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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
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A year ago, Saline watched Ann Arbor Huron win the outright Southeastern Michigan-Red Division crown.
This time around, Saline got the chance to celebrate the SEC-Red title – and on Ann Arbor Huron’s own turf no less. The Hornets only finished fourth last season in the eight-school division.
Saline (9-2-4, 6-0-4) capped an unbeaten season within the SEC-Red Division with a 1-0 triumph Thursday over the River Rats. Thanks to a 14th-minute goal, the Division 1 state-ranked Hornets scored early and then their stingy defense held Huron in check to keep them in pole position as the 2024 league champs.
Senior Jaedyn Sifuna netted the game’s only goal off a cross from senior Micah Gray. The Hornets outshot Huron 10-8 with shots on frame.
“We knew we had some talent on this team. But I got the job only a couple of weeks before tryouts, so I didn’t have the whole summer to get to know a lot of these guys and to watch them (in summer leagues),” said Saline head coach Bartley Lydy. “They graduated a big class but we’re still a veteran group. We have 14 seniors on this team and some talented juniors and one freshman.”
Lydy is the third head coach in four seasons with the Hornets, as last year’s head coach Connor Williams took an assistant college soccer job. A couple of years ago, Ryan Williams left the program because his family moved out to Richmond, Mich., as his wife accepted a job in northern Macomb County
A longtime member of the Ohio soccer circles, Lydy has played high school, club and college soccer in Ohio and has coaches at various levels of high school, club and in the Olympic Developmental Program system down in Ohio
Senior Eric Friedholm, one of three new goalkeepers on the Saline varsity this season, earned the shutout on eight saves. It marked the eighth clean sheet of the season for the Hornets, who have outscored the opposition 40-11 over 15 games this season. Saline lowered its team goals-against-average down to 0.74 for the season with the win.
The Hornets are 9-0-3 over their last 12 games.
Saline opened the campaign 0-2-1 at the Balconi Invitational, which usually attracts eight quality large-school teams each season. The Hornets were missing nine players on its roster dur to ACT and ACT testing that weekend and had to bring up several JV-A players to complete the roster for the three games in one day tournament format. Saline tied Ann Arbor Pioneer (1-1) before falling to Canton (2-0) and Clarkston (2-0).
“I have to figure that if we played all three of our games with our full roster, then it would have been some different results,” offered Lydy. “We were missing some of key players. I think anyone would not play as well missing nine players, especially at a tournament where you play three games in the (August) heat.”
Slaine has not lost since and finally broke into the top15 of the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association Division 1 rankings in mid-September. And deservedly so.
Saline’s numbers this season have already surpassed last year’s totals. The Hornets, which did win a Division 1 district title last season and finished 9-4-5 overall (4-2-4 in league play), outscored the opposition 39-17 with seven shutouts and four shutouts against last season. Saline still has a couple of weeks left in the regular season plus state tournament to still add to its totals.
The Hornets are playing as a confident bunch after going unbeaten in the rugged Southeastern Conference-Red Division, which has multiple quality teams. Even Monroe and Temperance Bedford have come on much strong in recent years, while Saline, Ann Arbor Skyline, Ann Arbor Huron, Ann Arbor Pioneer and Dexter are always competitive teams on a somewhat regular basis. Only Ypsilanti Lincoln has struggled for the better part of the last decade.
Jackson Phillips, a senior center back and a third-year varsity veteran, has anchored the backline again this season. Seniors William Loveland (CB) and Juan Balda (D/M) are also third-year varsity performers. Balda has been a standout with the Michigan Tigers on the club soccer side and won a national championship back in the summer of 2022 at USYS level.
“Jackson has been our anchor back there. He’s just so steady and our defense has not allowed very many goals this season,” said Lydy of his leader. “But our defense overall has been very strong, very consistent. Since the Balconi tournament, we’ve only given up a handful (six) of goals.”
Saline has not conceded more than two goals in one game (four times) and in 12 games yielded one or no goals.
On the offensive end, the Hornets’ attack has many weapons, as 6-foot-1 junior bulldozer Zach Heisler (F/M) leading the way. Sifuna is also a key target, and Gray is back after missing a portion of the campaign with an injury. Another third-year veteran is senior Bryce Nadig (M), another talented playmaker and finisher.
Heisler, one of the team’s leading goal scorers the last two seasons, missed a recent game against Midland Dow but came back for the title-clinching game.
Several of the team’s players also come from the Saline Soccer Club, which won an MSYSA State Cup last sporing in their 18U age group and competed in the USYS Midwest Tournament as well.
“We have some kids that play for some good clubs – some guys that play for the Michigan Tigers, Michigan Wolves, (Michigan) Jaguars and Liverpool, but a lot of these guys now play for our club here in Saline. And we had that group that won a state cup here recently. Some of those guys are starters or come off the bench for us right now,” added Lydy.
Seniors Keegan Cahill (M), Devin Vreeland (D) and Owen Block (D) and junior Caleb Ciechanowski (D) returned this season after gaining minutes last season. There’s also a bevy of players up from last year’s JV-A team, while freshman midfielder Alex Preston is the sole ninth-grade prospect on the varsity roster.
Together, they have formed a tight-knit band with goals of advancing deep into the postseason in a couple of weeks. Saline lost in the Division 1 regional semifinals to powerhouse Northville last season, while the Hornets last made the state finals way back in 1998.
“To go far in the tournament, everything has to go right. I think everyone understand s that, said Lydy. “Our goal is be playing our best soccer in the tournament. But sometimes you need a little luck, as there are so many good teams out there. We look at our district, and there’s a number of teams that could win it.”
MHSAA pre-district rounds being Oct. 9. The cutoff date for district seeding is Sept. 28 with the brackets in all four divisions and for the 64 total districts should be released by Sunday night at MHSAA.com.
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(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.)
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