Moment: VanDyke Wins Race to End Title Chase
May 7, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Maddy VanDyke already was known to be one of the state’s top soccer players – after graduating from Hudsonville Unity Christian, she went on to start most of four seasons for Michigan State.
But she also showed at the end of her last MHSAA Final to be quite a sprinter.
VanDyke picked up an incredibly-placed pass from Bethany Balcer and raced half the field and past two Detroit Country Day defenders to send home the overtime game-winner in the Division 3 Final on June 12, 2015, to give Unity a 2-1 win.
Country Day had scored the game’s first goal 18 minutes in and led until Unity evened things up with 17 minutes to play in regulation.
With just more than four minutes left in overtime, VanDyke picked up Balcer’s long pass just past midfield. She pushed her winning shot past a deflection by Country Day keeper Isabel Nino, who made the record book with 13 saves that game after also making 13 when the teams met in the 2014 Final, also a Unity win. Nino went on to play at University of Michigan.
Click for coverage from Second Half and see below for the game winner from the NFHS Network.
Be the Referee: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
November 1, 2022
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
A soccer match is about to start between two teams – one wearing road white uniforms and one wearing its home blues. It’s pretty easy to spot the referee in the middle of the field wearing a bright yellow referee jersey.
But what if the home team is nicknamed the Yellow Jackets and they are also wearing bright yellow jerseys?
Soccer officials come prepared. They have a number of different colored jerseys, so they can wear something that contrasts with both teams. While yellow is the default color, they can very easily change into a distinctive uniform if needed – as red, blue, green and black are also acceptable colors. They may even choose to wear a color different from what the goalkeepers are wearing. The last thing a referee wants is to be mistaken for a player on the field.
Previous Editions:
Oct. 18: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 11: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End Zone - Listen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - Listen