The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Defense rules as Chelsea ties rival
By Don Richter, Sports Editor
PUBLISHED: May 15, 2008
In a battle of two area soccer titans, Chelsea tied visiting county rival Dexter 0-0 last Thursday. One month ago, to open the season, the Bulldogs and Dreadnaughts played to a 1-1 deadlock.
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"Neither team could score tonight in a great defensive struggle," said Chelsea coach Chris Orlandi. "We came out with great energy to open the game and created a few quality rushes on goal. Once Dexter settled in, however, they controlled the remainder of the first half."
Orlandi said the Bulldogs (6-1-4, 4-1-3 Southeastern Conference) had trouble pressuring the ball in the first half.
"Dexter had way too much time to hit the ball deep in our end," he said. "They earned six corner kicks in the first half alone and that's way too many. We were lucky to get out of the half scoreless. It's a credit to how well our defense played."
The Dreadnaughts (7-2-2, 5-2-2 Southeastern Conference), who've reached the Division 2 state semifinals the past two seasons, had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the first half. Senior Katie Marsh, who'll play for Eastern Michigan University next year, blistered a shot seemingly destined for the upper left corner of Chelsea goal. However, Bulldog senior keeper Jenna Jarvis made a highlight reel save to preserve the tie.
"Jenna made a tremendous save on the shot, but injured herself on the landing," Orlandi said. "She's a really tough gal. Jenna's everything you want in a captain. There was no way she was coming out of the game."
The Bulldogs had a scoring opportunity later in first half as sophomore Cara Johnson kicked a shot off the Dexter crossbar. Senior Emily Rabbitt pounced on the rebound, but her shot was wide right on the Dreadnaught goal.
In the second half, Chelsea began taking the play to Dexter. Midway through the second half, the Bulldogs' pressure seemed to crack the Dreadnaught defense.
"Most of the crowd was cheering because it appeared the ball had crossed the goal line following a flurry in front of the Dexter goal," Orlandi said. "A Dreadnaught defender kept the ball in play and cleared it out of danger to preserve the tie. It was a great game despite the lack of scoring."
Orlandi said Chelsea still controls its own destiny.
"If we win our remaining SEC contests, we'll win the SEC title," he said. "Jenna's leg injury is a major concern though, so we'll have to overcome that. Our girls were disappointed in the results, but we realize that things could have been worse."
On May 6, the host Bulldogs defeated perennial power and state Division 1 No. 10-ranked Saline 1-0.
"This was huge results for us after the disappointing loss to (Temperance) Bedford last week," Orlandi said. "This win keeps us in the hunt for our first ever SEC league title."
In the first half, both squads fought tooth and nail up and down the field.
"The game was evenly played throughout," Orlandi said. "Saline was very aggressive and had tremendous athleticism. We fought back by trying to possess the ball with quick passes to keep Saline off-balance."
The Hornets out-shot Chelsea 3-1 in the first half.
"Neither team had many quality chances though," Orlandi said. "(Keeper) Jenna (Jarvis) had to be sharp a few times as Saline attackers got free in the box to collect rebounds. Jenna always anticipated the plays perfectly and was in the right spot to block Saline attempts."
After a 0-0 first half, the Bulldogs scored the game-winner early in the second half, as junior midfielder Audrey Ruikka booted in a Johnson direct kick rebound past a sprawling Saline keeper with 38:23 left in the contest.
"We had been practicing restarts all week, so it was nice to see it payoff," Orlandi said. "The last 38 minutes were tense, but our defense was outstanding. Sarah Bingel, Rachel Cooperrider and Codie Barron were near flawless in their efforts. For us to defend a quality opponent like Saline with three defenders speaks to the quality of our players back there. They were intense throughout and really took care of the ball. When Saline got shots, they came from long range and Jenna can take care of those.
"This is a great, great win for our team."
Chelsea next hosts Adrian Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
On Friday, the Bulldogs host Woodhaven at 5:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Chelsea travels to Ypsilanti Lincoln for a game at 5:30 p.m.
On May 22, the Bulldogs host Ann Arbor Huron at 6:30 p.m.
JV Soccer
Chelsea's JV girls' soccer team lost to visiting rival Dexter 2-1 last Thursday.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring with a goal by Erica Frederick off an assist by Diana Uihlein midway through the first half.
"It was a scramble (near the net), but we have been working on crashing the net the whole season and Erica was able to finish," said Chelsea coach Kirsten Smart.
The Dreadnaughts scored the game's final two goals for the ending margin.
"We had a great first half and started the second half playing to win," Smart said. "Unfortunately, Dexter scored a second time and our scoring opportunities were stopped."
Despite the loss, Smart remained upbeat.
"Michelle Wellman had a great game in goal and our offense played very confidently," she said.
The Bulldogs next host Adrian Thursday at 4 p.m.
On Friday, Chelsea hosts Woodhaven at 4 p.m.
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs travel to Ypsilanti Lincoln for a game at 4 p.m.
On May 22, Chelsea hosts Ann Arbor Huron at 4:30 p.m.
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