Troy Girls Soccer Beats Canton, Advances to Division 1 State Finals

Farmington, MI – Troy's Coach Brian Zawislak didn’t even shout out Irene Young’s number.

When the referees called Canton goalkeeper Danielle Schendel for a shoving penalty right in front of the net, Young – Troy varsity soccer team’s leading scorer – quickly stepped up for a penalty shot with 18:52 to go in the Division 1 semifinals at Farmington High School on Wednesday afternoon.

“I didn’t have to yell out, everyone knew who it was. She likes that role,” Zawislak said. “She likes to have that challenge to have to step up, she knows her team is counting on her to score goals.”

She blasted the shot into the back of the net to give her team a two-goal lead.

The Chiefs cut the deficit in half with a goal in the final 10 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Colts from advancing to the finals for a second straight year with a 2-1 win.

After the game, both teams obviously had different reactions to the referee’s call.

The play started with a corner kick from Jennifer Busk into the goalie’s box. Schendel jumped up for the ball and appeared to get her hands on it, but after contact with Troy midfielder Sarah Troccoli lost a handle on it.

As it rolled away, Schendel turned around and shoved Troccoli to the ground.

“I honestly was kind of confused as to what happened because there were so many people in the box,” Young said.

Young saw Schendel knock Troccoli over, but didn’t see what preceded it; neither did the coaches.

“I initially thought our goalie was being pushed around,” Canton coach Jeannine Reddy said. “So I didn’t see that part (Schendel pushing Troccoli); I just figured every game we’ve played this season, as long as I’ve been coaching and as long as I’ve been playing, I just figured, protect the goalie.”

Schendel was adamant she had control of the ball before Troccoli knocked into her.

“I totally had the ball,” Schendel said. “I mean, I pushed her a little bit, but I already had it in the first place. It should’ve been my ball. It’s disappointing.”

The Chiefs didn’t hang their heads after the call. They continued to be aggressive in pushing the ball down field, as they had for most of the game.

“We played much better the second part of the first half, started to get some balls go forward a little bit,” Reddy said. “Second half, we just kept the pressure on and didn’t back down.”

Robyn Mack put the Chiefs on the board with 7:57 when she finally got behind the defense and didn’t waste an open look at the net.

“We never lost hope,” Reddy said. “I give them a lot of credit for sticking in there.”

Mack’s goal was the first Troy’s defense allowed in six postseason games. The Colts wouldn’t allow a second.

Goaltender Allison Holland and the backline didn’t make another mistake. Throughout the game, Holland made some nice stops to keep her team in control.

In the first half, she made a one-handed save, pushing a sure goal by Gabriella Malee over the crossbar by jumping straight up two feet in the air.

“Allison was a wall in the back,” Zawislak said. “I don’t think there’s anybody better in the state.”

Canton’s offense controlled the game for long periods after the first 10 minutes. Madison Hirsch put Troy ahead 1-0 at the 31:38 mark in the first half with an assist from Young.

“She made a really good run without the ball,” Young said. “She separated herself from the defenders and all I had to do was slip it in.”

Hirsch had missed two point-blank shots in the first five minutes and wasn’t going to miss a third.

“I knew I needed to put it away. Big games like this – opportunities – don’t come around like that,” Hirsch said.

The scoring opportunities were far and few between for the Colts after that.

Zawislak’s team will now spend the rest of the week preparing for their second straight Division 1 finals appearance. Troy will play Okemos for the championship on Saturday at Michigan State University.

“It means a lot (to get back), especially since we were there last year. It gives us more emotion,” Young said, smiling. “We know what we have to do and that losing is not an option.”