GROSS ILE — Low block strategy was the main focus for both teams in Friday night's girls soccer game between Dearborn Edsel Ford and Grosse Ile.
For Grosse Isle, it was something they hadn't seen much, if any, from their opponents so far this season. For Edsel Ford, on the other hand, this was a style he had only recently learned and had to rely on to some degree to have the best chance of winning.
The depth of both clubs was on display in Friday's non-league match. And in the end, the hosts Red Devils from Grosse Island crushed the undermanned and injury-plagued Thunderbirds, winning 8-0.
Photo Gallery: Women's Soccer – Dearborn Edsel Ford vs. Grosse Ile
“It's tough because (Edsel's) score in this game was competitive,” Grosse Ile head coach Kyle L'Esperance said after the win. “And after talking with (Edsel coach Mark Gerlach), it looks like they have some injury issues as well. It was an opportunity for us to go out there with a full roster and be active and move the ball.” ”
“Other than that, it's really hard to judge.”
Grosse Ile were comfortably in control from the opening whistle. The Devils allowed just two goals in the first half, but tilted the field in their favor for much of Friday's regulation time.
Somewhat out of necessity, Edsel began to rely more on the aforementioned low-block defensive approach in order to slow down the Islanders as much as possible. Lesperance said the team actually welcomed the challenge.
“It was really nice to face the low block,” Lesperance said. “I talked to (Gerlach) before the game and he said he was actually going to play in the low block. I was happy for my girls because I was feeling it.'' We're trying to do that as well.
“We have a hard time breaking through that sometimes,” Lesperance added. “It was a good game to put that into practice. We tend to rush things early in the game and be too direct, but the girls did a good job of connecting passes. ”
Those extra passes and finding holes in the defense ultimately paid off as Grosse Ile scored six points in the second half and finished the game with just over a minute left in regulation. Four of the six points scored in the second half came in the first 12 minutes of the first half.
Admittedly, that wasn't Gerlach's first choice of playing style on the Edsel side. However, he had little to no options, knowing he had a strong opponent on the other side of the field and limited options in terms of player personnel.
“I threw a new formation at them,” Gerlach said. “We didn't practice, but I think we had to do it based on what we had. Our goalie (freshman Farah Fass) saved our butts a lot. She She was definitely outstanding and we were still able to win because of her.'' “
Just as it was for L'Esperance to watch his daughters try to break through the low blocks, it was just as valuable for Gerlach to watch the Thunderbirds learn new styles on the fly.
“It's important to see what they can figure out,” Gerlach said. “A lot of times, they're the only ones trying to learn the system. I think we lacked a little bit of communication, but that comes from being young and inexperienced.”
A total of six different players scored for Grosse Ile in Friday's victory.
Mallory Botten and Alicia Shelton each scored two goals, and four others (Cassidy Evelyn, Aubrey Collody, Madeline McNeil and Lila Pascucci) each scored one goal.
A byproduct of the deep depth advantage is that Grosse Isle has been able to create a balanced scoring attack. L'Esperance said at least 10 players have scored points throughout the season.
Many of these players returned from Devils appearances in the MHSAA Division 3 state championship game, the first such appearance in program history.
The experience of returning from last season and the variety of options at their disposal has been the biggest benefit for L'Esperance and his teammates, who are currently unbeaten in their last 10 games.
“We don't have one consistent goalscorer,” Lesperance said. “This year, even in lopsided games, we haven't had a game where one player has a hat-trick, which is good for us because we don't have a single player who can stop us. Because someone else is going to step up.”
“I really like the spirit of this team right now.”
Meanwhile, as the calendar flips to May and the unofficial second half of the spring season begins, Gerlach hopes his team can return to full strength and play a more traditional brand of soccer.
“We've had a really bad showing this past week,” Gerlach said. “Hopefully we'll have some players back this weekend. Come May, we'll have more regular players. That's kind of the hope that we can get back to a more normal formation.”
“I think what really hit us was we started getting injured and then only played three games a week,” Gerlach continued. “So we didn't have any rest. The JV team had 12 kids dressed up (for the game) and we asked three of their girls to play with us. We had to dress to play together. There are no excuses, that's where we are now.”
next
Next week, for the second year in a row, Grosse Ile (7 wins, 1 loss, 3 draws) will play three games in five days.
It begins with two Huron League games, starting April 29th at home against Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and visiting Milan on May 1st. The Devils will then drop out of the conference and travel to Trenton on May 3rd to take on a powerhouse from the Downriver area.
Edsel (5-3-1) will have a similarly busy period next week, playing three games in four days. They will also return to conference action with home games against Downriver League foes Brownstown-Woodhaven and Trenton on April 29 and May 1, respectively. The Thunderbirds will then travel to New Baltimore-Anchor Bay on May 2nd.
