The Milan News-Leader
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Reds set record, but fall in district 1st round
Lumen Christi ends Milan's season with decisive 4-0 victory
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 31, 2007
It was, in the words of Milan varsity girls' soccer coach Phil Zuber, a "bummer" of a district draw.
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The Big Reds' high-flying 15-2 season came to an early end Tuesday afternoon with a disappointing 4-0 loss to Jackson Lumen Christi in the first round of district playoffs.
"They were simply better than us," Zuber said. "They just dominated us."
The Titans, ranked No. 6 in the state, scored 3 1/2 minutes into the first half and took a 2-0 lead into halftime. They scored again at the 20-minute mark in the second half and a fourth time with 13 minutes left in the game.
Jackson Lumen Christi managed 16 shots on goal, while shutting Milan out around the net.
The Titans, who are favored to win the district title, entered the postseason with a 12-5-1 record compared to Milan's 15-2, which surpassed the school record for single season wins of 14 set last year.
But wins and losses can be deceiving, Zuber said.
"They lost to high-caliber teams," he said. "With the exception of the three losses we had this year (two to Huron League champion Grosse Ile and Tuesday's district game), we just didn't have much experience with first-tier competition. Our schedule ended up being a lot easier than we thought it would be."
Case in point: Coming off a deflating 1-0 loss to Grosse Ile that once again firmly ensconced the Milan Big Reds in second place in the league for the fourth time in six years, the Big Reds rolled over Blissfield 8-0 in their final game of the regular season last Thursday.
Four Big Reds scored in the rout, including four goals that came off the feet of two of Milan's best defenders — Shelby Morley-Janni and Allison Sell. Each scored two goals, their first and second of the season.
"We played our defense on offense and our offense on defense," said Zuber.
Senior Meredith Rizor wound up her high school soccer career with a bang, earning a hat trick in the first half, scoring the first three goals. She ended the season with 10 goals and six assists. She is second in all-time career assists with 28 and fourth in career goals with 38.
Kristen Riggs scored Milan's eighth goal off an assist from Meghan Donahue, who usually finds herself defending between the posts.
Stephanie Sullivan and Natalie Gulau each recorded their first two assists of the year.
The Big Reds are a lifetime 3-0 against Blissfield. The win was Milan's ninth shutout of the year.
Zuber would like to see next year's schedule include tougher competition. The Big Reds are ready for the next step, he said.
"We've made huge progress in recent years," said Zuber, "and our expectations have changed right along with it."
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or at bcox@heritage.com.
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