CLEAR SAILING: Plymouth overpowers Wayne in district opener
Plymouth’s Abigail Kuehneman pushes the ball upfield Wednesday against Wayne Memorial.
Just about every healthy Plymouth soccer player saw significant minutes in Wednesday’s 8-0 MHSAA Division 1 district victory over Wayne Memorial.
And it seemed like just about everyone who played scored a goal against the overmatched Zebras.
Now 7-8-1 (according to MHSAA.com), the Wildcats advanced to the May 27 district semifinals against Livonia Franklin, which blasted Livonia Churchill, 8-0. Wednesday’s semifinal is set for 5 p.m. on the P-CEP North Turf Field.
The winner will advance to the district final against the winner of the 7 p.m. semifinal featuring Salem and Canton.
Zebras’ keeper was phenomenal
While the 8-0 final hints Wayne junior keeper Emily DeLane had a rough night, the truth is she was spectacular, turning away several Plymouth close-range strikes with instinctive reactions and diving stops.
Abby Kuehneman got the ball rolling for the Wildcats two minutes in when she beat DeLane with a perfectly-place shot.
Less than seven minutes later, the ‘Cats doubled their lead to 2-0 when Bella Bozinovski settled a pass from Vivian Christianson 22 yards out, turned and launched the ball into the top shelf of the goal. Bozinovski’s teammates exploded with joy when her kick settled into the net.
(Meet the 2026 Plymouth Wildcats girls soccer team by clicking here.)
With 19:04 left in the first half, sophomore Maya Sleiman netted the first of her two goals off an assist from Maria Capaldi. Twelve minutes later, Sleiman closed the first-half scoring with a net-finder assisted by Christianson.
Ball’s goal a split second late
Plymouth was within a split second of carrying a 5-0 advantage into the half, but Kenleigh Ball’s rising shot crossed the goal line just after the halftime horn sounded.
Not to worry, though, as the hosts’ momentum carried into the second half when Kuehneman scored 16 seconds after the intermission.
The Wildcats ended the game via the eight-goal mercy rule with second-half goals from Ball, Eva Krstich and Christianson, whose game-ender came with 7:31 on the clock.
Hussein preserves clean sheet
Plymouth keeper Leyana Hussein kept her shutout intact by making a diving save on a Wayne scoring threat in the game’s final minutes.
The Wildcats, who has been hampered by injuries this spring, improved to 7-8-2, according to MHSAA.com.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
