Soccer: River Rats fall 1-0 to Belleville in Regional semifinal

The Huron girls’ soccer team won a close 1-0 game in a District final on Saturday but experienced the other side of the coin during a Regional semifinal game on Wednesday.

Belleville netted an early goal and held on the rest of the way for a 1-0 win over the River Rats in a D-1 Regional semifinal game at Dearborn High. The Tigers advance to the championship game on Friday to face Northville. The Mustangs won the other semifinal game 6-0 over Grosse Pointe South.

“One of our issues has been our slow start in games,” said Huron Coach Muralidharan Nair. “That happened against Belleville. They scored early before we settled.”

SEE WLAA DISTRICT FINAL PHOTOGALLERY 

Nair said the River Rats took control of the game around the 20-minute mark and controlled the game but could not score despite a few quality chances.

“Belleville defended with numbers and in fact for most of the game they had 10 players behind,” said Nair. “I congratulate Belleville for utilizing an excellent defending strategy and wish them all the best in the finals.”

It was still an impressive season for the River Rats, who won the District title by defeating both Dexter and Skyline.

“We had a great season and improved on last year’s record,” said Nair. “I have a majority of the players coming back so I am excited about working with them again with the addition of new players.”