Powers Withstands Freeland's Late Strike
June 16, 2018
By Keith Dunlap
Special for Second Half
WILLIAMSTON – The Flint Powers Catholic girls soccer team hadn’t experienced a figurative bolt of lightning like this during its MHSAA Tournament run.
Holding on to a one-goal lead and just over 20 minutes from clinching another title – and having not allowed a goal in the playoffs to that point – Powers saw Freeland make a play Saturday and not only score on Powers, but tie the game and make it a brand new contest for the Division 3 championship.
However, Powers’ outage was only temporary.
“At first, we were like ‘Oh, they got us,’” Powers junior Rachel Rasins said. “But we have great energy and great attitude. We all picked it up right away, and we got it back.”
Powers certainly did get it back, as Rasins scored her second goal of the game with 15:43 remaining to give the Chargers a 2-1 victory and their second straight championship.
Powers also beat Freeland in last year’s Final, but it was a different game in the rematch.
Freeland was making its first appearance in a girls soccer championship game last year, and nerves at the start seemed to play a role in Powers jumping out to a 3-0 lead by halftime en route to a 4-0 victory.
Feeling more comfortable this time around, Freeland played Powers a lot more even, but just couldn’t contain Rasins on a couple different scoring attempts.
With 8:52 remaining in the first half, Rasins got loose in the left corner of the box and fired a shot that snuck between the goalkeeper and a defender along the near side of the post to give Powers a 1-0 lead.
Freeland started to generate chances in the second half and came close hitting the crossbar with just under 30 minutes remaining.
The Falcons got the board with 21:12 to go. Freshman forward Molly Hemgesberg took a pass from senior Mackenzie Strobel with space in the box and rifled a shot into the net to tie the game at 1-1.
But Rasins rose up again just as it appeared overtime was around the corner.
With 15:43 remaining, Rasins took the ball off of a short corner kick and found space once again in the left side of the box, taking advantage by ripping a hard shot past the keeper and into the net to give Powers a 2-1 lead.
“I was thinking to serve, but (the defender) left that whole gap,” Rasins said. “It was right there.”
Powers finished a season that carried the weight of expectations from the beginning, given the quality and quantity it returned from last year’s title-winning team.
The Chargers finished 23-1-3, with their only loss to Division 1 runner-up Grand Blanc.
“We had that target on our back being state champs last year and being ranked No. 1 all year,” Powers coach Art Moody said. “The girls recognized that target on their back. Freeland wasn’t scared of us at all, which was great for them.”
Freeland outshot Powers in the second half by a 9-4 margin and had six corner kicks in the half after being outplayed statistically in the first.
For the game, Powers held a 12-11 edge in shots and an 8-6 edge in corner kicks.
The Falcons finished 22-5 and mounted another impressive run to the Final despite being ranked only No. 18 entering the postseason.
“It was a really good game,” Freeland coach Lauren Kemerer said. “It was fast-paced. It was back-and-forth. In the second half, I thought we were the better team. We just couldn’t finish.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Flint Powers Catholic’s Rachel Rasins (20) battles Freeland’s Hannah Doran for possession Saturday. (Middle) Powers’ Kennedy Myers winds up for a shot.
Team of the Month: Plainwell Girls Soccer
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 12, 2022
The Plainwell girls soccer team has given up one more goal this season than the number of seniors on the varsity roster.
That total of one goal is especially impressive given the team’s zero seniors as it continues to stand among the state’s elite in Division 2 with District play set to begin in two weeks.
The MHSAA/Applebee’s “Team of the Month” for April opened the season with seven straight shutouts during that month and extended the streak to 10 into the first week of May before finally surrendering a goal Monday against Dowagiac. But the Trojans came back with another shutout of Edwardsburg on Wednesday, bringing the total to 11 scoreless results during a 12-0 start for a team with seven juniors, eight sophomores, three freshmen and no one graduating this spring.
The majority of the lineup returned from last season’s 13-3-1 team that reached the District Final before falling in overtime. But factor this as well into the impressive start: The first six shutouts came with junior starting keeper Eliza Harris out and sophomore Evelyn Alward taking her place as the last line of defense.
This year’s team passed last year’s shutout total of eight nearly two weeks ago.
“We lost three seniors last year, but the girls stepped up in those spots,” Plainwell coach Garry Snyder said. “I think it’s the combination of a little bit more maturity, playing together, better team chemistry this year than last year. It’s something we’ve been working on and still continue to work on.”
Harris has been back in net since the last game in April, and a strong group in front of her limits opponents’ opportunities with junior Renae Jaeger at center back and juniors Gaby Zugel and Berlynn Conley flanking her. Junior Catey Engel and sophomore Brooklyn Timpe also are significant contributors from the defensive midfield spots, and sophomore Kailah Newcomb dips back to help as well.
Newcomb, a midfielder who Snyder notes for her exceptional vision on the field, leads the team with 14 goals and is tied with a team-best six assists. Sophomore forward Kayla Baar joined her as a standout freshman in 2021 and has 12 goals and five assists utilizing speed Snyder said is unmatched.
Zugel, who can play all over the pitch, has added nine goals, with Timpe and junior forward Nikki Faupel sending in six apiece. Faupel, who moved up front from outside mid this season, also shares the team lead with six assists.
Among Plainwell’s wins was a 1-0 shutout of Grand Rapids South Christian (13-2), which is ranked No. 3 in Division 3. The Trojans also have wins over three Division 1 opponents, and with one more victory can guarantee a share of a repeat Wolverine Conference title.
Then comes the postseason. Plainwell today would be the top seed of a daunting District that includes three one-loss teams. District pairings will be posted Sunday morning.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do,” Snyder said. “(We need to) make sure we take care of business and stay healthy. That’s the key; we’ve had a number of health issues, banged up here and there. (But) someone else is always willing to step up and get the job done.”
Past Teams of the Month, 2021-22
March: West Bloomfield girls basketball - Read
February: Cadillac girls skiing - Read
January: Hartland hockey - Read
December: Midland Dow girls basketball - Read
November: Reese girls volleyball - Read
October: Birmingham Groves boys tennis - Read