TROY - The Greenhills School boys soccer team had been here before - the MHSAA Division 4 semifinals - and it showed.

The Gryphons, making their third straight trip to the state semis, utilized their size, skill and experience to overwhelm Hamtramck Frontier Academy in their 4-2 victory Wednesday night at Troy Athens High School.

“Coming into the game we probably didn’t have as many nerves as the past two years,” said Greenhills senior forward Patrick Duggan. “I think we wanted to win, more so than being on an emotional high.”

Duggan helped Greenhills (18-6) string together three goals in a 13-minute span to give the Gryphons' a 3-0 lead at halftime.

“A three-goal lead at this level of competition is pretty difficult to come back,” said Greenhills coach Lucian Popescu, whose team outshot the Frontier Knights 19-9. “We knew that they defended with numbers. We tried to play the ball on the outside and capitalize on shots on the outside and we were able to do that.”

Duggan laced a one-timer from 10 yards away on a crossing free-kick assist from Curtis Heisel in the 27th minute to open the Gryphons’ scoring.

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