The Saline Reporter
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Hornets survive, will get state shot
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 17, 2007
The Saline girls' water polo team will have its chance to advance to the state tournament for the first time in program history.
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Saline placed third in last weekend's East Region-East District tournament, earning the right to face Dexter in the first round of this weekend's East Region tournament, to be held in Saline Friday and Saturday. The Hornets will square off with the Dreadnaughts at 5:15 Friday with a state berth on the line.
"We've had a tough time with Dexter the last several times we've played," head coach Brad Silverman said after the tournament, "but we're confident that if we play with the same level of intensity and teamwork we showed this weekend, we should be able to win that game."
The Hornets earned their third-place finish the hard way, surviving challenges from Birmingham-Seaholm 7-6 in the first round and Troy Athens 4-3 in the third-place game. In between, Saline lost another one-goal game, falling 4-3 to hosts Ann Arbor Huron in the district semifinals.
The pivotal match was the first-round victory over Seaholm, which guaranteed Saline no worse than fourth place and a slot at regionals. Playing without team captain and leading scorer Ashley Mulder, suspended by coach Brad Silverman for one game as a result of an unspecified violation of team rules, the Hornets found themselves tied with the Maples 6-6 late in the fourth quarter.
But senior Lindsey DeHaan scored on a rare backhand shot from close range with 3:27 to play, keeping Saline's season alive.
"I've practiced and practiced that shot, but it was only the second time I've scored on it," DeHaan said. "It was a big relief."
"We could see it developing, that the defense was set up to give her that shot," Silverman said. "It was exciting to see her read the defense and make the right play in that situation."
The Hornets had beaten Seaholm 10-6 just the week before and got off to a confident start with a pair of goals by DeHaan, one on a penalty shot and another on a give-and-go move with fellow senior Katie Kerch for a 2-0 lead with 5:58 to play in the first half.
But the Maples battled back to tie to game at two at the half. Hornets never allowed Seaholm to take the lead, but could not stretch their edge to even two goals throughout the second half. Kerch's goal with 6:21 to play in the third period was answered less than a minute later, as was Laura Kuzma's score with 5:02 in the period.
Emily Vizza gave Saline a 5-4 lead and Kuzma had a golden opportunity to give Saline a two-goal advantage with 2:01 left in the third, but her penalty shot slipped wide and Seaholm tied the match at five headed into the final period.
Again the Hornets retook the lead, this time through Alyssa Hart with 5:36 to play, only for Seaholm to tie the game again. After DeHaan's goal, however, the Saline defense stood strong down the stretch, forcing a series of Seaholm turnovers and the Maples' last-gasp shot to fly well wide.
"They were as fired-up and as intense as I've ever seen them," Silverman said. "They had a choice, that they could either pout and put their heads down because Ashley wasn't playing, or they could choose to all step up and come together to win the game. And that's what they did."
But Saline's work on the weekend was far from over. A semifinal victory over Huron would give the Hornets even better standing at regionals and a shot at state No. 1 Pioneer for the district title. A first-half goal from Mulder and excellent defense from both sides took Saline into the half tied at one.
The River Rats would come out strong in the third quarter and take a 4-1 lead entering the fourth. But Saline fought back behind scores from Mulder and Kuzma and would get what Silverman called "the exact shot we wanted" on their final possession, but Kuzma's shot missed the post by mere inches.
That left the Hornets battling Troy Athens for third place in yet another thriller. More solid defense and a Mulder goal gave the Hornets a 1-0 halftime lead, with goals from Mulder and Kerch eventually stretching the lead to 3-0 midway through the third period.
But the Redhawks battled all the way back to a 3-3 tie. Following an Athens exclusion foul that gave the Hornets a six-on-five opportunity on their final possession, Mulder took advantage and scored with just 24 seconds remaining, giving Saline third place and its state hopes a critical boost.
"It's a huge difference," Silverman said. "If we'd finished fourth, we'd have played Okemos, and it took the game of our lives earlier this season to lose to them 7-5. Against Dexter, we led most of the game and they only took the lead in the fourth quarter.
"A win Friday would be a huge step for the program. It's what the program has built toward for 10 years. The game can't get here fast enough."
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