The Lake Orion girls? soccer squad reeled off a pair of wins last week, before falling 4-0 to #1 Rochester in a district final Saturday at Stoney Creek.
‘They’re the number one team in the state for a reason,? Dragons Coach Ken Snage said. ‘They played like state champions.?
Rochester got two goals from Amanda Bowery, one of the state’s best scorers.
Hailey Redd had 14 saves in goal for Lake Orion. The Dragons recorded eight shots on net in the loss.
‘We had a very good second half, but unfortunately Rochester had all they needed to win the game,? Snage said.
‘What you’ve got are two great teams on the field and one team was just a little better,? he added. ‘I thought our kids played a reasonably good game.?
The teams played twice in the OAA I this season, with the Dragons managing a 0-all tie in the second meeting. That tie was one of only two on the season for the undefeated Falcons.
Rochester’s other tie came at the hands of #5 Rochester Adams, whom the Dragons eliminated in the district semifinals on Thursday night.
Niki Read scored twice and Redd had 14 saves for Lake Orion in their 4-1 victory.
‘We had a couple of lucky bounces go our way,? Snage said.
It was the fifth straight year the two teams have met in district action, with Adams eliminating LO last year in penalty kicks.
‘I like these good rivalry games,? Snage said. ‘You come here and the records don’t matter, what you did in the regular season doesn’t matter.?
‘I’m very proud of proud of our kids,? he added. ‘They competed well and grew as a team.?
Read scored halfway through the first half on an assist from Rachel Bemman, who recorded the team’s second tally with 7:26 to go in the half. Redd made two excellent saves in the final five minutes of the half to preserve the 2-0 lead.
‘The kids don’t like all the conditioning I do,? Snage said. ‘But we condition all season long for days like today.?
The Dragons used the transition game to score three of their four goals, and the fourth came off a corner kick that was the result of a breakout.
‘We have good speed,? Snage said. ‘We built our team on speed.?
Alicia Tirpak scored the Dragons? other goal, as they built a 4-0 lead to put the game away, with the help of some strong goal play by Redd down the stretch.
‘She’s a good worker,? Snage said of Redd. ‘Plus she’s got the talent and the will to compete.?
Adams finally broke through in the final five minutes off the foot of Keely Chandler.
‘We made two defensive mistakes in the first half today that cost us goals,? Adams Coach Juan Delgado said.
‘In the playoffs, I think you’ve got to play well consistently, and you’ve got to have a little luck on your side,? he added. ‘We just didn’t have that today.?
That victory for LO came on the heels of a 15-0 blowout of Pontiac Northern on Tuesday, a game that needed just one half to complete.
In all, the Dragons finished 10-9-4, winning six of their final eight games thanks to the return of some players from injury and a lineup adjustment.
Snage said the biggest factors were moving Rachael Israel to the back line and getting Shannon Doyle back in the lineup.
‘Shannon makes a big difference for our team,? Snage said of the junior, who will take on an even bigger role next year, as the team will lose 12 seniors off of this year’s squad.