Salem’s thrilling win over Chiefs adds to schools’ riveting soccer rivalry
Aubrey Krischano advances the ball upfield on her way to scoring the winning goal Tuesday night.
The Salem and Canton girls soccer teams wrote another chapter in their storied rivalry Tuesday night at Livonia Stevenson High School in a win-or-turn-in-your-equipment thriller.
After the Chiefs swept their regular-season series with the Rocks by razor-thin scores of 1-0 and 2-0, Salem earned redemption on Tuesday, rallying for a 2-1 victory in an MHSAA Division 1 district semifinal game on the Spartans’ home pitch.
The Rocks advanced to Saturday’s 11 a.m. district final at Stevenson, which upended Livonia Franklin 6-2 in Tuesday’s second game.
The winner of the Salem-Stevenson game will move on to Tuesday’s regional semifinal at Ypsilanti Lincoln High School against either Saline, Ann Arbor Pioneer or Ann Arbor Skyline. Saline advanced to the District 10 final, but the two Ann Arbor schools are not scheduled to play their semifinal until Friday.
Fowler’s strike the difference
In a game that was delayed 30 minutes by lightning/thunder — and played with a steady rain falling for most of the contest — Salem received a bolt of energy when Lauren Fowler’s looping shot from 25 yards out with 11 minutes and 48 seconds remaining in regulation elevated inches over the outstretched gloves of Canton goal-keeper Julia Tasker and into the back of the net, breaking a 1-1 deadlock.
Canton struck first with 27:38 left in the first half when — following a clouds-skimming free kick by Scarlett Nuechterlein — Ava Murphy alertly touched the ball into the lower-left corner of the goal, just out of the reach of Salem’s diving keeper Morganne Jones.
The Rocks netted an equalizer 62 seconds before halftime when Aubrey Krischano scored.
Jones’ best save of the night unfolded mid-way through the second half when she dove to her right to knock a sizzling low shot by Nuechterlein out of harm’s way.
Defenses shined
Both teams made several stellar defensive plays to keep the ball out of the net.
With the Rocks clinging to their 2-1 lead, Jones misplayed a ball that bounced over her head and toward the goal line.
With Chiefs Grace Tarquinto and Kayla Rankin both closing fast to finish, Salem’s Cali Schwartzenberger arrived just in time to disrupt the goal-den scoring chance.
Canton senior Sydney Bohn continued her strong play when she cleared a ball out of a scrum just a few yards from the goal line.
After Jones punched a high, arching Nuechterlein free kick away from the goal, teammate Elaine Rama booted it out of bounds as multiple Chief players charged toward the ball.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
