ROCHESTER HILLS >> The Utica Eisenhower Eagles and Stoney Creek Cougars played 100 minutes of scoreless soccer, sending their district soccer opener to a shootout, which Eisenhower won 4-2.

“It’s the worst way to finish a game. I hate getting a team sport into individual efforts, but that’s why we prepare for those, and you have to have faith in your shooters,” Eisenhower head coach Josh VanHouten said. “I have got to tip my hat to Stoney, that was a great game. It was wonderful.”

“It is what it is. It’s part of the sport we play. It’s unfortunate that it has to end that way, but I thought it was a great game,” Cougars head coach Doug Steinard said. “Kudos to Ike. They got it done in kicks, and I think they’ve got a real shot to win this district."

Evan DeJong got it done on both ends of the shootout for the Eagles. With Eisenhower leading the shootout 3-2, DeJong saved Stoney Creek’s fourth attempt with a dive to his left. Then he turned around to take the last kick and roofed it in to seal the win for the Eagles.

“I was originally on the line first, but then I decided to go fifth because I knew if the pressure came down to me I was relaxed,” DeJong said. “Especially after I made that save, I had the adrenaline to put it away.”

Neither team could score in regulation, though both teams had their chances. Stoney Creek would hit two posts in regulation – one in each half – while Eisenhower’s best chance came with 16:40 left in regulation when they finally snuck a player behind the Stoney Creek defense, only to have Cougars goalkeeper Seong Min Kim come off his line to shut down the shot.

The Eisenhower defense of Luke Drzewiecki, Colin Brosch, Alek Boardman, and Shayne Baylet was rock solid all night but did their best work in the second half as Stoney Creek started finding more possession in midfield and creating more pressure on the Eagle defense.

It is that defensive mindset that has been a key in Eisenhower’s current win streak, which now stands at eight games – all by shutout.

“All that commitment to defense has really been the turning point for our season,” VanHouten said. “The defense is building up, and the defense turns into offense. We’re on a run. We’ve hit this at the right time, and hopefully we can keep this going.”

Stoney Creek got outstanding play, particularly in the second half, from Sebi Kulyckyj and Diego Perez.

Both teams also had to feel each other out, especially as the teams were smothering defensively early, often running multiple players at ballhandlers. As a result, the teams played almost the entire first half before the offensive chances began to come.

“I definitely thought we were feeling each other out a bit and probably some nerves on both ends. But once we got settled in, I thought we did a really good job today,” Steinard said. “I thought we were dangerous a lot. I think their goalkeeper was fantastic. We just could not find the net, and it comes down to kicks.”