Marian tops New Boston Huron, wins regional title
New Boston Huron and Bloomfield Hills Marian squared off on Thursday night at Dearborn Divine Child with the Division 2, Region 7 title on the line.
Marian, the four-time reigning state champion, was up against a Huron team that was playing in its first-ever regional final.
The Chiefs held their own against the powerful Mustangs and kept the game scoreless deep into the second half.
Marian eventually got on the board with a goal from Isa Agrusso in the 65th minute and it turned out to be all that the Mustangs needed.
With a 1-0 victory, Marian (161) claimed its fifth consecutive regional title and moved on to face Haslett on Wednesday in a D2 state semifinal game.
Inside the final 10 minutes of the first half, Agrusso maneuvered her way deep into the Chiefs’ zone but they kept her from getting a shot off.
Huron’s defense was solid, just as it was in Tuesday’s 2-0 regional semifinal win over host Divine Child and throughout the year. Overall, the Chiefs (12-63) posted 11 total shutouts in 2022, including their previous two games.
However, Marian came out stronger after halftime and was able to control the play much more than it had in the first 40 minutes.
“We’re always prepared for a battle and they certainly gave us one,” said Mustangs coach Reid Freidrichs. “I really liked our resolve. I really liked how we flipped the game in the second half; it was super important because we were getting outworked and outplayed to be honest.”
About eight minutes into the second half, Marian’s Caroline Flynn got off a clean shot near the Chiefs’ goal. She nearly put her team on the board at that point, as the ball sailed just past the lower right corner of the net.
Agrusso took a similar shot in the 65th minute and she cashed in on the opportunity. The senior put her foot into the ball and got it to hook just inside the right post, in the lower corner, and the Mustangs grabbed a 1-0 lead.
In the 71st minute, Huron goalkeeper Amelia Strochine was there to make a big save and kept her team’s deficit at one.
The Chiefs did get a couple of opportunities to tie things up inside the final two minutes of the second half.
Huron took a corner kick but Marian was able to clear the ball before the Chiefs could generate a scoring chance.
In addition, Huron was
awarded a free kick from near the 20-yard line with about 45 seconds remaining. Cecily Hughes got off a good shot yet the ball eventually sailed away from the goal.
“They left everything on the field,” said Chiefs coach Dan Rossow of his players. “(To play) against a team
like this, four-time defending state champs, we go out and put that kind of effort out there, I can’t be more proud.
“Everybody that we put in gave 110 (percent) out there, as a coach you can’t ask for more than that.”
Next up for the Mustangs is a matchup with Haslett on Wednesday in a D2 state semifinal at Tom Holzer Field in Northville at 6 p.m. The winner of that game will play for the state
title on June 18 at Michigan State University at 4 p.m.
To advance to the semifinals, Haslett erased a fourgoal deficit on Thursday in a regional final against South Lyon East and ultimately won the game in an overtime shootout.
“They are going to be extremely, extremely difficult to play against, so we’ll try to figure out how to defend them and score a goal or two, as well,” Freidrichs said.