The Clarkston Wolves boys soccer team got the rematch it had hoped for in the district finals of the state playoffs in Lake Orion on Oct. 21.
A victory in the last game of the season would have clinched the league title for the Wolves. Instead Rochester Adams took the game and the OAA division I championship with a 1-0 victory.
The Wolves finished 13-3-2 overall, and 7-3-2 in the Oakland Activities Association, two of those losses coming from the Highlanders (12-4-2, 8-2-2 OAA).
Head Coach Adam Bican said afterward he hoped the two would meet again in the district playoffs.
His wish was granted on Oct. 19 after defeating the Troy Colts (2-7-3 OAA) 3-0 at Lake Orion High School. The match that followed that evening, between Adams and Lake Orion, sealed both teams? fate for a rematch.
The Highlanders and Wolves faced off in the district finals on a gray day in Dragon Country, with both teams playing intensely.
Although the two teams pushed the ball back and forth. The majority of the game, there were few scoring chances for either side
The game was not decided after two15 minute overtime periods.
Oliver Kupe had a chance with nearly four minutes into the first extra session, after Barzin Aghamouali fed him a pass up the middle. Kupe raced past the Adams defense, but his shot was denied.
In a 0-0 deadlock, the teams headed for a shootout.
Alex Verville scored the third and decisive goal for the Highlanders in their 3-1 shootout victory.
‘It was a tight game, I thought our goal keeper (Dan Withrow) won it for us,? Adams Coach Juan Delgado said.
‘It was a great game and they are a great team.?
He said Kupe was troublesome for the Adams defense, although he did not score.
‘He got in behind us three times. He’s a very good player and he gave us fits all game,? Delgado said.
After the contest was finished, Bican and Delgado spoke with the opposing team’s players, offering congratulations.
‘There’s not a lot of teams that respect each other as we do,? Delgado said.
‘This is what we wanted, to play against Adams. We gained confidence the second time we played them,? Bican said going into the match.
‘They won OAA I. You want to play against the best competition and as far as we’re concerned, Adams is it.?
The Wolves finish the season with a 15-4-2 overall record.
In the game prior against Troy, Jake Przybycien got Clarkston on the board with 28:13 remaining in the first half after stopping the Colts? attempt to clear the ball.
The second Wolves? goal came oddly as a Kevin Pinkos pass across the field was re-directed into the Colts? net off its own defender at 12:37 of the first half.
In the second half, Oliver Kupe took a pass near midfield all the way through the Troy zone, beating two defensemen and scoring with 28:59 remaining in the contest.
Bican said he kept in mind a dangerous weapon Troy had in its arsenal in Colin Givens,- going into the match.
‘I knew what Troy was going to do and what they had (in Givens),? Bican said.
‘If we could keep an eye on him, I thought we would be successful.?
‘We didn’t tackle hard, we didn’t pass well and we couldn’t finish. All the things you try to do during the course of the season we didn’t do. We got outplayed, we got outworked, Clarkston is a good team,? Troy Coach Carlos Wheatley said.
Wheatley said injuries played a damaging role in the Colts? season.
‘We were better than our record, we were beat up all season. Tonight was probably the closest we came to playing our starting 11.?