Chelsea Claims D2 District Soccer Title

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A goal early in the second half held up as the Chelsea soccer team defeated Parma Western 1-0 to claim the Division 2 district title Thursday afternoon.

The title was the first for the Bulldogs since 2005 and they will move on to the Dearborn Divine Child regional and will face Riverview Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.

The game was a back and forth battle with Western controlling the play early.

The Panthers had an good chance early as they nailed a centering pass toward the net, but the Bulldogs Connor McKenzie made a diving save just 1:30 into the game. They continued to pressure and picked up a pair of corners, but the Bulldogs defense held them off.

Chelsea got a good scoring chance when Jacob Schultz lofted a shot toward the corner of the net, but the Western goaltender was there for a save.

The Bulldogs picked up another good chance when they earned a corner, but the header went over the net to keep the game scoreless.

Moments later the Panthers ripped a shot on net, but McKenzie went high and tipped the ball into the cross bar and it bounced away to remain a scoreless tie at the half. 

Chelsea came out quickly in the second half controlling the play early.

Western was called for a trip near the left sideline just over a minute into the half. Jordan Fansler lofted a direct kick toward the right side of the net and Adam Bahri slid in knocking the ball past the Panther goaltender and into the net for a 1-0 lead with 38:30 left in the game.

Adam Bahri celebrates his goal early in the second half against Parma Western. Photo by Mike Williamson

The Bulldogs continued to pressure the Panthers in their end getting several good scoring chances, while the defense kept Western away from the net. The Panthers picked up a corner with 9:30 left in the game, but McKenzie was there for the save.

Connor McKenzie makes a save on a Western corner kick. Photo by Mike Williamson

With under five minutes left Chelsea did not lay back defensively as they continued to pressure and ripped a shot that just went over the top of the net.

Western tried to mount an attack, but one last attempt was cleared by Will Barhite as the second ticked down. The Panthers launched a long pass in to Bulldogs territory, but the Panthers were called for a shove and the clock ran out before the ball was put back in play.

The Bulldogs improved to 13-4 overall on the season. They will face 5th ranked Riverview (18-1) in the regional semis Tuesday night. DeWitt (10-4-2) faces off against Dearborn Divine Child (9-4-2) in the other semifinal at Divine Child.