Everest/Sacred Heart wins third straight D4 district title
AUBURN HILLS » No. 5-ranked Clarkston Everest Collegiate/ Academy of the Sacred Heart claimed their third straight Division 4 district title with a 2-0 win over the No. 11-ranked Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Eaglets Friday evening.
“It feels real good having a three-peat,” co-captain Celeste James said.
“We upped our intensity a little more, which is what we needed to beat this team,” cocaptain Abby Milosch added.
CEC/ASH improves to 11-6-1 and moves onto the regional semifinals, a place they have struggled with the last few years. Waiting for them will be a familiar foe, No. 10 Royal Oak Shrine, which CEC/ASH faced earlier this year in Catholic League play. The Knights beat No. 2 Madison Heights Bishop Foley 3-0 to win a district title on Friday.
“We don’t like the idea that a bunch of teams are in that region that we play in Catholic League are in that region, but it is what it is. It’s the way it was
set up this year, and whoever we play we’ll give our best and we’ll see what happens,” CEC/ ASH head coach Richard Cross said. “I also want to congratulate St. Mary’s also on a fine job. They’re a good team. We played them once already, so we knew
they were going to be tough. So congratulations to them and their coaching staff.”
The Eaglets started the game in a defensive posture, relying on a stout defense and outstanding goalkeeping from Kira Howcroft to thwart the CEC/ASH attack.
But Erica Walker broke the tie with 5:24 remaining in the first half when she fired a 30yard free kick that dropped under the bar for a 1-0 CEC/ASH lead.
The Eaglets came out more
aggressive in the second half and started creating some chances. Their best opportunity came with 22:40 left that resulted in a scramble in front of CEC/ASH penalty area with the ball bouncing around the goalkeeper out trying to claim it. The defense was able to clear the ball, however, and CEC/ ASH scored at the other end just over 30 seconds later when Chloe Antakli fired a cross into the box where Alyse Felix was waiting to quickly redirect it into the net, making it 2-0 CEC/ASH.
“We got a key goal there when we brought in a sub, Alyse Felix. We had been telling the girls to go to the baseline and then bring that ball hard to the ground and she did it,” Cross said.
The Everest/Sacred Heart defense was also very good. Anchored by Morgan McNally, the CEC/ ASH defense did an excellent job of shutting down the St. Mary’s counterattack and recycling possession.
“We knew that we could move the ball up,” Cross said. “But when they countered we kept telling our girls you have to be first to the ball. You’ve got to step. If you don’t step and they get the ball and turn it’s going to cause us problems, so we did that much better,” Cross said.
The Eaglets also turned in a strong defensive performance against one of the top ranked teams in the state. Howcroft made 10 saves, while an organized defense led by Amanda Atty and Hannah Jabiro marked up the top CEC/ASH forwards and cut off the passing lanes, forcing CEC/ASH into tough shots much of the game.
“We had to pick and choose when we wanted to go. We did have some chances. The goalie gave up a rebound, but she also made two great saves as well. I think they out chanced us, but I’m proud of the effort,” Eaglets head coach Keith Jeffery said. “Hats off to them (CEC/ ASH) they’re a great team. That’s a solid squad over there. They have a chance to go far.”
They’ll meet Shrine in the regional semifinals at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, on the Knights’ home field. Manchester and No. 14-ranked Plymouth Christian are on the other side of the regional bracket.
“Last year, we were hoping to win, but had a little tough draw, but this year we came come back and get past regional semis, make it to regional finals, and try to make it to states because we haven’t been able to do that all three years of high school,” cocaptain Chloe Antalki said. “We’re ready to make a change.”
OLSM finishes their inaugural season 11-4 and winners of the CHSL Intersectional Division.
“We only have freshmen and sophomores. You have to be proud of them. We have the whole group coming back for two more years and then we have 90-something girls coming and over 20 or 30 girls who are into playing soccer, so it’s just the beginning,” Jeffery said. “It’s a learning experience. It’s all about growth and evolving and player development. They’re getting better every day, and that’s all that matters. So that’s exciting. We’re on the rise for sure.”