Finals Preview: 2012 Best Back for More
June 14, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A number of players taking the field at MHSAA Girls Soccer Finals on Saturday should be plenty familiar with the awe that accompanies competing in a championship game.
The Division 4 Final is a rematch of last season's Grandville Calvin Christian win over Waterford Our Lady/Clarkston Everest Collegiate. Reigning Division 2 champion Birmingham Marian is back, as is Troy – the runner-up the last two seasons in Division 1.
The one game without a familiar team is in Division 3. Although Grand Rapids South Christian and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep entered the postseason ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, neither has played in an MHSAA Final.
Below is Saturday's schedule, followed by a look at each team that will be playing.
Division 1 at Williamston, Noon
Grandville (14-7-1) vs Troy (14-6-3)
Division 2 at Williamston, 3 p.m.
Richland Gull Lake (20-1-1) vs Bloomfield Hills Marian (17-2-4)
Division 3 at Mason, Noon
Grand Rapids South Christian (21-1-3) vs Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (21-2-2)
Division 4 at Mason, 3 p.m.
Grandville Calvin Christian (17-2-4) vs Waterford Our Lady/Clarkston Everest (20-0)
Tickets cost $7. All Finals will be streamed live online at MHSAA.tv, with radio broadcasts available on MHSAAnetwork.com.
All statistics below are through at least the regular season, with most through teams' Regionals or Semifinals. (Click for links to brackets and scores.)
Division 1
GRANDVILLE
Record/rank: 14-7-1, unranked
Coach: Lewis Robinson, third season (45-16-4)
League finish: Third in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Rachael Braginton, soph. F; Delanie Bosworth, sr. D; Sydney Blitchok, fr. F. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Grandville has improved its win total all three seasons under Robinson, with three District titles, but is finishing off an unprecedented playoff run this weekend. The Bulldogs advanced in part by beating honorable mention Caledonia in the Regional Final and No. 3 Novi in Wednesday’s Semifinal. Grandville shut out three of those six postseason opponents after navigating a league that included No. 6 East Kentwood and No. 8 Rockford.
TROY
Record/rank: 14-6-3, unranked
Coach: Brian Zawislak, fifth season (80-22-18)
League finish: Fourth in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2003), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Sarah Troccoli, soph. M (12 goals, 8 assists); Alison Holland, sr. GK (0.69 GAA, 7 shutouts); Madison Hirsch, sr. F (5 goals, 4 assists).
Outlook: Troy has been on the cusp of the last two titles, falling in Finals to Novi and Okemos, respectively, the last two seasons. The Colts are on an 11-0-1 run after a bit of a slow start that did include 1-0 losses to three teams ranked among the top three in their respective divisions at the end of the regular season. Troy beat honorable mention Anchor Bay in the Regional Final and then No. 10 Rochester in a shootout in Wednesday’s Semifinal.
Division 2
BIRMINGHAM MARIAN
Record/rank: 17-2-4, No. 2
Coach: Barry Brodsky, 12th season (222-21-28)
League finish: Second in Detroit Catholic High School League Division 1
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2012), one runner-up finish.
Players to watch: Kelly Sweeney, sr. M (10 goals, 5 assists); Catherine Anger, sr. F (11 goals, 12 assists); Kaitlin Patouhas, fr. GK.
Outlook: All five of Marian’s titles have come over the last decade, including three over the last four seasons. Both losses and a tie this season came against top-ranked Livonia Ladywood, and the Mustangs beat honorable mention Avondale in the District Final and No. 6 Fenton in the Semifinal on the way to this weekend. Patouhas and senior Allison Conway have combined to allow only 12 goals.
RICHLAND GULL LAKE
Record/rank: 20-1-1, No. 3
Coach: Jeff Corstange, second season (33-7-2)
League finish: First in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East
Championship history: Class B champion 1992, four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Carley Rice, sr. M (17 goals, 18 assists); Rachel Fouts, jr. M (17 goals, 16 assists); Megan Harma, jr. GK (0.40 GAA, 15 shutouts).
Outlook: Gull Lake was a regular finalist during the 1990s and is back in a championship game for the first time since finishing runner-up in 1999. Junior Tabitha Boze and sophomore Amanda Pavletic each add 13 more goals to the team total, and junior Sydney Nikitas has scored 10. Gull Lake opened this season with nine shutouts in 10 games giving up a one goal only, in a 2-1 win over No. 8 Plainwell. The lone loss was 2-1 to honorable mention Stevensville Lakeshore in the regular-season finale.
Division 3
GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 21-1-3, No. 1
Coach: Jason Boersma, sixth season (91-30-12)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Jessica Owen, soph. F (15 goals, 12 assists); Kendra Haan, sr. F (13 goals, 11 assists); Emily Blankespoor, jr. GK (0.45 GAA, 14 shutouts).
Outlook: South Christian has been building toward this run, winning four straight District championships before then claiming its first Regional title last week. The Sailors eliminated reigning champion and No. 4-ranked Hudsonville Unity Christian in the Regional and also honorable mentions Delton Kellogg and Paw Paw during the tournament. Senior Kayla Diemer adds another 11 goals and seven assists splitting time in the midfield and on defense.
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP
Record/rank: 21-2-2, No. 2
Coach: Jim Stachura, fourth season (59-24-4)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic High School League AA
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Taylor Timko, jr. M (39 goals, 12 assists); Lindsey Klei, jr. F (12 goals, 11 assists); Alexandra Arnoldy, sr. GK (0.73 GAA, 12 shutouts).
Outlook: After making just its second Semifinal ever in 2012, Notre Dame has taken a first-time step into the season's final game. Notre Dame eliminated No. 3 Detroit Country Day, No. 9 Jackson Lumen Christi, honorable mention Grosse Ile and No. 8 Flint Powers Catholic along the way – and also beat Division 1 finalist Troy 3-0 during the regular season. Stachura was an assistant when Troy won the boys Division 1 title in 2003.
Division 4
GRANDVILLE CALVIN CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 17-2-4, No. 2
Coach: Tim TerHaar, 13th season (209-60-20)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver
Championship history: Division 4 champion 2012.
Players to watch: Camie Rietberg, jr. M (23 goals, 4 assists); Hilary Curry, soph. F (14 goals, 17 assists); Emily VanVliet, soph. F (13 goals, 17 assists), Natalie Curry, sr. M (14 goals, 10 assists)
Outlook: Calvin Christian has kept on cruising after winning its first championship a year ago, with losses this season only to Division 3 No. 4 Unity Christian and Division 2 No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian. The Squires beat No. 3 Kalamazoo Christian in the Semifinal to advance. Although they’ve scored 127 goals (5.5 per game), the defense has been just as impressive with freshman keeper Jordyn Postema posting 19 shutouts and giving up 0.43 goals per game.
WATERFORD OUR LADY/CLARKSTON EVEREST COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 20-0, No. 1
Coach: Katie Hearn, second season (38-1-2)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic High School League Intersectional
Championship history: Division 4 champion 2010, runner-up 2012.
Players to watch: Anna Robb, jr. F (29 goals, 9 assists), Alex Troy, fr. M (12 goals, 14 assists); Ava Doetsch, sr. F (14 goals, 12 assists); Jessica Parry, sr. M (14 goals, 12 assists); Lindsay Straw, jr. M (13 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: The Lakers are loaded with skilled scorers despite only three seniors on the team. Like with Calvin Christian, the defense has been incredibly steady as well – junior Megan Luttinen and her defenders didn’t give up more than one goal in a game this season until No. 4 Lansing Christian scored two in the Semifinal. Luttinen has 12 shutouts.
PHOTO: Troy's Madison Hirsch (22), here moving the ball ahead against Okemos in last season's Division 1 Final, hopes to help her team to its first championship since 2003. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Marian Continues D2 Dominance with 4th-Straight Title
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
June 18, 2021
EAST LANSING – Olivia DeConinck had a feeling Friday after she strode from her defensive position to join the Bloomfield Hills Marian attack on a corner kick.
The Mustangs senior and Bucknell soccer signee didn’t make the run she typically would for a header, and that left her in perfect position to score the goal that put her team on track for a fourth-straight MHSAA Division 2 Girls Soccer Finals title.
“I guess it was just instinct,” she said. “I’m not really sure, my body just kind of took over. I knew someone needed to be there, so I got there.”
Marian’s 3-0 victory gave the program its ninth title overall, as its hold on Division 2 soccer in the state has lasted since 2017 and even spanned a canceled season. This year’s team finished 13-3-1 and did not allow a goal throughout the postseason, outscoring its opponents 26-0 over six matches.
“We win because we have really good players,” Marian coach Barry Brodsky said. “They’re smart. They’re in the classroom very smart, and that makes coaching a pleasure.”
DeConinck’s instinctive play didn’t lead to the winning goal, nor did it come late enough in the game to be considered a game-sealer. But in making the score 2-0 early in the second half, it may have been the goal that took the most wind out of a Spring Lake team that felt very in the game up until that point.
When Marian freshman Elle Ervin extended the lead to 3-0 just 2 minutes, 30 seconds later, that became even more clear.
“I think the 1-0 lead, it still kind of got in their heads that they were just one goal away, one opportunity away from tying it up and getting back in the game,” DeConinck said. “I think once we put that second in there, we kind of proved our dominance and it lifted our spirits up.”
The goal came on what DeConinck described as a shot, but one she hoped one of her teammates could finish. She floated the ball to the opposite post, and it made its way into the net on its own. The official and the linesman conferred after the goal to make sure an offside Marian player had not had an impact on the play, and decided the goal stood.
“She’s been a full-time player since her freshman year, she’s going to Bucknell to play – she's a stud,” Brodsky said. “You get some studs on your team and you’re going to have a good team, and she’s one of them. She won’t like me saying it, but her two sisters before her were the same. I’ve had a DeConinck on the team since 2014, and this was the last one. They’re special. She’s a stud player, and a stud athlete, and a stud student, and a stud person.”
Ervin opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game, finishing after a goalmouth scramble. She had another chance midway through the first half, as she was left alone in the box for a header, but Spring Lake keeper Jessica Stewart was there to make the save.
Ervin, a freshman, was the team’s leading scorer on the season with 24 goals, and she’s one of 17 players who could return next season. So, while the Mustangs will graduate seven senior starters, there’s plenty of firepower remaining.
“Coming in at the very beginning, I did not know what to expect,” Ervin said. “I just knew we had a lot of people coming back with these seniors who had won two championships already, and I didn’t know what role I was going to play. Right when I came in, all of them were so accepting, and I was like, ‘Whoa, I am totally part of this team.’ We had our first couple games, and I realized I had to play a big role. I had to step up, even as a freshman.”
Spring Lake (15-4-2), which was making its first Finals appearance, had its own opportunities in the half, mostly off the foot of junior forward Meah Bajt. She powered one off the crossbar not long after Ervin’s goal and created her own breakaway chance near the midpoint of the half, but her shot spun wide of the Marian net.
The second half, however, was all Marian, as Mustangs keeper Izabel Toma had to make just one save in the game, and it came in the first half. Spring Lake’s Stewart, meanwhile, made eight stops.
“It was a crazy, crazy ride,” Spring Lake coach Becky May said. “I just threw a bunch of kids out there – they were in middle school last year – and now they’re playing on this big stage. You could just tell they were young, and there were mistakes made that were young mistakes, and we’ll work on them. But they have a ton of heart, and we got farther than anybody ever thought we would.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Marian's Emily Rassel (17) considers her next move Friday while Spring Lake's Ryann Gilchrist defends. (Middle) The Mustangs' Elle Ervin (10) winds up for a shot with the Lakers' Kate Lewkowski (17) in pursuit.