Added on June 5, 2023 Sara Swanson

Varsity soccer team are district champions!

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The Manchester Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team celebrate with the District Championship Trophy and Medals. Photo by Lisa Somerville.

submitted by Scott Somerville

The Manchester Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team started their playoff run on Tuesday, May 30, after finishing the regular season with an outstanding 15–3–0 record, an Independent Soccer League championship, and an MHSAA D4 MPR rank of #9 in the state.

Playing at home, the Lady Dutch faced the Red Wolves of Clinton for the Division 4 District 54 semi-final match. Playing with one fewer player due to a red-card offense committed early in the match, the Lady Dutch overcame a 0–2 deficit to tie the game going into halftime. Manchester’s first goal was scored by senior captain Mary Sangster, assisted by senior defender Sara Hock. With 9 seconds left in the half, Sangster assisted senior captain Grace Helmke who netted the tying goal.

In the second half, still playing with one fewer player, the Lady Dutch scored early in the half, again from Helmke with the assist by captain Marlena Ballnik. With 17 minutes left in the game, Sangster scored her second goal of the match, assisted by Ballnik. Being up by two, the Manchester coaches adjusted the formation for a more defensive approach to counter Clinton’s strong attack. The strategy proved successful and at the final whistle, Manchester prevailed 4–2.

“The team was at an early disadvantage, being down two goals with one less player, but the entire team played with determination and found a way to win,” stated head coach Dan Tar. “This is a game that the girls will remember for a long, long time.”

On Friday, June 2, the Lady Dutch traveled to Ann Arbor’s Greenhills School to face the Cougars of Lenawee Christian School (LCS) for the District Final Match. This was the third time in three years for the teams to face one another in the District Final. LCS was victorious in 2021 and Manchester in 2022.

On a near-90-degree day, the Cougars jumped to the lead 16 minutes into the match with a converted free kick that just slipped through the hands of stand-in goalkeeper, senior Emma Hock, for the go-ahead goal. With the extreme heat conditions, the Manchester coaches substituted often, and in the final 1:38 of the half, freshman winger Olivia Woods outran the LCS outside back and connected with freshman striker Madelyn Bennett, who made an excellent left footed shot past the LCS keeper for the tying goal, giving the Lady Dutch a huge boost of enthusiasm and confidence. “Scoring the tying goal as a freshman in the district final was incredible!” said Bennett. “I am so happy to have had the opportunity, but the goal couldn’t have even been scored without the assist from Olivia or the rest of my team.” Entering halftime, the game was knotted at one apiece.

Less than two minutes into the second half, LCS committed a handling foul within the penalty area, giving Manchester a penalty kick. Given the magnitude of the situation, coach Tar selected Helmke to take the kick. As the entire stadium fell silent, Helmke calmly approached the penalty spot, waited for the referee’s whistle, then buried the go-ahead goal into the back of the net for Manchester. Euphoria erupted from the Manchester players as they ran to congratulate Helmke following the kick. “I knew the penalty kick I was about to take could very well make or break the game for us,” said Helmke. “I was beyond relieved after scoring, because I knew we could hold off LCS for the remainder of the game.”

For the final 38 minutes, the back-and-forth battle continued, and even escalated at times. LCS had opportunities to score but four key saves by keeper Emma Hock kept them off the scoreboard. In the final minutes, Manchester played conservatively to take time off the clock, and the strategy proved successful for the Lady Dutch. At the final whistle, Manchester prevailed 2–1 and took home their second District championship in two years.

Manchester now enters the “sweet sixteen” regional playoff round with the first match on June 6 versus Lumen Christi Catholic School. The game will be played at the regional host, Bishop Foley High School, with a 5pm kickoff.