Highlight Reel: 2014 Boys Soccer Finals
November 1, 2014
The 2014 MHSAA boys soccer season came to an end Saturday with four championship games, all broadcast live on MHSAA.tv. Here are highlights from all four – and click this link to watch the games in full.
Division 1
One To Remember For Ren - In the 14th minute of the Division 1 Boys Soccer Final, Jason Ren chips the ball into the goal for Canton - the game's only score – that eventually gives the Chiefs a 1-0 victory over Rochester Adams.
Division 2
Cranes Tie It Up - Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood overcame a 2-0 deficit against East Lansing in the Division 2 Boys Soccer Final. Ken Kernen ties the score with a goal off a throw-in. East Lansing prevailed in overtime, 4-3.
Irvine Goes Top Shelf - Cranbrook's third unanswered goal came from Cullin Irvine with about 15 minutes left in the second half.
Elmedin's Equalizer - East Lansing ties the score with 6:33 to play when Elmedin Celovic scores his second goal of the game.
Jones Comes Up Big Again - Early in overtime, East Lansing's DeJuan Jones scores to give the Trojans a 4-3 lead that would hold up in the Division Final with Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood. In the Semifinal, Jones had a key goal against Mason that sent that game to overtime.
Division 3
Timmer on the Header - The lone goal of the Division 3 Boys Soccer Final came early in the first half when Hudsonville Unity Christian's Jared Timmer headed a long free kick into the net.
Second Look At Timmer's Goal - Here's a replay of Jared Timmer's goal for Hudsonville Unity Christian in its 1-0 Division 3 victory over Williamston.
Division 4
Fancy Footwork - Covenant Christian's Colin Riemersma shows a little fancy footwork to tie the Division 4 title game up in the first half. Riemersma scored twice in the game, but Birmingham Roeper prevailed, 4-2.
Roennecke Hat Trick #1 - Simon Roennecke gives Birmingham Roeper a 3-1 lead with his third goal of the game.
Roennecke Hat Trick # 2 – Natural - Simon Roennecke finishes his four-goal game with a natural hat trick, scoring the final tally with eight minutes to play for Birmingham Roeper.
WMC Locks Up D4 with Shootout Shutdown
November 2, 2019
By Perry A. Farrell
Special for Second Half
NOVI – Zero was the hero.
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian goalkeeper Jameson Goorman, who wears No. 0, was the star of the Warriors’ shootout victory Saturday in the MHSAA Division 4 Final against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett at Novi High School.
Goorman was spectacular when the scoreless game went to penalty kicks.
After allowing a goal to Matthew Summers, he stoned Stewart Smith, Sheikh Manneh, Will Nicholson and Nolan Ondersma to set off a wild celebration by the Warriors.
“I kind of just read them,’’ said Goorman. “If they’re straight on, they’re going to push the ball to the right. I just do my best. I’m just overwhelmed with excitement. I just try to save every single one. That’s my mindset. I was trying to give my team the best shot to win.’’
The winning goal was scored by Isaac VanHoeven, who broke the 1-1 shootout tie after teammates Brevin Byrne and Charlie Alfree were stopped trying to follow up on Brandon Fles’ goal on the team’s first attempt.
“This is unreal,’’ said VanHoeven. “I’m not going to lie; I put it to God. I have no clue where the ball was going. I thought right, I looked left. I thought I was going to go right. I ended up going a bit more central than I expected. We take those.
“Jameson is an unbelievable player. When you talk about top goal keepers, his name has to be up there. He’s just unreal.’’
Goorman also came up big last week under similar circumstances, in a Regional Final shootout win over top-ranked Grandville Calvin Christian.
“Was Jamo big or what? He is amazing,’’ said Warriors coach David Hulings. “I’ll tell you a story. People wanted me to talk to him about being intimidating in the box, and I said: ‘You know what? You don’t talk to Jamo. He just knows what he’s doing.’
“He just has a sense about him. We’re not here without those kinds of saves. Brandon (Fles) shut those forwards down and Jake Betten in the middle, but he (Goorman) made great saves at the end of the second half. That’s not me; that’s his DNA and his parents.’’
Long before these student-athletes were born, University Liggett and Western Michigan Christian were battling for state soccer supremacy in Division 4 and formerly Class D.
The two schools renewed the rivalry Saturday afternoon at Novi.
The Warriors (19-2-3) were seeking their seventh Finals title and first since 2010. Liggett owns four Finals titles and was seeking its first since 1996.
The two schools last played each other in a Final in 1999, with the Knights prevailing 4-2. In 1982, the Knights beat the Warriors 2-1 for their first soccer championship.
The Warriors had allowed just one goal in tournament play while scoring 27. Liggett scored 19 goals in tournament play, while allowing three.
Speedy forwards Sheikh Manneh and Stewart Smith made an immediate impact against the Warriors’ defense, racing past defenders to put pressure on. Manneh was hurt during the second half of overtime and had to leave the game.
Western Michigan had a golden opportunity to score early, but Michael Masumpa’s shot hit the post and bounded away with just under 13 minutes left in the first half.
Action started picking up during the last eight minutes of regulation as both sides upped the energy offensively. Late in the second half, Masumpa made a dash to the net, but was blocked by a Liggett defender, potentially saving the game.
Doug Wood also had a shot on goal that would’ve been a game-winner had it not hit the post. Masumpa had a chance to win the game late in overtime, but got his feet tangled and missed the shot.
Liggett junior keeper Sam Sword, like Goorman for WMC, had nine saves not counting his stops during the shootout.
“They get to lift the trophy, but I couldn’t be more proud of how we represented ourselves,’’ said Liggett coach David Dwaihy. “It’s a really good thing to feel and deal with and move on from.''
Click for the full scoring summary.
PHOTOS: (Top) Western Michigan Christian hoists it first Finals championship trophy Saturday since 2010. (Middle) Liggett’s Nolan Ondersma (8) works to out-maneuver WMC’s Brevin Byrne.