The last time Dexter met Pioneer in field hockey a state title was on the line. While Thursday’s game didn’t have the weight of a state championship it was still a very, very big deal as two unbeaten teams met in a regular-season showdown at Al Ritt Stadium in Dexter.
Dexter won that championship game last November in Chelsea and they won again on Thursday with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the visiting Pioneers. Dexter improves to 8-0 on the season while Pioneer falls to 5-1-1.
There were a few “firsts” in this game. It was Pioneer’s first loss of the season and Dexter allowed a goal for the first time all year.
Dexter’s Annalisa Shehab scored with an assist from Shannon Schoch to make it 1-0 in the second quarter. The Dreadnaughts led 1-0 at halftime.
Dexter took a 2-0 lead when Taylor Shook scored in the third quarter. With 5 minutes left in the game, Pioneer cut the deficit to 2-1 when Zoe Bormet scored off an assist from May Flanders.
The Pioneers kept the pressure up in the final minutes and came close to getting the equalizer on a last second shot but Dexter held on for the big win.
Dexter’s Esther Hashikawa and Hannah Baldwin split the goaltending duties for Dexter.
The Dreadnaughts host Saline at 5:30 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 2).
Pioneer hosts Chelsea at 7 p.m. on Monday.
