Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
The Midland Dow girls soccer team was cruising along and on the verge of breaking an MHSAA record this year when misfortune struck.
Through the Chargers’ first 15 games of the season, they had not allowed a goal and posted an impressive 14-0-1 record.
The MHSAA record for consecutive shutouts was 17.
But Dow suffered two horrible injuries to two star players. Senior striker Kelly Wilson injured her back, and junior defender Katie Vossen injured her knee.
That set the team back, and in game 16, the Chargers dropped a 2-1 decision to Davison, dashing the hopes of the MHSAA record and a perfect season.
“That was an unfortunate loss,” coach Gary Strickler said. “We were closing in on the MHSAA record. We lost that game, and then shut out the next three opponents, so the kids bounced back and now we have 18 shutouts this year.”
That loss that snapped the streaks was an unusual game.
“So we only have given up two goals on the season,” Strickler said. “And Davison scores two goals on one shot. One goal was scored on a corner kick and our own player headed it in.”
The Chargers had the put that ugly loss behind them, and like all great teams, were picked up by two other great players.
Senior captain Lindsey Lee, who plays defense, and forward Rachel Marble, who leads the team in scoring with 25 goals and 18 assists, said it was time to move on and look at the rest of the season.
“I thought that Davison loss was a big wake-up call for us,” said Lee, who was an all-state player last year who will continue her playing career next year at Western Michigan University. “That loss made us realize that we still needed to work to be the best team. Those two injuries are key, but you have to work hard to get past them.”
Added Marble: “It was an awful feeling when we lost. After Davison scored that first goal, you could tell that everyone was devastated, we were all shell shocked. But going for the record and being undefeated, we had some pressure on us, and now we can go out and just play our game.”
The Chargers now have new goals, including possibly winning a state championship.
“We thought before that Davison game, when we were healthy, we thought we could go all the way,” said Strickler,whose team has won 27 straight games in the Saginaw Valley League. “We had the players in the place. We have a talented group of players, and all were in place. With the loss of the two players, I would say we are three goals a game less than where we were. So the advantage we had has shrunk.”
The last two years Midland Dow has been eliminated from the state tournament by losing a pair of shootouts at the regional level.
Lee wants to end that streak.
“We have to get past those games this year,” Lee said. “And that Davison loss just might help us in the long run. We lost, that happened, and we don’t want that to happen again.”
The state tournament begins this week with district action, as Dow hosts rival Midland. The winner of that game will take on the Heritage/Bay City Central winner.