Quick chipped goal helps Rochester Adams hand Troy first loss
TROY – Rochester Adams scored early then held on for a 1-0 road victory over previously unbeaten Troy in Tuesday's Oakland Activities Association Red Division clash.
The Highlanders got the deciding goal just under six minutes into the game when Brendan Duff played a long ball from the back-left flank over the top to Salvatore Dinoto, who got onto the ball off the bounce and chipped the ball over the charging goalkeeper and into the empty net.
Neither side had many chances after that, as the game between the third (Troy) and seventh-ranked (Adams) teams in Division 1 played out as a tight, defensive-minded affair where neither had many chances.
Overall, the Colts had the better of possession, particularly early in the second half. Highlighted by the play of Nahuel Larroquette and Ryan Ahmed, the Colts bossed the first 15 to 20 minutes of the second half pretty convincingly, but they had little to show for that possession on the stat sheet, and nothing to show on the scoreboard as Adams held them to just four shots on goal for the game.
"We worked so hard, and on another day, those chances go in. Unfortunately, today they didn't," Troy head coach Adam Spinks said. "I think we both adjusted, and we were a little more attacking and they were a bit more defensive. But they're a very hard team to break down. But again, you put one away, I'm pretty confident we go on to win the game."
Defensively, the Highlanders were able to recover when they were broken down, which wasn't often, and goalie Reid Dennis had command of anything in the penalty area when needed.
"I thought we managed it well. They're a good team. They're going to break you down, and I thought that when they did we were able to recover," Adams head coach Josh Hickey said. "Then obviously, we're pretty steady in goal. We're confident there. But in the end, it's those second balls that matter the most, and that's where I think we did really well tonight."
The Colts were just as solid on defense, holding Adams to just three shots on goal.
The game definitely got a little chirpy and players on both teams picked up yellow cards, eventually resulting in one ejection each way in the final ten minutes.
At that point, the game opened up a little, but no one could take any advantage of the situation.
With the win, Rochester Adams improves to 7-1-3 overall, and 3-1-1 in OAA Red. The Highlanders are now back in the middle of a complicated league race. They travel to Bloomfield Hills on Thursday for a crossover game and then resume divisional play next Tuesday when they face a road test against Birmingham Seaholm.
Photo gallery of Rochester Adams vs. Troy in OAA Red boys soccer action
"We always look forward to these games. OAA Red games are always tight, and them being undefeated in it, we wanted to get back in the hunt. We had a couple of results that didn't fall our way, so we knew we had to win this one. And we just knew it was going to be a good game. We always have a good rivalry with them, but it's one that is always proper," Hickey said. "But I'm proud of my guys. They played really well."
Troy (6-1, 3-1 OAA Red), despite taking its first loss of the year, remains in the thick of the OAA Red race. The Colts face Fenton on Thursday in a non-league contest before resuming divisional play next Tuesday with a road trip to Berkley.
"I could name so many guys that were really good. It's just, soccer is a cruel game," Spinks said. "There is never an easy game in the OAA."
