FeedsRoad to success
Mustangs paving way in new season
Northville soccer coach Henry Klimes and his Mustang team hope to improve on last year’s 15-4-3 record and an early exit from the districts.
Klimes lost several key players—Mike Cornelius, Mike Blasius, Brandon Barkoski, Nick Kaldis, Enrique Acevedo, Vinny Ciampa, Justin Lockwood and Ryan Pratt—to graduation in June.
However, the head coach will get back several experienced players to help pave the road to improvement this year with hopes that it will lead to the state championship.
Leading the way are senior forwards Jon Junca and Chris Leonetti.
In the middle are seniors Steve Plawecki, Gordie LeMasters, Alex Wood, Alex Rickett, junior Dan Mckinnon and sophomore John Hatzis. Seniors Ryan Burdette, Justin Kemp and juniors Jeff Cheslik and Nick Kolbow are back on defense. Senior Evan Clough is back to defend between the posts this year.
Klimes said chemistry will play a big part in this year’s success and/or failures and have to rely on younger players to step up and take on those roles of the graduated seniors. Joining the 13 returnees are nine talented newcomers including three more sophomores and a freshman.
Headed up front with Junca and Leonetti are junior forward Andrei Ionescu and sophomores Alex Marilley and Nathan Hrivnak. Junior Masato Morioka, sophomore Latif Alasle and freshman Doug Beason will help secure the midfield while senior Dan Dulzo and junior Steve Lempke will add to the defense. Junior Albert Kief will help with goalkeeping duties.
“I’m excited,” Klimes said. “We have 13 returners that know the system. I think we have to get tougher on defense and some of the younger players will have to step up and take on bigger roles but I’m excited.”
Last Wednesday marked the start of the new season and the Mustangs knocked off John Glenn, 6-0, at home.
Junca and Alasle scored in the first half to make it 2-0. Wood, Marilley, LeMasters and Hrivnak each scored in the second. Clough recorded the shutout.
They also played in the Detroit Country Day tournament over the weekend. There they put together another winning campaign to capture the tournament championship for fourth time in five years, according to Klimes.
They knocked off Lutheran Northern in an 8-0 mercy in the first contest.
Clough and Kief shared time in net for the shutout. Neither saw much action.
Northville had eight different goal scorers on the day. At the half Northville led, 4-0, with goals from Dulzo, Beason, Morioka and Ionescu. Second half goals went to Hatzis, Wood, Junca and Plawecki for the mercy.
In the semifinal, the Mustangs met up with Utica Ford in a showdown that went into shootout overtime.
After two scoreless halves, Wood, Hatzis, Junca and Cheslik each converted their shots to propel the ‘Stangs into the finals.
Kief played the majority of the game until a fierce collision with a Utica Ford forward. The accident sent him to the sidelines and Clough back in net. Clough only had a few minutes to last in the second half before he had to mentally prepare for the shootout, Klimes said. He snuffed Ford’s third kicker for the win.
Klimes also said that Ford’s goalie, Jeremy Clark, played outstanding. He made four outstanding saves in regulation to keep the score at zero.
The win placed Northville against Country Day for the championship.
Northville hit three posts in the effort before Hatzis found his mark late in the first half. Mustang defense outlasted Country Day the rest of the way, earning the win.
“(Country Day) played more of defensive style game, giving us the offensive third,” Klimes said. “We took advantage and our defense stepped up and played a good game.”
He said defensive crew of Cheslik, Dulzo, Lempke, Burdette, Kemp and Kolbow has improved since the scrimmage against Saline before the regular season start against John Glenn. Since then no team has scored on them.
On offense, the ball is being spread around to a lot of different players. In the four victories the team scored 15 goals by 15 different players.
“I think we look great right now,” Klimes said. “No one has scored more than one goal. It’s nice to see the ball moved around. That really helps with the team chemistry.”
