(Have photos to go with this story? Email pics to Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and also list photo credit as well.)
MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK: MSN NEWS: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/msnnews
BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Michigan Soccer Network | Premier Media Group and affiliates
BUSINESS LINE: (248) 525-2349
CELL PHONE: (248) 884-1051
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @LocalSportsFans @MiSoccerNetwork
NORTHVILLE, Mich. – The state tournament time is apparently Novi Detroit Catholic Central’s time.
The Shamrocks, which fell out of the Division 1 state rankings in early September due to a season of inconsistencies, more than have ramped it up during the postseason.
Catholic Central elevated its game to the highest levels defensively on Wednesday night, and the unranked Shamrocks came away with a 1-0 victory over No. 2-ranked Northville in a Division 1 district finals match at Northville High School.
The game was scoreless after 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods before entering a shootout. The penalty kicks went 10 deep before the Shamrocks outlasted the Mustangs 7-6 to prevail in the end and gain the 1-0 decision.
Northville came in playing a torturous schedule and still managed a 16-1-3 record, scored 69 goals with a 3.45 scoring average, and collected 10 shutouts on the campaign. The Mustangs, which opened the season ranked No. 1 in the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association Division 1 rankings back in August and entered the tournament ranked second, were also No. 1 in the preseason team in the Michigan Soccer Network’s Super 50 on the strength of 16 varsity returnees and had built quite a resume in both 2023 and 2024.
Northville also won the Kensington Valley Activities Association-West Division crown and KLAA Tournament championships this season, reached the state semifinals in both 2021 and 2023, and never fell out of the top two in the rankings this season with its experienced lineup.
Catholic Central, had its fair share of ups-and-downs both last year and this year. A year ago, the Shamrocks returned only one starter and eight total players, but still peaked at the right time and made a run to the D-1 regional finals.
Catholic Central, which fought to a 4-4 non-league draw with Northville back on Sept. 21, shut the door on the Mustangs' season this time around.
This year, CC was also all over the map in terms of results, at one time being 3-5-1 as of mid-September before righting the ship and turning it around. The Shamrocks finished fourth in the Catholic High School League-Central Division and entered the postseason with just a 6-6-3 record.
In the state tournament, Catholic Central (9-6-3) has gone on a 15-0 scoring binge but had to play its best defensive game of the season in locking down Northville’s highly-touted attacking players, especially Alex McCallum and Haithem Al-Zoubi.
Goalkeeper Jake Sievert made 12 saves entering the shootout and made a pair of stops in the shootout to help Catholic Central escape with the signature win.
Kei Zarco Yokoyama converted Catholic Central’s 10th shot from the penalty spot to clinch the upset over one of its biggest rivals on the pitch, as the two sides have engaged in many epic battles in non-league or state tournament games dating back some four-plus decades.
This meeting was one of the best in the all-time series.
Zachary Zahr, leading goal-scorer Grant Mooradian, Matteo Silvestri, Daniel Bravo, Alex Zoltowski and Cole Hahn also converted their PKs in the shootout for the Shamrocks.
McCallum, Al-Zoubi, Nick Wilson, Jahan Roach, Joshwin George and Kayden Bobel converted their penalties for the Mustangs, which suffered its first and only defeat of the season and ended their stellar campaign a few rounds short of expectations.
Zach Pheiffer made eight saves over 100 minutes and also had a couple of stops in the shootout for Northville, which had a seven-game win streak snapped on a run where the Mustangs outscored the opposition 23-6.
It marked the third straight district crown and eighth district title in the last decade for Detroit Catholic Central, which advances to the regional semifinals next Tuesday at Novi Meadows Soccer Stadium against unranked Okemos (8-8-4), which is 6-3-1 in its last 10 games with a sophomore-junior-heavy team. Okemos had not won a district since its 2021 state championship season, but edged Hartland 4-3 Wednesday night in another game that reached a shootout.
Catholic Central won state titles in 2017 and 2020 and have captured regional crowns, according the MHSAA, in 1996, 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2022. The first regional title 28 years ago (1996) came in the Class A tournament and was the only year there was a state quarterfinals round contested after the regional finals. The Shamrocks have advanced to four Final Four matches in the last decade (2015, 2017, 2020 and 2022) and played in four other regional finals since 2013.
NOVI DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL 8, NOVI 0: Grant Mooradian scored a career-high six goals in this district semifinals clash Monday at Northville, one of the highest single-game tallies in program history, and the Shamrocks advanced with the mercy-shortened win.
NORTHVILLE 5, SOUTH LYON 0: Northville recorded its 10 shutout of the campaign Monday night in this district semifinals victory on its home turf. Zach Phfeiffer and Vedanth Pochhareddy shared the shutout and Haithem Al-Zoubi scored a pair of goals in the win.
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / Michigan Soccer Network / National Soccer Network
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com or dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-884-1051 or 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com and jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
(MSN will compile a random sampling of game results from around the state each day. To send in results from high school varsity, club, amateur, pre-pro, semi-pro or professional soccer, email all pertinent details to Communications Specialist / Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com or submit information right on the correct link on the MSN website at https://www.michigansoccernetwork.com/reportascore. Please submit the competing teams, location and date of game, final score, overall and league records, goals, assists, goalkeepers and saves, standout defenders, players of the match, and any other pertinent details of the game. If there are courtesy action photos available, feel free to submit them at the above-listed emails.)
MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/misoccernetwork
Twitter/X: @MiSoccerNetwork, @msn_stickradt
Instagram: www.instagram.com/misoccernetwork/
(Have photos to go with this story? Email pics to Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and also list photo credit as well.)
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 41-50: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/post/boys-soccer-super-50-teams-positions-41-50
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 31-40: https://www.michigansoccernetwork.com/post/boys-soccer-msn-super-50-teams-positions-31-40
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 21-30: BOYS SOCCER: MSN Super 50 Teams Positions 21-30:
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 11-20:
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 1-10:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE
Interested in internships in broadcasting, communications, journalism, public relations or sales and marketing in the sports world? The Premier Media Group is seeking applications for current college students or students entering their senior or junior years of high school that have a career interest in working in different capacity of a constantly-evolving media world.
Contact both Broadcast Director Jonathan Turner at 248-525-2083 or jonathan@thepremeiermediagrp.com and Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at (248) 525-2349 and dstickradt@thepremeiermediagrp.com.
Comments