The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Hornets thump Bedford 5-0, draw two more
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 26, 2007
In three games last week, the Saline girls' soccer team proved again that it was capable of competing with — and even outplaying — some of the strongest teams in the state.
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But the Hornets also proved capable of dispatching the less-respected teams on their schedule, seizing control against Bedford from the opening minute Thursday and rolling to a 5-0 victory, the team's first of the season.
"The girls wanted that one," said Saline head coach Dave Tapping. "We'd played well, but we wanted to see results. I'm proud of the way they played."
The outcome was never in doubt against the visiting Kicking Mules after Andrea Sulavik gave the Hornets a lead after only 14 seconds. Sulavik took the opening kickoff, dribbled past a series of Mule defenders, and scored what Tapping believed to be the fastest goal in team history.
It took the Hornets less than 30 seconds to double the lead through Katelyn Welzbacker, giving the home team a 2-0 lead only a minute in. Goals from Jena Cooper, Megan Johnson, and Meredith Faas ensured the lead was never threatened, and Saline improved their record to 1-1-3.
The Hornet record remained at .500 (1-1-4) after a scoreless draw Saturday against visiting Rochester-Stoney Creek. After controlling play for much of the game, Saline got its best chance in the dying minutes as Faas sprung Welbacker on a breakaway down the right side. But Welzbacker's shot was saved by Cougar goalie Sarah Bowman.
Tapping joked after the match that starting with four draws in six games was "more ties than we've ever had," but that he wasn't bothered either by Welzbacker's miss or another draw.
"Katelyn will score that next time. She's too good a player not to," he said. "The important thing is that we're creating opportunities. We're creating a lot more than we were our first couple of games. We just have to execute a little better in front of goal."
Both teams had chances to claim the win in a game that was more action-packed than the final score indicated. Saline began on the front foot as Faas set Megan Shima up for a 16th-minute shot that missed wide and minutes late. Bowman could only tip Monica Mezger's powerful free kick from a full 33 yards over the bar. On the ensuing corner kick, Stephanie Burke's low shot forced Bowman into full stretch to make the save.
The Hornets held most of the possession in the early stages after halftime, but it was the visitors who created the first great chance of the half as a 16-yard shot whistled just wide of Gilmore's far post with 17 minutes to play.
Opportunities came fast for both sides in the closing minutes. Sulavik's shot with 9:30 to play was narrowly wide and Mezger's free kick 90 seconds later resulted in a scramble in the Cougar box. With 5:37 left Gilmore saved, and two corner kicks later a close-range Rochester deflection flicked inches over the Saline crossbar.
But in the end neither team would find the net, giving Saline's back line of Claire Phillips, Mezger and Angie Hollis their second consecutive shutout. Tapping praised his team's willingness to apply tough, physical pressure against the Cougars.
"Rochester's a very good team," he said. "If you don't play physically, they're going to take control of the game and we can't let that happen. We have to match up and keep control of our field."
The draw was the second hard-fought draw of the week after the Hornets tied Ann Arbor Pioneer 2-2 at home April 17. Goals from Burke gave Saline both a 1-0 first half lead and a 2-1 second half lead, but the Pioneers tied it with a goal the home Saline crowd felt had been offside.
Staff Writer Jerry Hinnen can be reached at 429-7380 or at jhinnen@heritage.com.
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