Rocks’ remarkable soccer run derailed by No. 1-ranked Troy
Salem and Troy players battle for possession of the ball.
Midway through the first half of Wednesday’s MHSAA Division 1 soccer semifinal at Troy Athens, junior midfielder Wyatt Gold lasered the ball into the top corner of the net, just inside the right post, giving the Rocks’ a 2-1 lead over No. 1-ranked Troy.
It appeared, at least for a few minutes, like this was the year Salem was heading to the D1 state final game.
The two teams exchanged goals in the first 15 minutes: Troy’s Cole Cusmano scored on a rebound off a free kick 75 seconds into the match; Salem answered at the 20-minute mark when Gold’s un-savable shot breathed new life into the underdogs.
Troy No. 1 for a reason
But almost as quickly, Troy countered with a successful penalty kick with 12:22 left in the first half, deadlocking the match at 2-2.
The Colts seized the lead for good five minutes before the break when Kevin Garay scored the first of his three consecutive goals to give Troy a 3-2 halftime lead.
Salem senior keeper Peter Demetter kept the Rocks in the match early in the second half when he made a pair of sensational saves against the powerful Colts.
Garay a one-man scoring machine
However, Garay was not to be denied in the latter stages of the match.
The Rocks’ first goal of the night came on a corner kick by Hamza Alfaneh. The ball whizzed by Troy keeper Will Horvath and appeared to crash off a Troy defender’s face before rolling into the goal.
Salem finished with an incredible record of 18-4-2 while Troy remained unbeaten at 18-0-2.
The game was the final high school action for 10 Salem seniors: Demetter, Noah Wilson, Tyler Veresh, Sachiin Kumar, Karamoko Doukoure, Magliore Popp, Alex Zurmuehlen, Chase Lieb, Eli Garwood and Trevor Preston.
