Marissa Williams corrals a Lindsey Winters (5) shot during the second half of Thursday's game. (Ed Wright photo)

Chiefs earn second straight South Division title with 1-0 win over 'Cats

BY ED WRIGHT
May 20, 2010, 9:45 p.m.

  On the same field Canton's football team has won several games with the trap play, the Chiefs' girls soccer team won a monumental showdown with cross-campus rival Plymouth Thursday night thanks to a "Trapp" play.

  Sophomore Megan Trapp headed in a perfectly placed Lindsey Winters corner kick with 9:26 left in the first half to lift the Chiefs to a 1-0 victory over Plymouth in a game that decided first place in the KLAA South Division.

  Both teams entered the night with identical 11-1-2 records.

  Winters threaded a rising rocket to the far post, where Trapp and teammate Jessikah McClendon were waiting. Trapp touched the ball in to account for the lone goal of the night.

  "I've always been strong in the air; I'll run through a person if that's what it takes to get to the ball," said Trapp, talking about her goal. "I like going far post and waiting for the ball. It came down to me and Jessikah winning the ball together.

  "I don't remember seeing a black shirt around us.  I just went up strong and headed it in."

  Canton coach George Tomasso couldn't have been more pleased with the way his team executed the play.

  "Lindsey Winters serves a wicked ball from the corner," said Tomasso, whose team will host Northville on Monday at 7 p.m. for the Kensington Conference championship. "She's dangerous 90 percent of the time on her corners and she was right on tonight.

  "I thought our build-up before the goal was quite nice. We tried to be deceptive by attacking the near post. When the ball was played to the far post, we had a girl wide open and she got on the end of the pass to put it in. I was very happy with the result."

  Plymouth coach Jeff Neschich was happy with his team's effort, but the same couldn't be said for the way he thought the game was officiated.

  "We had our chances," said Neschich. "They (the referees) let so much go, which gives an unfair advantage to the more physical team, which was Canton. They were pushing us around all night and they got away with it.

  "All in all, I thought we played pretty solid. I thought (Plymouth keeper ) Marissa (Williams) made a couple really nice saves. They got behind us a couple times, but she was there."

  Canton keepers Sam McPartlin (first half) and Kayla Bridges (second) were stellar between the pipes as they combined for their 13th shutout of the season. However, the goose egg on the scoreboard may not have been possible without the strong play of Canton center back Melanie Pickert, who defused several potential Plymouth scoring threats.

  "Having a player like Melanie Pickert on the team is a very special thing," said Tomasso. "All of her experience and hard work is really paying off this season.

  "Melanie's positioning is advanced, her one-v-one defending skills are advanced and her shape is advanced. She's something special."

  It didn't take long for the Chiefs to turn up the pressure. Just less than two minutes in, McClendon threatened, working the ball to within 10 yards of the goal before Williams snuffed out the chance with a sliding, highlight-reel save.

  Three minutes later, Canton's Alyssa Cottrell roped a hard shot from 20 yards out that sailed a few feet over the cross-bar.

  Plymouth's first grade-A opportunity came with 11:25 left in the half when Megan Peplinski broke free on the right wing, but Pickert separated her from the ball with a slick open-field defensive maneuver.

  Three minutes after Trapp scored, Plymouth nearly deadlocked things when Jennifer Babcock's twisting corner kick appeared headed for the back of the net, but McPartlin smothered the ball just before it reached the goal's threshold.

  Peplinski found daylight behind the Chiefs' defense again 1:30 into the second half, but her low shot rolled just left of the post.

  Canton's Maddie McLean made a strong run to the net with 17:30 to play, but Williams re-directed the hard shot out of harm's way.

  The Chiefs nearly doubled their lead in the game's 69th minute. Christy Balewski slid a soft shot just wide and McClendon's sliding effort to ricochet the ball into the open right side of the net barely missed.

  "When you achieve a goal like we did tonight, it is so rewarding because of all the hard work and effort you put into it, day in and day out, all season long," said Tomasso. "It creates beautiful memories that will last forever."

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.

 

Canton's Liz Ferrill (white uniform) battles Zoe Foster for possession of the ball. (photo by Ed Wright)

Pictured are Canton's Janine Kozlowski and Plymouth's Meeghan Hughes. (Ed Wright photo)

Canton's Christy Balewski (4) tries to stay a step ahead of Plymouth's Katie Moss (18). (Ed Wright photo)

Canton's Maddie McLean made a strong run at the net with just over 17 minutes left in the game. (Ed Wright photo)