Troy soccer’s success built on senior-heavy group

TROY — Following its regional finals exit to New Baltimore Anchor Bay last season, Troy (13-1-0) soccer is back and stronger than ever.

“It left a little bit of a bad taste in our mouth and a chip on our shoulder, and that really led the motivation into this year,” Troy coach Jim Stachura said.

Currently ranked No. 1 in the state according to the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association, Troy won 12 straight games to open the season, including a win over No. 3 ranked Berkley.

Troy’s dominant start has set them up for a potential second straight Oakland Activities Association-Red title, and it all starts with the senior class.

“The ones we returned, the majority were sophomores and juniors that are now juniors and seniors this year,” Stachura said. “We took a lot of this seniors class as sophomores on varsity thinking this group really had something to it, and they really took a big jump last year.”

Led by senior Kai Dowling, the defensive unit features seniors Lukas Larroquette and Zach Penoza, and sophomore Nahuel Larroquette.

“We press a lot,” Stachura said. “We don’t like to defend at our field; we want to defend on your side of the field.”

Senior George Hildebrandt controls the net for Troy and is coming off a 2021 campaign where he collected 10 shutouts.

Troy’s defense has allowed less than a goal per game and earned seven shutouts in 13 games this season.

“He’s grown as a goalie,” Stachura said. “He’s super patient and calm, and he’s really grown in the game.”

Great defense translates to an explosive counterattack, but it’s even more dangerous when the offensive unit features two all-State players.

Led by senior captains and forwards Nicholas Worrell (third team all-State) and John Palomino (first team all-State), Troy’s offense has averaged just under three goals per game.

Senior captain James Levitt (midfielder), senior captain Carter Cusmano (midfielder), and junior Ibraheem Dakrouni (forward) have made significant contributions offensively.

While defensive success has played a factor in the offensive output, there’s one major factor that was a new change for Troy this season.

“Since we switched our formation from last season, we’ve found a lot more success going pretty direct up the middle,” Palomino said. “We’re overloading the midfield; we have a quality four players who start in midfield for us who are better than most schools, if not every.”

The formation change has paid off for Troy, and Troy’s depth all-around has allowed the team to have a more aggressive attack. In a grueling OAA-Red conference, it’s vital to have a reliable bench.

“It’s definitely tough, but the good thing about this team is we have so many good players who can come off the bench,” Worrell said. “Let’s say one or two players are having an off day. We can always bring in new players, and the level of the team doesn’t drop at all.”

Troy, who currently sits in first place in the OAA-Red with a 5-1-0 conference record, suffered its first loss of the season to community rival Troy Athens on Sept. 29 in a 2-1 contest.

Athens, who is 4-1-1 in the conference, is currently on the heels of Troy in second place in the OAA-Red. Troy swept Athens last season, including a win in the playoffs, and they will likely meet again if both sides continue their successful seasons.

“We’re going to need all 22 players to win this thing,” Stachura said. “If we can keep it one game at a time and keep everyone focused, we’ll be fine.”