a great game attacking from the back,” he said.
Rice coach Barry Brodsky waxed philosophical after the game. “They were the better team,” adding: “I’m disappointed because I thought we could play with them.” The Warriors (8-5-4), who defeated Novi Detroit Catholic Central to reach the CHSL finals, had lost and tied in two matches against DLS during the season.
Divine Child: “We’ve come a long way”
The Falcons (8-9-3) had lost twice by a goal each time during the regular season to Notre Dame. They made sure it wasn’t going to happen again by scoring three times in the first half to deflate the Irish’s hopes for a CHSL title.
“We played as a team,” said Coach Eric Haley, giving a nod to the “chemistry and leadership” of the seven seniors on the young team. “We have come a long way. We were aggressive, going to the net.”
Divine Child’s defense was so suffocating that Notre Dame (8-13) didn’t shoot its first ball on goal until five minutes into the second half. “We came out flat. They were ready to play, we weren’t,” Irish coach Ryan Elchuk said.
Senior Spencer Wong got the Falcons on the scoreboard at 15:28 with a grounder to the left of Irish keeper, Charles Felker, who was visibly frustrated 10 minutes later when junior Evan Heiss scored twice within 105 seconds – the first on a header off a free kick, the second glancing off Felker’s outstretched hands.
Senior Marcos Godinez banged a ball off the left goal post for DC’s fourth score. Senior Jacob Pusheck spoiled the shutout effort by Falcons goalie, Dan Messerang (six saves), with Notre Dame’s only goal.
