The battle for the top seed in the regional tournament came down the last match of the season for Schoolcraft Men’s Soccer team against St. Clair County Community College.
Unfortunately home field advantage didn’t help the Ocelots as they were defeated 2-0 by the Skippers.
The game was balanced from start to finish, with both teams demonstrating intensity. Through0ut the first half, both teams had opportunities to score, but the both defenses showed security to prevent goals and kept it 0-0 at the end of the first half.
At the beginning of the second half, the Skippers came out with a more aggressive offensive approach, creating good opportunities, but again the Ocelot defense stood out.
However, in the 70th minute, after a long ball, Skippers Luis Carlos Farinas scored a beautiful shot into the bottom right corner of the Ocelots’ goalkeeper’s net, opening the scoring for St. Clair.
The Ocelots searched for ways to equalize, changing tactics and players, but unfortunately, they couldn’t find the net. The game became even more difficult when Ocelot forward Devlin McGennis, attempting to build an attacking play, committed a foul and received his second yellow card, resulting in his expulsion from the game.
Playing with one player less, and still searching to score their first goal, the Ocelots ended up conceding more space in their defensive end, and thus, Skippers’s Farinas received the ball at the edge of the area and scored his second goal of the match in the 90th minute of the game, making it 2-0.
Despite the loss, the Ocelots have time to digest the result and regroup, aiming for the Regional Tournament taking place on November 1st and 2nd in Marysville, Michigan. The result determined the final standings in the MCCAA conference. St. Clair finished first and will face Muskegon Community College, while Schoolcraft finished second and will now face Cuyahoga Community College, the third-place finisher, in the regional tournament semifinal.
The team will travel on Friday to begin preparations against Cuyahoga, scheduled for Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. The forecast indicates strong winds and low temperatures, which should make the match even more challenging.
A worrying point is the absence of midfielder Devlin McGinnis, who was sent off at the end of the group stage. The player, one of the team’s creative pillars, is out of the semi-final, which has required tactical adjustments from the coach to maintain competitive rhythm and seek a place in the regional final.
Even with these adversities, the team spirit remains strong. The Ocelots enter this new phase determined to transform frustration into motivation and prove, once again, why they are one of the most consistent forces of the season.
