Monroe Boys' Varsity soccer recorded one of its best ever results with a 1-1 tie against perennial state power Ann Arbor Skyline at Custer Stadium on Wednesday night.

With District play offs on the mind of both teams the first half was a cautious affair akin to a sparring match with very few risks taken by either side. Monroe defended well with their new defensive system and restricted Skyline to a couple of long range efforts. At the other end the Trojans exerted enough pressure to gain a handful of free kicks but the set piece opportunities were poorly executed and did not threaten the goal.

In the second half the pace intensified and as the game opened up, chances fell to both sides. Braden Setzler produced two brilliant saves to thwart the visiting Eagles and Austin Dunn blazed a shot just over the bar after great work down the right hand side by Isaac Langerman. Despite a succession of corners and golamouth scrambles Monroe were unable to find the net.

With 15 minutes remaining Skyline finally broke the dead lock after a rare defensive breakdown and the shot, hit hard and low, gave Setzler no chance. Monroe immediately switched to a 4-4-2 formation and pushed J'von Miller higher up the field to support Xander Middleton. With only two minutes remaining on the clock the duo combined to split the Skyline defense and Middleton fired home. 

Monroe survived a frantic last minute as Skyline vainly poured forward for the winner. The result against the 2018 D1 state champions must rank as one of the best in recent program history. Great performances throughout the entire team and massive improvement as the Trojans lost 7-0 to the same team only two weeks ago in Ann Arbor.

Final score 1-1 (Monroe 9-6-1)