The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Chelsea wins district crown
By Don Richter, Sports Editor
PUBLISHED: June 5, 2008
Chelsea's girls' soccer team captured a Division 2 state district championship last Saturday defeating host Eaton Rapids 3-0.
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Bulldog junior Brooke Ehman opened the scoring with a goal off a pass from sophomore Sarah Bingel at the 36th minute of the first half.
"That gave us a lift at halftime, but I still wasn't happy with the way we had played," said Chelsea coach Chris Orlandi. "We took lousy shots in the first half and squandered great scoring chances early. We talked at halftime about raising our level of play to a true championship level."
In the second half, senior Ellen Stewart scored giving Chelsea (13-2-4), ranked No. 5 in the state in Division 2, a 2-0 advantage seven minutes into the stanza.
Three minutes later, the Bulldogs struck again as freshman Anna Rode scored for the game's final margin. Senior Emily Rabbitt picked up an assist on the play for Chelsea.
"We dominated play throughout most of the contest," Orlandi said. "Eaton Rapids was tough as their seniors were playing on their home field on their last day of school.
"In the first 20 minutes of the second half, we played some of the best soccer we've played all season. We were all over them. It led to two goals."
Defensively, the Bulldogs were outstanding. The shutout victory was Chelsea's third in a row.
Bulldog senior keeper Jenna Jarvis earned the shutout in net.
"That was a great accomplishment for our defense," Orlandi said. "Jenna has been great as a leader and all of our defenders have been very sharp. This is our first district championship since 2000, so it's special."
Orlandi said it's felt good to finally win another district title.
"We recognize that these things don't necessarily come around that often," he said. "We also recognize how much harder we'll have to work to have the same kind of success at the regional level."
Chelsea played Stevensville-Lakeshore in a regional semifinal at Plainwell after press deadline.
If successful against the Lancers, the Bulldogs would play the winner of Holland Christian-Portage Northern Friday at 7 p.m. in the regional championship game.
On May 29, Chelsea defeated Mason 1-0 in a district semifinal at Eaton Rapids.
"This was a really tough contest and both teams spent a lot of energy," Orlandi said. "We had a great warm-up and it looked like Mason wasn't ready to play. I told our girls that we might have a great opportunity to score in the first 10 minutes on them."
Orlandi was correct, as Rode scored nine minutes into the contest for the game's only goal.
Mason responded with increased intensity, controlling play throughout the first half.
Defenders senior Codie Barron, freshman Rachel Cooperrider and Bingel played well during Mason's resurgence.
Early in the second half, Chelsea regained control of the game.
"We did a good job of controlling the ball and dominating possession, but the field is so rough we'd make one bad trap and Mason would launch the ball back the other way," Orlandi said. "We were frustrated by the field and the officiating which called the game very tightly."
Defeating Lansing-area power Mason (10-6-4) is a feather in the Bulldogs' cap.
"Shutting Mason out is a great accomplishment and this was the first time we've ever beaten their program," Orlandi said. "It's a great win."
On May 27, Chelsea defeated Marshall 4-0 in a district first round match-up at Eaton Rapids.
The Bulldogs out-shot the Redskins 20-2 for the contest.
"Marshall frustrated us early by playing a very defensive style," Orlandi said. "They packed the box with nine players and forced us to really work for open shots."
Ehman opened the scoring with a goal at the 14:31 mark of the first half.
Three minutes into the second half, Rode scored for a 2-0 Bulldog advantage. Ehman recorded as assist on the goal for Chelsea.
With 10:56 left, Rabbitt scored for a 3-0 lead. Rode assisted on the play.
Senior Stasi Kanellopoulos ended the scoring with a goal with 7:40 remaining on the clock. Rode picked up another assist on the goal for the Bulldogs.
Jarvis earned the win in next for Chelsea.
"Defensively, we were just about perfect," Orlandi said. "I like how hard we worked to play on a very challenging field. This was a good way to start our tournament run."
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