When Dexter visited Pioneer on the pitch earlier this month it was a well-played, highly competitive match between two of the top teams in the SEC. Fast forward to Thursday and the rematch played out pretty much the same – except for the final score.
In the first meeting, Dexter rallied for a 2-1 win in the SEC red conference match. On Thursday, the two teams met in Dexter as part of the SEC round-robin tournament that featured the top 4 teams in one group and the bottom 4 in the other.
It was another tight game for Dexter and Pioneer who are likely first-round opponents in the upcoming District Tournament. The Dreadnaughts and Pioneers played to a 2-2 draw in another extremely well-played contest.
“Pioneer was really up to the challenge this evening,” said Dexter Coach Jaimie Lewis. “I feel like we played our most complete game of the season. We have been trying to build a cohesive team with everyone on the same page and playing for each other. We did that (Thursday) with a very young team and we are ready to peak at the perfect time of the year.”
The Dexter attack was led by Hayden Gaetino up top creating scoring chances for himself and others. Senior Luke Nevin scored twice for Dexter and had his strongest game of the season.
Nevin gave Dexter a 1-0 lead with a goal at 35:02 of the first half. Pioneer tied the score at 1-1 with a goal by sophomore Milo Peterson at 6:58 in the first half. Nevin scored again in the second half to give Dexter a 2-1 lead. Pioneer’s Sam Grand scored the equalizer for the visitors in the second half.
“Our midfield of Andrew Barbaro, Modibo Outtara, and Tristian Snyder all played with great energy and did an excellent job in possession as well as organizing the team and being very responsible defensively,” Lewis said.
Sean Myint Jr., Carter Weiss, and Dane Barbaro also stood out defensively for Dexter.
Both goalies played well. Dexter freshman keeper Thomas Gwisdalla had another strong game with some key saves and sure hands. “I am constantly impressed that he rarely gives up a rebound,” Lewis said of his young keeper.
And at the other end, Pioneer senior Oliver Cook made some big saves to allow his team an opportunity to find the equalizer.
Pioneer Coach Jon Sundermann continues to be pleased with the play of his young team, and tight games like this will only make them playoff tough come Districts. “It was an overall good effort, came from behind twice to equalize which is always a good thing,” he said. “A little bit symbolic of how the season has gone with some ups and downs, stretches of really good play and intermittent lapses.”
“Overall solid but still striving to find a higher level of consistency.”
Soccer Districts begin Oct. 9 with the three Ann Arbor schools, Dexter, Saline, Belleville and Lincoln competing for a spot in Regionals. Saline is the host school.
