SIZZLING START: Salem lights up Groves in season debut

Salem’s girls soccer team kicked off its season in style Thursday night, blanking Birmingham Groves, 6-0, while giving fans a glimpse of the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park’s North Turf Field’s new flashing lights that help celebrate a goal.

Offensively, the Rocks overwhelmed the Falcons with waves of pressure — while the defense was air-tight in front of senior goalkeeper Addilyn Messer, who notched at least one SportsCenter highlight reel save.

Senior Lauren Fowler led the winners’ supercharged offense with a pair of goals — one a 20-yard rope that found the top-shelf corner of the net, a spot that only Spiderman could have reached.

Spreading the wealth

One-goal scorers for Salem were Alex L’Herueux (who also assisted on one of Fowler’s goals), Marissa Williams, Ashlyn Kuhn and Alik Yeremian.

Salem came close to scoring at least one more goal, but Peighton Wagner’s one-hop rocket that found the Groves keeper’s five-hole was disallowed due to inadvertent handling. The rule states that is a striker accidentally touches the ball with her hand or arm and scores immediately after the touch, the goal is wiped out.

(Here’s a quick video clip of Wagner’s disallowed goal.)

If the goalie would have made the save on Wagner’s shot, play would have continued.

The game was the first at the P-CEP North Stadium that featured blue and white flashing lights in the seconds following Fowler’s goal.

(Check out the dazzling light show following Fowler’s goal by clicking here.)

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