CLAWSON >> The Madison Heights Lamphere Rams edged past the Clawson Trojans 2-1 in a tightly contested MAC Blue game Wednesday night.

The game-winner came with 13:54 to play in the first half when Sophia Musket played a switching ball to Allison Herrell, who got behind the defense, broke in on goal and slotted the ball in to give Lamphere a lead that would hold up the rest of the way.

Earlier in the opening act, the teams traded goals in a span of less than two minutes beginning with Madelyn Pfaff converting a breakaway to give Clawson an early 1-0 lead. The Rams quickly drew even when Mia Hope fought off a defender and proceeded to pick out the lower-right corner.

“We have been working on, focusing on this season a lot of through balls, a lot of combination passes up top,” Rams head coach Rachel Vickers said. “Today, it looked really nice. They were really communicating well. They were working well up top, and for us, that’s a win in itself. Whether or not we won the game, improving those skills is something we’re proud of the girls for doing tonight.”

The Rams pushed for more. With Faith Stinson and Evelyn Richard playing major roles in ball distribution and recycling, Lamphere had the better of possession for much of the first half, though Clawson’s counter remained dangerous, particularly when Pfaff was able to face up and take on players. Despite a lot of attack-minded play from both teams, however, neither team could find another goal and the game went to halftime with Lamphere still up 2-1.

After three goals and a handful of good chances each way, both teams made defensive adjustments for the second half that proved quite effective. For Lamphere, the main adjustment was to deny Pfaff the ball.

“I think they worked really hard in that second half,” Rams assistant coach Bailey Fahnestock said. “We even had one of our players drop back into a fifth defensive position and told her to just stay back, stay on your mark, and work together. And I like that they still continued to pass the ball up the field. They didn’t just boot it out or kick it out to nowhere. They still tried to make those passes we worked so hard on.”

But even then, the Trojans managed a couple of highly dangerous chances midway through the second half, notably with a swerving shot that forced Rams goalie Natalie Rose into a fine diving save, and shortly thereafter skimming the bar.

“We found feet tonight. They were moving to the ball and had great shots,” Trojans head coach Katie Meeks said.

Meanwhile, the Clawson defense, anchored by Lana Wilder, was able to adapt and win its share of races for the type of through balls that Lamphere had success with in the first half, and as a byproduct the Rams managed just one shot on goal after halftime. The Trojans were missing their starting goalkeeper, but Isabella Agius stepped up and put in a solid effort in net in relief.

“Izzy came in and gave it her best shot,” Meeks said. “She was nervous, but she came out of her shell. She got vocal, and she got some good balls.”

With the win, Lamphere improves to 5-2-1 overall and 3-1-1 in MAC Blue. The Rams currently sit second in the division and on Monday will travel to face first place L’Anse Creuse.

Clawson (2-4-2, 0-4-2) hosts Chippewa Valley in a MAC crossover game today before resuming divisional play on Monday with a trip to Port Huron Northern.

“I have nothing negative to say about that game. That was the best 80 minutes of soccer we’ve played all season. They wanted it. We were a little bit unlucky,” Meeks said. “It was a great game.”