Indians win district title in overtime

By MICKEY ALVARADO

A ball shot off the foot of Tecumseh High School senior Nate Brown ended a double overtime Division 2 district soccer championship match at Adrian on Saturday, Oct. 22, with the lone goal defeating Sturgis for the title.

Intensity increased on and off the playing field as the game wore on, however, neither team was able to score a goal in 80 minutes of play. A 10-minute overtime also went scoreless despite several good runs at the net.

Brown was finally able to break free in a second 10-minute overtime and scored the game-winning goal with 3:30 remaining on the clock.

“We get better as a match goes on,” said Tecumseh coach Matt Dailey. “One of the key things about our team is we just wear them down...We’re a team that’s fit and we go the distance.”

Sturgis was ranked No. 7 in the state going into the game.

“Now it shows that we can hang with the big guys,” said Dailey.

The Indians were used to seeing extra minutes tacked onto the clock. They were forced into overtime and a penalty kick shootout in the semifinal against Parma Western on Thursday, Oct. 20.

Sam Davitt has been a reliable goalkeeper throughout the season for the Indians and was solid as a rock when facing five opponents during a cold hard rain in the semifinal PK shootout. The Indians held a 1-0 lead but the Panthers were able to slip a ball past Davitt to tie the contest and force overtime. Tecumseh outscored Parma Western 3-2 in the PK shootout to advance to the championship match.

“That was kind of my fault so I wanted to redeem myself in the PK shootout,” said Davitt. “That was pretty big for me.”

Against Sturgis in the final, the Indians’ constant pressure wore the Trojans down but they were still able to get off some very good shots at the net. Davitt said two of Sturgis’ free kicks were pretty good shots and tough to hang onto. The Trojans were able to take just four shots at the Indians net during regulation and Davitt made sure none found a way in.

“We feel like we’re on top of our game right now,” said Davitt. “This is the best we’ve ever been playing.”

The Indians’ defense in front of the net helps make Davitt’s job much easier. Dailey made sure to mention seniors Nate Haeussler, Bobby Thomas, Joe Forrest and Jeremy Good and junior Colin Anderson for outstanding defensive efforts on the field.

Tecumseh senior midfield/forward Alex Eggleston, senior midfielder Thomas and senior back Haeussler were recently named to the All-Southeastern Conference first team while senior forward Pere Servera and senior back/midfielder Joe Forest received honorable mentions.

The Indians lost to Dexter in the final last year when forced to a PK shootout and Brown put the weight of the loss on his own shoulders. He had missed his PK shot and saw the season come to an abrupt end.

“Ever since last year when hitting the crossbar, I’ve been dreaming of this moment,” said an emotional Brown who gave credit to his team for his success.

“Nobody was selfish,” he said. “I just happened to be the one in the right spot to put it in the back of the net.”

Servera had made several hard attacks at the net and was a key concern for Sturges’ defense. Problem was the Indians don’t rely on just one player.

“A lot of teams concentrate on covering him but they underestimate the rest of us,” said Brown. “We’re an incredible team.”

“We’re not one player deep,” said coach Dailey. “When we substitute we don’t weaken at all. We just reload.”

With the district final win Tecumseh (15-7-3) earned the right to advance to regional action at Battle Creek Harper Creek on Tuesday. The Indians were scheduled to face Mattawan in the regional semifinal. Results from the contest will be reported in next week’s Herald.

“This is probably one of the tightest groups I’ve ever worked with so it’s no surprise that we’re here. It’s just an honor that we are,” said Dailey.