Williamston goalkeeper Grace Kraft dives to deflect a Grosse Ile shot wide as Grosse Ile’s Kelsie Krauss (9) and Williamston’s Lexi Russell (11) move in Friday, June 10, 2016, at Williamston High School. Williamston fell 0-1.
WILLIAMSTON – The dreaded thought that Renee Sturm and the Williamston girls soccer team had been able to avoid all postseason inevitably surfaced Friday night.
The No. 3-ranked Hornets had drubbed their previous four postseason opponents, 23-0, and the idea that it would all soon end never emerged. That was until No. 4-ranked Grosse Ile huddled on Williamston’s home field and hoisted the Division 3 regional trophy minutes after depriving the Hornets of a trip to the state tournament.
“It didn’t set in until (the clock) hit zero and they were handing out the trophies,” said Sturm, whose team fell, 1-0, in a battle between top-5 teams. “We accomplished a lot of our goals. We had a big goal to make a run in the tournament, and we did that.
“It could have gone either way at the end of the day. It was two good teams.”
The Hornets (18-6-1) nearly got on the scoreboard within 10 minutes of the physical contest with the Red Devils. Junior forward Paige Lonier found herself in a one-on-one situation with Grosse Ile’s Olivia Reckley, but her high shot from just inside the 18-yard box was snatched by the senior keeper. The Red Devils scored the game’s only goal seven minutes later when Catherine Masserant, among a sea of players, slipped a wild ball past Williamston goalie Grace Kraft.
Lonier once again nearly got the Hornets on the board, this time midway through the first half, when her strike from the top of the box narrowly sailed over the crossbar. The junior forward had another crack at a goal in the second half, but she watched as her long-distance shot drifted to the right of the net.
“I thought it was frustrating because we had chances and they didn’t go our way,” Lonier said. “We worked really hard to try and get them, but they’re a good team.”
As the physical play carried into the game’s final minutes, the Hornets found themselves with one more near scoring opportunity, this time off a corner kick from Leah Davis. The senior midfielder ripped a cross into the middle of the Red Devils’ jumbled defense and the ball dropped freely near the six-yard box before it was cleared.
Coach Jim Flore didn’t think the Hornets initially reacted well to the aggressive style of Grosse Ile, but added that his team started to show fight as its back was against the wall.
“There’s only one team that wins in the end,” Flore said. “It got physical and we didn’t step it up right away. And when we stepped it up, (things) changed for us.
“It was a really good soccer match. They had a tremendous back line and they were really physical. Every move we made they were right on us.”
Kraft finished the night with eight saves, which included a diving effort with 4:27 remaining in the first half to negate a header from the Red Devils’ Lauren Naso.
DIVISION 4 REGIONAL FINAL: No. 1-ranked Lansing Christian defeated No. 5-ranked Manchester, 8-0, in Friday’s Division 4 regional final at Spring Arbor University. The Pilgrims will advance to the state semifinals and face Grosse Pointe Woods at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Troy Athens High School.
Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.