EAST LANSING — Cake had to wait until later, but in the meantime this was the best-possible 17^th birthday present for Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Gabby Haudan.

The junior ended up scoring the only goal of Saturday’s MHSAA Field Hockey Final, helping Pioneer earn a 1-0 win and yet another state championship trophy to add to its large collection. 

Haudan’s goal came with 29.3 seconds left in the first quarter after senior teammate Zoe Shuchman sent the ball toward the front of the Saline goal on a rush from the right side of the field.

From there, Haudan out-battled Saline defenders and got a stick on the ball, placing it into the net for the lone score at Michigan’s State’s Ralph Young Field.

“I just knew I had to get a stick on it in order to get the ball farther,” Haudan said. “It was kind of straight to me and I had to put a lot of power into it. (Shuchman) saw the line, we make that connection, she sends it and we finish it off.”

The win gave Pioneer its 32^nd field hockey state title overall and sixth straight including both of the first two since the sport became sponsored by the MHSAA a year ago. 

This time, Pioneer bucked an old adage that it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row, since Pioneer ended up handing Saline the latter’s only three losses. Pioneer recorded 5-0 and 1-0 wins over Saline during the regular season. 

Pioneer (18-3) also didn’t lose to a team from Michigan all year, with all its losses coming against out-of-state opponents.

“However many times you play, that game is what counts,” Pioneer head coach Jane Nixon said of playing Saline again. “We just really thought about our team trying to do the best that we could within what we do. We tried to focus on our strengths and what we do. That was kind of our strategy. To come out here with grit, heart, passing combinations, together on the attack and to do everything as a team.”

Once Haudan scored, it was going to be very difficult for Saline to come back. Pioneer hadn’t allowed a goal through its first four postseason games and maintained that streak through the Final.

“We played them twice and we know what their plays are, how they pass and who they like to pass to,” Pioneer senior defender Olivia Rollins said. “We were keeping that in the back of our mind and just playing our own game, keeping our structure strong.”

Saline (19-3) did have one glorious chance in the first quarter with the game still scoreless, when a shot from junior Ella Arvai was deflected and hit the crossbar. But Pioneer cleared the ball and held firm defensively the rest of the game. 

“We had such an amazing group of girls,” Saline head coach Sophia O’Connor said. “We almost had every single person on our team score at one point this year. We had two girls who had almost 30 goals this season. We had 10 seniors that led our team for us this year. I’m so proud of how they did. 

“Obviously the score didn’t go the way we wanted it to. But I’m proud of how they played today and how they kept playing even though (Pioneer) scored in the first quarter.”

Pioneer held a 4-3 advantage in shots and a 5-2 edge in penalty corners.

Click for the full box score. 

PHOTOS (Top) Ann Arbor Pioneer players hoist their championship trophy Saturday at MSU. (Middle) Pioneer's Gabby Haudan (13) finds an opening to score the game's only goal. (Below) Pioneer's Alexis Heys (3) and Saline's Ella Arvai (5) contend for the ball. (Photos by John Castine/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)