Dragons hope to challenge for the OAA White in the second half of the season

By Jim Newell

Review Editor

The Lake Orion High School boys varsity soccer team is coming off a tough, non-conference loss to the Romeo Summit Homeschoolers on Thursday, losing 1-2 after a resurgent second half by the Homeschoolers.

The Dragons started off strong and got on the board first, with Anios Pilot getting a goal just over 15 minutes into the game.

The game went back and forth after that, with both teams getting opportunities but failing to put the ball into the back of the net.

Lake Orion senior Noah Wernette was strong in the net for the Dragons, making several saves to keep the Dragons ahead, including a great deflection over the bar in the second half to prevent what would likely have been a goal.

The Lake Orion defense, anchored by senior captain Mark Gojcaj and sophomore Calvin Maes, along with junior Jack Toffolo on the outside, played solidly for the Dragons.

The Homeschoolers, however, were desperate to get on the board and bombarded the Dragons.

Wernette had made an outstanding save but the Homeschoolers got a corner kick off when the deflection went out of bounds. The Dragon defense could not clear that corner kick but gave away another corner.

It seemed like the Dragons had initially weathered the second corner kick, but when Lake Orion failed to clear the ball, a Romeo Summit midfielder drove a shot past the goalkeeper with 21:36 left in the second half to tie the game, 1-1.

Bryson Shinzing scored a second goal for the Homeschoolers with 18:02 left in the game, giving Romeo Summit its first lead.

The Dragons continued to fight for another goal but could not overcome solid defensive play by the Homeschoolers – and more than a little gamesmanship – led to a victory for Romeo Summit.

With the loss to Romeo Summit, the Dragons are now 6-4-1 overall and 0-1 in the Oakland Activities Association-White division.

Lake Orion lost to league opponent Birmingham Groves 1-2 on Sept. 8 and battled to a scoreless tie on Aug. 31 against Oxford, which moved up to the OAA-Red this year

Lake Orion started the season with five wins and outscored their opponents 17-2 in non-conference play, and it looked like the Dragons were poised to take a commanding record into the heart of league competition.

But in their last six games the Dragons are 1-4-1.

The Dragons first losses of the season came to Troy (0-2) and Berkley (0-3) in the Lapeer Lightning Cup Challenge on Aug. 28. Lake Orion also dominated Waterford Mott, winning 5-0 in the Lightning Challenge Cup tripleheader.

The Dragons were scheduled to play Royal Oak on Tuesday after Lake Orion Review press time. The team’s next home game is 4 p.m. Friday against Warren De La Salle Collegiate.

In the OAA-White, the Dragons still have to face Rochester, Farmington, West Bloomfield and Birmingham Seaholm.

Rochester currently leads the division at 6-1-1, according to the MHSAA.