Merkle, three-girl defense lead Monroe to Kestrel Invitational title

Merin Merkle was an offensive player for Monroe’s girls soccer team last season.

But during the summer, she shut down Trojan coach Ryan Charnock. That led to a position change.

“The story goes, we were having an offseason pickup game and I couldn’t get past Merin,” Charnock recalled. “I said, ‘You’re a really good defender. You should play there.' She said, “I think I would like that.'”

Monroe’s opponents in Saturday’s SMCC Kestrel Invitational didn’t like having Merkle in the back row.

The Trojans gave up just one goal all day and capped off the tournament triumph with a 6-0 win over the host team in the finals.

Merkle had great help in the Monroe defense from Kyleigh Carter and Zoey Leach.

“Merin and Kyleigh are best friends,” Charnock said. “Kyleigh is a veteran back there. This is her third year. Zoey is a sophomore and a veteran, too. She played back there last year, too.”

Monroe is using an unusual defensive plan.

“We have a new structure in back,” Charnock said. “It’s not typical. Probably 95 percent of teams have four back there, we only have three. It’s a unique structure that demands a lot from them.”

The trio of defenders made life easy Saturday for goalkeeper Allie Younglove.

“This is her first year playing goalie,” Charnock said. “She was a field player last year. She’s a great athlete. She’s a really good volleyball player."

Monroe opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over Wyandotte Roosevelt. Emily Eschenroder and Anna Tedora scored the goals off assists from Brooke Trouten and Claire Charnock.

Then, Eschenroder scored the only goal in a 1-1 tie against Ypsilanti.

Monroe (3-3-2) nursed a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick by Charnock into halftime of the finals, then exploded for five goals after the intermission. Freshman Lindsey Kleinow scored her first varsity goal and Tedora, Charnock, and Eshenroder also found the back of the net.

SMCC had an own-goal.

“It definitely was a great day with a lot of highs and lows,” Charnock said. “It was a pretty good result against our friends, the CC program, in the finals.”

Charnock and SMCC coach Laura Perry have partnered on several events during the offseason.

“They are just a great group,” Perry said. “They are the definition of class and I wish them the best of luck in their 2023 season.”

She blamed the second-half fade on “fatigue, experience, and a defeated mindset. … I don’t think it was a good reflection of how we stack up against the Monroe team.”

SMCC reached the finals with a 7-0 win over Blissfield and a 4-2 triumph against Ida.

Alex Wickenheiser led the offense with 4 goals and Caroline Roecker netted 3 goals and 3 assists. Other goals came from Isabelle Morin, Lily Menzies, Nora Kinsey, and Emerson Bergmooser.

It was the first career goal for Menzies. Other strong performances came from Nora Kinsey, Leah DeSarbo, and Chloe Orris.

“The girls played with a lot of heart,” Perry said. “We are young, with a lot of heart. I’m very proud of their performance and growth as a team.”

Ida lost to SMCC, tied Blissfield 1-1, and fell 8-0 to Wyandotte in the third-place game.

“We were a little short on subs and played two hours and 40 minutes of soccer in three hours,” Ida coach Tim Allen said. “Our games were back-to-back. Our team was tired but played all the way through.”

Rilee Weaterholt led the Blue Streaks with two goals and an assist.

Allen had the other goal and Rylee Shaffer notched an assist.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Merkle, three-girl defense lead Monroe to Kestrel Invitational title