WARREN – Warren De La Salle defeated visiting Novi Detroit Catholic Central 1-0 in a close, physically demanding contest on Monday night.
“It was a typical Catholic League game,” Pilots head coach Thaier Mukhtar said. “I couldn’t be more proud of my guys. I’m not sure we’re a better team. I think (Catholic Central) was (better). But we fought like hell. And we said at halftime, ‘Boys, all it takes is one shot. All it takes is one mistake on defense, one chance. That’s all you need. Make that shot and you’re going home a winner.'”
And that’s exactly what the Pilots did with 18 minutes left in the game. De La Salle scored the only goal when JJ Jurczyk found Andrew Corder at the top of the box, Corder turned and fired the ball into the top left corner.
About six minutes later, the Shamrocks almost tied the game when a cross from the right wing was volleyed hard into the center of the box. However, Pilots goalkeeper Giovanni Vitale was able to get off his goal and track the ball over the goal line, making a fantastic diving save from close range.
Overall, Catholic Central was better in terms of possession and court space, especially in the first half when the Shamrocks had more shots on goal than the Pilots (7-2).
“They (De La Salle) kept coming, so you have to give them credit. I thought we dominated the game for the most part. I thought we were the better team for most of the game. But they kept coming, so obviously we weren’t the better team,” said Shamrocks head coach Gene Pulice.
However, only two of those shots on goal were against the Pilots’ strong defense line of Danny Makara, Harrison Pertot, Josh Wilson and Jack Janush.
“My defense worked their asses off. The guys in the back four just worked and worked and worked,” Mukhtar said. “The guys at the back were a wall.”
De La Salle came into the game better in the second half. The Pilots evened the stats in the second half, winning more balls and controlling the field, which also made possession a little more even.
“I thought they controlled the first half,” Mukhtar said. “But I thought our stamina showed in the second half. I thought we started to beat them on balls where they had beaten us.”
Still, the Shamrocks’ defense of Joe Goudeseune, Charlie Salvatore and Alex Zoltowski was almost as good as De La Salle’s, and goaltender Jake Sievert put in an outstanding performance as the Pilots had few good chances throughout the game.
Photo gallery of Detroit Catholic Central vs. Warren De La Salle in Catholic League boys soccer game
“They were almost flawless today,” Pulice said. “They played a really, really good game. And again, it’s just a moment.”
With the win, Warren De La Salle improves its record to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Central Division of the Catholic High School League. The Pilots head to Traverse City this weekend to play Mason and Traverse City West in two non-league games.
Detroit Catholic Central (1-2-1 overall, 0-1-1 CHSL Central) has about a week off before facing Birmingham Seaholm in a non-league game early next week.
“I can’t say anyone played really bad today. We had a 30-second glitch that put us behind,” Pulice said. “I think those are all things we’ll deal with in the postseason. We’re still trying to figure out who we are. I used 95% of my backups. I have 27 guys. Partnerships are important, and I’m still trying to figure out what the partnerships look like at this point.”
