ONE AND DONE - The Macomb Daily

PREP GIRLS SOCCER

ONE AND DONE

Accetta scores team’s lone goal to earn Dakota district title win over Chippewa Valley

The Dakota Cougars hoist their 2025 girls soccer district championship trophy. PHOTOS BY GEORGE SPITERI — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP

Dakota’s Jenna Accetta scores the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal for the Cougars against Chippewa Valley in the district championship game.

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By Kevin Lozon

For MediaNews Group

Dakota coach Gary Schodowski said he felt his Cougar squad was good enough to win a district championship.

On Friday night, they made that thought a reality.

Jenna Accetta took a crossing pass from teammate Addyson Russo in a scramble in front of the net and patiently picked the spot to boot the ball into the net, giving the Cougars a 1-0 win over Chippewa Valley in the Division 1 girls soccer district championship game at L’Anse Creuse.

“I wish we had more opportunities than that one, but I was glad we were able to get to that one,” Schodowski said. “Jenna is very good about finding the open spaces when she shoots. She looks to see where the goalie is at and she’s our leading scorer this year.”

The goal came after Big Red goalkeeper Gracyn Carrier came out and made a save from point-blank range. The ball bounced right to Russo, who sent a quick pass to her left to Accetta, who knocked it in with 15:11 left in the match.

“Gracyn came out and made a great save initially, but I knew it was going to take some sort of scramble or long shot,” Chippewa Valley coach Gerry Haggarty said. “It was a tough game. We were a little shorthanded, but we were pretty organized in the back, and we’re still pretty young. We graduate three seniors and we’re in a good spot considering where we were a few years ago.”

Chippewa Valley nearly tied the game with 10 minutes to play when a long, floating shot caromed off the crossbar.

“We hit the crossbar,” Haggarty said. “It’s a game of inches. We had a good season. We started seven freshmen and sophomores. The future is bright, and I can’t be too unhappy.”

Schodowski said all he could do was hold his breath when the ball was floating toward the net.

“I’ve had a lot of those instances and normally I come out on the losing end,” Schodowski said. “It was nice to come out on the winning end tonight.”

Dakota goalkeeper Maggie Mata made five saves in the shutout, including four in the second half when the Big Reds had the stiff wind to their back.

“This is Maggie’s first full season because she’s been injured,” Schodowski said. “In some games she’s come up big for us and has done a very nice job. Her down games are games when we haven’t been good defensively in front of her.”

The win improved Dakota’s record to 8-9-0 overall and moved the Cougars into next Tuesday’s regional semifinal at Rochester where they will play the winner of the district final between Royal Oak and Berkley.

“This means a lot for the season we’ve had,” Schodowski said. “I felt we had a team that could win a district this year based on the games we had against the MAC Red teams. We had some tough losses, but the last few games we’ve picked up the intensity and follow through on the commitment.”

Carrier led the Big Reds by making 10 saves.

The loss ended Chippewa Valley’s season at 8-4-6 overall. Haggarty said the program is moving in the right direction.

“We played hard and as underclassmen we got better as the year went on,” Haggarty said. “The seniors went from being the worst to being a very competitive team. That’s all you can ask for.”