Mustangs ranked No. 1 in state. They played like it vs. Canton

Monday night’s Canton-at-Northville boys soccer match was delayed one hour due to a steamy heat index.

Once the game kicked off just after 8 p.m., the Mustangs were just as hot as the index.

Fueled by three quick first-half goals, Northville turned a 3-0 halftime lead into a 4-0 victory thanks to goals from four different players, all seniors.

Mustang keeper Vedanth Pochhareddy registered the shutout, although he was rarely tested by the Cobras.

Now 3-0 in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association’s West Division (Canton slipped to 0-2-1), the Mustangs have not yielded a goal in their first 240 minutes of conference play.

To check out a few video highlights of Monday’s game, click here.

Momentum-building strikes

Alex McCallum and Nate Ewasek took advantage of Cobra defensive breakdowns to punch home the winners’ first two goals. It would have taken a Herculean effort for Canton senior keeper Nathan Sadowski to keep either shot out of the net.

Chris Kou secured a slick pass from Haithem Al-Zoubi just inside the middle of the penalty box and left-footed it home for the Mustangs’ third goal.

Al-Zoubi capped the scoring with a scorching shot that, again, Sadowski had little chance to re-direct.

The Mustangs were atop the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association’s pre-season Division 1 rankings and could stay there awhile if they continue to execute like they did Monday night.

Plymouth-Canton Educational Park teams Plymouth and Salem are ranked in the MIHSSCA’s pre-season top 10. Plymouth was fourth while Salem was eighth. The Rocks and Wildcats will square off Wednesday at 7 p.m. on one of the P-CEP fields.

Among the Cobras’ highlights was a highlight-reel possession by Siddh Patil, who deked a pair of Mustangs while advancing the ball up the middle of the pitch mid-way through the second half.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.