Stevenson's Sofia Jbala, 18, and Ford's Kylie Pfeiffer attempt to control the ball during the first half of a MAC White Division game at Runkel Field on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Presley Jones (4 years old) plays ball. (George Pauley, Media News Group)
As expected for a girls' soccer team representing two high schools that have been competing for half a century, neither team gave much away.
Ninth-grader Maggie Castillo scored with 26:43 left in the first half and Ford extended its lead in the Macomb Area Conference White Division with a 1-0 win over Stevenson Wednesday night at Runkel Field.
Corinne McGlashon was the winning keeper and the Falcons improved to 5-1-1 with 16 points in the district. Ford has a three-point lead over Chippewa Valley and Grosse Pointe South, which tied for second place with a 1-1 tie.
“It's going to be a bit of a rough game today,” Ford coach Chris Alston said after the game, which was an unusually warm day for this spring.
“That (temperature) is going to be something we'll have to deal with. We only had 16 kids in today. We knew Stevenson was playing well. A thorough game. We did the right thing at the right time.”
The Titans are fifth in the division with nine points, but coach Tony Casali wasn't discouraged after his team's four-game winning streak ended and they suffered their second loss of the season to the Falcons.
“When you play the Stevenson vs. Ford rivalry (game), sometimes you just throw the record out the window and try to see which team is going to take the fight,” he said. “I think it was that way with both teams. The games we played against them this year, 2-1 for him and 1-0 for him, were both fun. Unfortunately, we were on the losing side of both.”
The Titans pride themselves on playing with “grit,” Casali said.
“We're looking for people who can outperform the team,” Casali said. “We want to make our presence felt on the field. We did that. The total number of wins for the season (six wins) was the same as last year. We have players who are stepping up. Three freshmen are starting. Overall, I was satisfied with our performance.”
Casali said Stephenson picked up his game after halftime.
“The first half wasn't our best performance. But that's one of the ways we improved. Even if we weren't up to our best performance, we were able to stay in the game.
“In the second half, we came out and fought. We got our energy back. We played a little more physical. We created more chances. We limited their chances. However, sometimes you only need one.
They scored one point in the first half and that was it.
The Falcons handed the ball to Castillo in what appeared to be a favorable matchup.
“We like being one-on-one with our wing guys,” Alston said. “We played diagonal ball and she was one-on-one with the girls. She hit something on her goal. That was a really big moment.”
Castillo is one of five freshmen on Ford's roster. “They’re all playing,” Alston said.
Alston said Emma Ciotti, Leah Rascitti and Kylie Pfeiffer played well for the Falcons.
“But we're not really built on people, we're actually built on groups,” he said. “That's how we do it. If everyone does their part, good things will happen.”
With less than six minutes remaining, McGlashon made two saves three seconds apart to keep Stevenson off the scoreboard.
“That's what we look for in a goalie,” Alston said. “We don't need you to be Wonder Woman, but when the opportunity presents itself, take action and make good choices. And she did that today.”
Ford, the 2023 and 2022 district champion, has five games remaining. The Falcons will play Utica on Monday.
“It's going to be a big thing,” Alston said.
Stephenson will play at Grosse Pointe South in Friday's divisional match.
