Almont is headed to the Final Four

Raiders upset sixth-ranked Frankenmuth to win title, 2-1

 

 

ALMONT — The 13th-ranked Almont girls’ soccer team advanced to the Final 4 for the first time, securing their spot with a 2-1 victory over sixth-rated Frankenmuth in a Division 3 regional championship battle last Thursday.

Lansing Catholic High School is where the match was contested.

With the decision, Almont (17-4-1) moves on to a Tuesday, June 5 semifinal hosted by Romeo High School. There they will square off versus seventh-ranked Warren Regina (6-5-6) in a semifinal clash set for 6 p.m. Frankenmuth sees a 15-4-1 campaign draw to a close.

“Winning our first regional championship in school history is an incredible accomplishment,” an elated Almont Coach Mike Kepler commented. “We have been falling short the last few years, but make no mistake, in March we expected to be right where we are at now,” he emphasized.

“This didn’t happen by chance, we knew we had a good chance to make a state run. To make it to the state final what we have to do is clear. We need to bring the energy into this semifinal game. It is another game where if we show up and do our jobs we can compete with anyone.”

In Thursday’s battle, Frankenmuth reached the scoreboard first when they converted a shot with 16:15 to play before halftime.

Almont would answer that score 11:48 later. Callie McCarthy acquired the equalizer, blasting a shot into the back of the net to make it a 1-1 contest at the time.

The remainder of half one would prove scoreless.

When the action resumed, Almont came out strong. It was there Lola Battaglia connected on a shot with 35:38 to play, giving the Raiders a 2-1 edge at the time.

The contest would remain in doubt until the finish.

During the game’s final seconds, Frankenmuth moved the ball toward the goal and delivered a shot on net from close range.

To her credit, Almont goalkeeper Anna LaBroski stood her ground and came through with a stop just seconds from the finish. The clutch save, her 10th of the contest, drew a rousing round of applause from the Raider rooting section on hand and assured them of a top regional finish.

Not long after that happened Almont rushed the field to celebrate their unprecedented win.