Dearborn High, Livonia Stevenson play to a draw in key KLAA East boys’ soccer match w/ PHOTO GALLERY

An important game in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East Division took place on Tuesday night as Dearborn High hosted Livonia Stevenson.

Livonia Stevenson at Dearborn High boys’ soccer photo gallery

The two teams entered this latest matchup still in contention for the KLAA East title - but both really needed a victory.

For much of the game, the host Pioneers led the Spartans by a goal. However, Stevenson eventually got on the board and the contest ended in a 1-1 tie.

Unfortunately for Dearborn (7-2-3, 7-2-1 KLAA East), it squashed any realistic hopes of winning a division crown. The third-place Pioneers remained seven points behind first-place Fordson (13-0-1, 10-0-1 KLAA East) with just four division games to play. Teams get three points for a division win and one for a tie.

Second-place Stevenson (8-2-2, 8-1-1 KLAA East) remained four points behind the Tractors, who have only three KLAA East games left. The two squads are set to meet on Friday.

For Dearborn, coach Tony Ventura was left with some concerns offensively following the 1-1 final on Tuesday.

"We need to improve in the attacking third," Ventura said. "We really struggled there up top. One of my main strikers got hurt early on but that doesn't change how we played in the attacking third.

"We just didn't have any sort of linking up or anything to build on. We were just forcing everything into our strikers. That's not what we're looking for and not what we talk about.”

In the early stages of the game, Stevenson controlled the majority of the possession and pressure, a stark contrast to the first go-round when Ventura then was encouraged with how his Pioneers started.

Stevenson had consecutive corner kick tries in the 15th minute. In the 27th minute, the Spartans had a shot on goal, a corner kick and a throw-in deep in the Pioneers’ zone, but Dearborn kept them from cashing in on any of the chances, led by goalkeeper Ali Hammoud and the team’s tough back line.

"I was very encouraged with our back line, our holding midfielders, and (Hammoud)," Ventura said. "That part of the field was good. I just was not happy with how we played in the attacking third, at all. There was no ideas or creativity, not enough movement off the ball."

The Dearborn attacking third did come through in the 31st minute, as Hussein Elharake netted a goal that broke the scoreless tie.

After getting on the board, the Pioneers faced two more Stevenson shots but managed to maintain the 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

Ventura said his team improved in the latter 40 minutes after making some adjustments.

"(Stevenson) was really controlling the middle of the field," Ventura said. "They were running with four center midfielders, which surprised me a bit. So we had to adjust to that. I felt like we were able to get that under control."

In the 45th minute, Kade Blake of Dearborn ripped a shot from just outside the box that sailed left of the net. The Pioneers in the 56th minute came up empty on a corner kick. Before time ran out in the game, the home team had three different opportunities to get off a clean shot in the opposing zone but saw each negated by an offsides call.

Dearborn seemingly corrected what felt like a tilted field in favor of Stevenson throughout the first half. The Spartans were able to capitalize on an opportunity and Colin Heberger scooted one past Hammoud to tie things up at 1-1.

The Pioneers did have a couple opportunities late in the contest, yet couldn’t get on the board again before the clock hit zero.

Dearborn is set to visit Wayne Memorial on Thursday and it will welcome in rival Dearborn Edsel Ford the following day for a non-league matchup at 5:30 p.m.

After the bout with Edsel, The Pioneers will face Fordson for a second time this year,  welcoming in the Tractors on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Dearborn fell to Fordson 1-0 back on Sept. 8.

Stevenson was set to host Fordson on Friday at 4 p.m. A win for the Tractors in that would nearly clinch the KLAA East title for 2022.