League Powerhouse Dexter Ties Ann Arbor Pioneer in Close Matchup

By Alex Hardie

The Dexter High School girls' varsity soccer team took two leads on Ann Arbor Pioneer’s home field, but Pioneer battled back to tie it up both times to hold onto a 2-2 draw on Thursday.

A great evening on Pioneer’s artificial turf field was perfect for these teams that were both undefeated in league play going into the match. The first half saw the Dreadnaughts earn more possession, but the host team did very well to destroy most of the Dreadnaughts' early attempts.

Midway through the first half of the match, the pressure the Dreadnaughts put on Pioneer paid of. A corner kick was awarded to Dexter. Senior captain Emily Tarnaski placed the ball for the kick and fired the ball in with her left foot to the far post. Though she was trying to connect with a teammate, the ball continued to curve in beyond the scrambling keeper, on into the back of the net.

With just under 14 minutes left in the first half, Dexter’s keeper, Sarah Silvasi, came up with a big save on a semi-breakaway, to keep the lead.

The Dreadnaughts held onto the 1-0 lead into the half-time break. The second half started much like the first half ended, with Dexter having a bit more of the possession. Just over 13 minutes into the second half, Pioneer finished on an opportunity, tying the game up.

Matching Dexter's save in the first half, with around 13 minutes left in the match, Pioneer’s keeper came up big with a reaction save to keep the game level.

As time was running down, Dexter's Olivia Vollmers took a through ball from fellow junior Alex Dinser and fired past a defenseless keeper. The Dread’s lead was short-lived when Ann Arbor tied the match yet again three minutes later, for the final 2-2 score.

“We worked hard to earn two leads, but then had two breakdowns to let our opponent tie it up twice. Showing signs of brilliance, we need to find the will to finish a competitive game like this off and hold on to the lead," coach Scott Forrester said.

The seventh-ranked Dexter Dreadnaughts hosted the sixth-ranked DeWitt Panthers Friday.