IT’S HISTORY! 1st game at new P-CEP stadium goes down to wire
Salem junior Magloire Popp advances the ball up the field during Friday’s 0-0 draw with Grosse Pointe South.
Everything was in working order throughout the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park’s inaugural varsity athletic contest on the new $11 million North Field Friday night — especially the Salem and Grosse Pointe South soccer teams’ defenses.
Although the Rocks clearly generated more scoring opportunities, they couldn’t quite find the right combination to unlock the Blue Devils’ back line in a game that ended 0-0.
“It’s exciting to know our team is playing at the first event here,” noted Salem Head Coach Kyle Karns as he scanned the Park’s new venue. “We’ve all been driving by it for the past year and a half and seeing the progression, so it’s fun to actually be a part of the first event.”
Like driving a new car
Like anything brand new, there were a few still-to-finish projects at the venue — benches have yet to be installed and the track that encircles the field in still in need of striping — but the rest of the first-game experience was similar to driving new car, without the new car smell.
Salem came oh so close to converting a couple well-orchestrated set pieces in the opening 20 minutes, but one header sailed just inches north of the cross-bar while a second bounced wide left.
A display of slick Salem passing nearly created multiple net-finders in the second half, but well-struck crosses and Messi-esque dribbling through traffic ultimately led to misfired shots or snuffed out opportunities by the GPS group of defenders.
‘Fair result’
“I thought it was a fair result,” Karns said. “You had two teams that just finalized their rosters 48 hours ago, so we’re still putting the pieces together, still finding the right combinations of players.”
Karns praised the efforts of senior Nick Seale, his team’s center back.
“Nick took over the position mid-way through last season as a junior and has done a nice job,” Karns said. “Nick did a great job when they countered … he was there to clean up some of them.
“I thought our front three played well; they’re going to be dangerous, tonight’s result just didn’t show it yet. I’m excited about what’s to come.”
While the sparkling new stadium is still awaiting its first goal, the first clean sheet by a home team was registered by Salem junior keeper Peter Demetter, who wasn’t asked to make any dramatic stops.
