Alex Cordone propels Clawson over ND Prep
Alex Cordone scored twice in the second half, and the Clawson Trojans advanced to Thursday’s Division 3 district soccer final with a 2-0 win over the host Notre Dame Prep Fighting Irish.
After an even first half where neither team could quite find the net, the Trojans took the lead early in the second half when Nick Lanfear found Cordone on the right wing. Cordone cut the ball back to his left foot and ripped a shot inside the near post for a 1-0 Clawson lead with 34:42 remaining.
Almost exactly two minutes later, Cordone struck again, taking advantage of a miscommunication in the Notre Dame defense to latch onto a loose ball in the penalty area and slot a shot into the open net with 32:43 to play.
“The kid’s (Cordone’s) motor is just unbelievable really. I don’t think he even knows how to program himself to turn it off,” Trojans head coach Dan Wickham said.
Notre Dame would certainly have their chances. Led by the play of Jeronimo Bailey and AndrewMarsheh, the Fighting Irish fired nine shots on goal, including seven in the second half. But Notre Dame could not find the net against an organizedClawson defense anchored by ConnorMonro.
“It just came down to heart today for us, and I think we had a little bit more today, and that helped us through,” Wickham said. “Sometimes when you get into these kind of situations, especially in the state playoffs, you have the tendency of parking the bus if you will, but that wasn’t really the game plan today. It almost turned into just because Notre Dame Prep was coming at us and they didn’t stop. That was concerning to me, and we just handled it well. But it was an outstanding game by Notre Dame Prep.”
Bailey came the closest for NotreDame, whistling a free kick setup off the inside of the right post with 7:37 remaining in the game.
“I just told my boys it came down to finishing chances. It was a really quality match. They (Clawson) are a good side. I think
we probably created just as much if not a little more offensive chances. They were just very deadly and finished,” Notre Dame Prep head coach Rob Suffredini said. “I told my guys I’m proud of their effort.”
Colin Snyder recorded the shutout for Clawson.
With thewin, the Trojans improve to 6-6-5 on the year and will face Livonia Clarenceville in Thursday’s district final.
“I had a chance to watch some of their game,” Wickhamsaid. “Fromwhat I saw, they like to run, and they’re going to give it their all and run right at us. So we just need to have to come out and prepare ourselves, and if we match the intensity we had tonight we’ll be okay.”
NotreDame Prepfinishes 4-8-4.
The Fighting Irish will graduate only three senior starters from this year’s team.
“It was a complete rebuild from last year, and these guys really did a nice job,” Suffredini said. “We’ve got a really good trajectory for next year. We’ve got a lot of sophomores and juniors who are going to help out here.”