LINCOLN PARK – The Michigan high school boys’ soccer season is officially underway with several teams around the state opening up their seasons this past weekend.
Two local schools – Lincoln Park and Dearborn Heights Annapolis – each fell into that category before facing off Monday evening on what felt like a true “fall night” of the young season. Annapolis got its season underway on Friday with a hard 7-0 loss vs Hamtramck, while Lincoln Park turned in a 2-1 record in a set of scrimmages on Saturday.
In a battle of five-win teams from a year ago, it was the host Railsplitters from Lincoln Park on the winning side of a 2-0 affair.
After a scoreless 40 minutes to start the game, the game-winner came early in the second half after Lincoln Park coach David Doran urged his team to “just focus on the first five minutes,” and it worked.
With 37:40 left on the clock, Christian Zavala sent a shot arching from 20 yards out to put his Rails on the board. The goal came after the hosts controlled much of the first half of play.
“We had been kind of controlling play, but hadn’t been really aggressively attacking the edges,” Doran said. “We’ve just been passing the ball around the perimeter. I just wanted us to really look to press for a shot and not look for the perfect shot.”
Just under seven mintues later, Jiovani Aguilar added cushion for the hosts after getting the Annapolis defense out of position, making it a 2-0 lead.
Monday’s win for Lincoln Park comes after finishing a three-game scrimmage at Riverview Gabriel Richard over the weekend. The Rails ended up finishing 2-1, beating Garden City as well as the host Pioneers and falling to Dearborn Fordson.
Including their performances in those weekend exhibitions, Doran is pleased with how his team is performing, namely his upperclassmen.
“The guys are really working hard and I really feel like today in past years,” Doran said. “That level of game wouldn’t have been coming together until later September, so I was really pleased.”
Despite the loss, Annapolis coach Mohamed Aljoaani was happy with the performance of his team that is only in their second year of existence.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Aljoaani said. “They’re following the game plan that I’m giving them. There’s a few specific details that they’re still not grasping, but they’re working on it and I can see there’s progress, so despite the result, I’m very proud of these guys.
“It’s an improvement from last year (and) it’s a learning process for me as well,” Aljoaani added. “But they’re doing very well and I’m proud of them.”
A year ago, the then first-year Cougars roster boasted 25 players. This year’s squad features just 14, something Aljoaani says will benefit the team as they continue to gel.
“I’m excited to see how the team just plays together and works together and the chemistry that they build up,” he said. “Last year we had 25 players so it was hard for them to build chemistry.
“This is a smaller squad, but way more lethal and I’m excited to see how they build chemistry.”
Christian Zavala, #10 in blue, and Jiovani Aguilar, far right, were responsible for both Lincoln Park goals in their 2-0 season-opening win vs Annapolis on April 18, 2025. (SAMANTHA ELLIOTT — For MediaNews Group)
Through two games, Aljoaani said he is happy with the improvements he’s seen between the loss to Hamtramck and Monday’s defeat. He added that he is looking forward to the tougher games on the schedule, most notably a trip to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep next week.
Doran, too, is looking forward to what he says will be an interesting Downriver League season as the majority of teams will all fall into the same district at season’s end.
“I think that’s what I’m really intrigued by,” he said. “Our whole district is basically our whole league, which is really wild because this season is going to be all year getting ready for districts, not just in the sense that you always are, but literally the whole Downriver League in one district and that’s going to be interesting playing someone three times.”
UP NEXT
Lincoln Park (1-0) will look to make it two straight wins to open the season when they host Detroit Cass Tech on Wednesday, Aug 20. They then open up DRL play next Monday, Aug 25 when they welcome in Allen Park.
Annapolis (0-2) will hold its home opener on Thursday, Aug 21 against non-conference foe Clawson before heading out to Notre Dame Prep next Monday.
PHOTOS: Boys Soccer – Dearborn Heights Annapolis vs Lincoln Park