Proud Mom

Milan U-12 boys have big season

PUBLISHED: June 26, 2008

The Milan U-12 boys' travel soccer team finished their spring season with a strong 6-2-2 record.

After winning their final game, the team moved into first place, two points in front of Saline. The Saline team, however, had one game left to play, which they won last weekend in the league's final season game. That edged them past Milan in the standings by one point, though Milan finished a respectable second place in a division that also included teams from Northville, Riverview, Fenton and Howell.

Milan shooters scored a total of 23 goals in their 10-game season, led by Peter McCrae-Hokenson with nine goals, Kian Evans with six goals, Cameron Krol and Dominic Rubino with two goals each, and Alan Kulikowski, Oliver Smith, Jack Williams and Dayton Darling all with one goal apiece.

On the other end of the field, the Milan defense was held strong by the stellar goalkeeping efforts of Spencer Miller, Krol and Darling. A solid defensive line in front of them included consistently strong play from Jason Sell and Josh Jarema, who together built a brick wall in Milan's central defense.

Outside defensive support and transitional attacking came from Smith, Boaz Householder, Darling and Sell. Contributing further to the total team effort were the high-pressure attacking midfield plays of team captain Liam Broadhurst, Kulikowski, McCrae-Hokenson, Josh Sattarino, and Williams on the outside flanks, with Krol and Miller holding the center midfield positions. Evans (who led the team in assists) and Rubino provided consistent offensive pressure from the forward spots.

Each of the players showed incredible growth and improvement throughout the season and learned to work as a cohesive team. Simon Evans and Paul Smith coached the fifth- and sixth-grade mix. Both are proud of the accomplishments of the individual players and the team as a whole. Coaches and players alike are looking forward to another great season in the fall.