Michigan Center gets first-half goal, survives flurry of Columbia Central chances

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ICHIGAN CENTER — A lone goal in the 23rd minute was enough for Michigan Center in a nonconference game with Columbia Central on Wednesday.

Soccer players from Columbia Central and Michigan Center await the kickoff of their nonconference game on Wednesday.

© Eric Ingles | eingles/mlive.com/TNS

Despite the Golden Eagles generating chance after chance down the stretch, the Cardinals held out for a 1-0 win.

The only goal of the game came from Noah Wisniewski midway through the first half, tapping in a rebound of what had been the Cardinals’ first shot on goal of the game.

In net, Michigan Center goalkeeper Hunter Clemons made sure that was enough.

“Whenever they got closer I’d kind of sit back in my goal,” he said. “Let my eyes read where the ball was going to come, guess a little bit, get lucky on some shots that were easier for me to get to.”

The final minutes saw the Golden Eagles pepper Clemons with chance after chance in an attempt to equalize. He denied Kaleb Pfaffinger off a clean run, and moments later Pfaffinger had another chance but headed it wide. Clemons also tipped a shot from Derek Sanders over the bar. A later Columbia Central corner was cleared away by the Cardinals defense and in the final minute, Dylan Hammond made a run which Michigan Center back Spencer Berkypile deflected away.

“We’ve been struggling to win the ball for a couple of games, so today I thought they did a much better job of getting to the ball and winning it,” Columbia Central coach Kendon Smith said. “At one point I had six freshmen out there at one time, so there are a lot of young guys learning to work together and a lot of balls got sent up the field that were a little hard to control on this bouncy field.”

Though the Golden Eagles managed 13 shots on goal, as well as nine which were not on frame, many of those shots came from long range as the Michigan Center defense kept the Eagles from getting a better look at the target.

“A lot of what we’ve been practicing is how to stay tighter,” Clemons said. “Don’t let shots come from the outside get to the middle for the guys crashing down. I feel more comfortable when it’s a longer shot. Allows me to do what I have to do.”

Michigan Center (3-4) managed five shots on goal in the game and had two corners, compared to Columbia Central’s eight. The Cardinals had a handful of chances to extend the lead, such as when Keegin Gronski had a 53rd minute header sail wide or when a free kick from Berkypile a few minutes later went over the crossbar, but for the most part the Golden Eagles midfielders and defense turned away runs and through balls.

“We’re not really skilled this year. They’re just athletes,” Cardinals coach Ray Sciafe said. “They work super hard, and we’re still working on getting to that where you can finish and get it through, because they can get the ball and get it into the final third, we’re just not putting it home yet.”

For both teams, this year is something of a rebuild. Columbia Central (3-5-1) has 13 freshmen on its roster as well as eight sophomores. The Golden Eagles back line featured three freshmen.

“It’s a three-year plan here, building up the program,” Smith said. “They had a lot of athletes, a lot of tall guys, and they really pressed us at the back. I think we’re coming together.”

Michigan Center too is going through a youth movement following the district title run in 2021, with six sophomores and five freshmen on the roster.

“We lean on our goalie, we lean on our defense as leaders,” Sciafe said. “We try to get those seniors the ball as much as we can, because the two guys at the top [Wisniewski and Tristan Hernandez] are our seniors.”

Even with the youth in front of him, Clemons is seeing some good things.

“I see a lot of potential, I think we just have to be more calm,” Clemons said. “Younger guys coming up have to be a little more calm with the ball, a little more confidence. Especially because we have a decently skilled group.”