After the Plymouth girls soccer team tied 1-1 with rival Salem on Thursday night, Emma Johnson left the field with a disgusted look on her face.
Teammate Zainab Saab immediately ran to the sophomore, offering her a hug and comforting her.
Then her coach, Victor Plasse, tapped her on the shoulder and yelled, “It's okay! It's okay! It's okay! You know why it's okay? Because I know you can get there right now!”
So, where is it?
That's the other side of the internet. Or real estate around the penalty box. Goals can occur almost anywhere.
The Wildcats (1-1-1, 1-1-1) made an incredible comeback after trailing 1-0 at halftime.
Regan Fluharty did his best on a breakaway from the near sideline, evading a tackle and taking a solid shot on target. And Kendall Elmy was right there to knock in the rebound from close range.
This play was the start of a very dominant effort that Plymouth put together throughout the final 20 minutes. The offense had five solid scoring opportunities, three of which came off Johnson's toes, and Johnson almost single-handedly pulled off the upset victory.
And no chance was better than the one-on-one she scored with about 15 minutes left. She dribbled past defenders and fired a clean strike just outside the 18-yard box, which Salem goalkeeper Morgan Jones deftly tapped in. All Johnson could do was slump her shoulders in frustration.
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Anger is justified. Johnson felt like he let his teammates down early in the game. And she felt like missing those shots made her do it all over again. And considering it was Game 1 of the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park series, it was understandable why she was so emotional after the stalemate.
“The on-park rivalry is always tough, but the energy is on a whole different level,” said the second-year varsity player. “When we lost a goal, the person who scored the goal (Salem’s Elaine Lama) was my mark, so after that I had to help my team get the goal back.”
To be fair, Rama played great for the Rocks (2-0-1, 2-0-1).
From a corner kick in the first half, midfielder Lauren Driscoll, perhaps one of the top players in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association, sent a perfectly placed pass towards the back of the Plymouth goal, which Llama headed in. They led 1-0.
When it comes to set pieces, it doesn't get much more beautiful than this.
Salem held the ball for the rest of the half and continued to control the pace of play. The Wildcats finally woke up at halftime and played an incredibly exciting 40 minutes of football after the break.
“We have a very young team, but we had to remind them that we're here to compete, too,” said Plasse, who has 10 underclassmen on the varsity team. “I respect them (Salem) because they're a great team, but I wanted them to know that we're not afraid of them. We lost a goal in an unfortunate way, but my team (bouncing back) is great. I thought I made a play.’ They picked themselves up and got back on track.
“It almost felt like we were winning the game. It really felt like that with the chances we had to stop the game. I couldn't be more proud of them.”
That includes Johnson, who takes the ball 50-50 in midfield, starts offensive runs, uses flashy footwork to keep the play going, and sends forward teammates down the field. He made a tight pass on the line.
Johnson said most of her expertise comes from her background playing soccer. She started playing the sport when she was three years old. She started traveling and playing soccer by the time she was 6 years old. Currently, she is a part-time player for her club, the prestigious Michigan Hawks Soccer, one of the best travel programs in the Detroit metropolitan area.
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And why is she only a part-time participant? Because she also plays on Plymouth's varsity basketball team. This winter, she came off the bench and played a key role as a tough defender. Thanks to coach Ryan Ballard's efforts to get past players like her, the Wildcats enjoyed their first 14-win season since 2019-2020 and were in the running for the KLAA West championship until the final day of conference play. No wonder it was.
“I’ve been playing soccer my whole life, but obviously playing basketball helps (see the field),” Johnson said. “We look at all the different moving parts and see where the spaces are open and where the players are going.”
Score 1 point for a coach who champions an athlete who is a multi-sport athlete.
Plasse certainly wasn't complaining about Johnson's return to soccer after a long winter of playing basketball.
“What a star she's going to be,” the second-year coach said. “It's amazing how she understands the game and reads (the field) and knows when to turn it on and when to turn it off. She knows when to be aggressive and for her teammates. I know how to make plays happen. We love it. I can do it.'' Look for her to continue to develop and make her presence felt in the very physical and demanding KLAA. ”
The game won't be easy for the Wildcats, who play in one of the toughest football divisions in the state. Leading those teams is Northville, which should be the favorite to win the Division I state championship and rank among the top three to five teams when the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association releases its first Top 15 rankings later this spring. Probability is high.
Regardless of the opponent, it will be interesting to see what happens next for the Wildcats. Especially with a player like Johnson leading the way. It's clear the deficit isn't too big for her and her teammates.
“Emma is a star. She just doesn't know it yet,” Plasse said. “She's been a star since her freshman year. We saw something in her at tryouts and thought, 'We need this kid at the varsity level.'” “Throughout the year, she improved herself. Last season was plagued with a lot of injuries, but this season she did great by staying in shape and trying to get ready for soccer. What a star she is. It will be.” ”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metropolitan Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on Twitter @folsombrandonj.