Undefeated Saline Claims 1st Finals Win
June 13, 2015
By Dan Stickradt
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING — Saline helped redefine the term “team soccer” this season.
The Hornets put together one of the most impressive seasons in Class A/Division 1 history, cultivated by a 4-0 blanking of Grand Blanc in the Division 1 Final on Saturday at Michigan State University’s DeMartin Stadium.
Saline finished this spring with a brilliant 0.16 goals-against-average over 25 games with 22 shutouts, the most in Class A/Division 1 history and third-most overall on the MHSAA record list. Hudsonville Unity Christian’s 24 shutouts in 27 games during 2011 is the all-time best.
“Our chemistry is amazing,” said Saline senior goalkeeper Sophia Sweier, a second-team all-state keeper last season and one of Michigan’s top net minders this season. “A lot of us have been playing together for years with (club and high school) and that makes a difference. We are so close.”
The championship was Saline’s first in girls soccer.
“I think it was really at the end of last season when we thought that this could be a special season for us,” said Saline coach Dana Restrick, whose team broke several team and individual school records this spring. “Last year we lost to a nearly-unbeatable team in Northville (in the Regional Final). We played really well in that loss. We had a lot of players coming back this season, and I think that we really got a taste of what it takes to get to that next level.
“A lot of my seniors have played together since they were 7 or something,” continued Restrick. “The chemistry is definitely there. We coach them very specifically on what to do at all times. These girls are so coachable. They take everything that we say and do what we coach them to do in different scenarios. This is something that we have been building for the last couple of years. That we came together and played as a team is what helped us achieve the goal of being state champions.”
Unbeaten Saline, which finished the campaign 22-0-3 and entered the postseason ranked sixth, opened the scoring with 32:41 left in the first half. Senior Danielle Rathfon’s shot rang off the crossbar and goal post and senior Molly O’Sullivan was there to pounce on the rebound from close range.
The Hornets, making their first-ever appearance in an MHSAA Final, pushed the advantage to 2-0 with 30:18 still left in the opening half when junior Allison Luurtsema’s long shot from near the touch line sailed above traffic and deflected off the fingertips of Grand Blanc goalkeeper Amy Puidokas and into the far corner of the goal.
Saline, which outshot Grand Blanc 8-5 over the first 40 minutes, cashed in again with 23:22 remaining in the first half when senior Taylor Mulder redirected a cross from senior Amanda Zylsra and tucked the ball home from three yards out.
Grand Blanc put plenty of pressure on Saline’s bend-but-don’t-break defense in the second half, posting a 6-4 shots edge. But to no avail.
Saline capped the scoring late in the contest when Mulder scored her 43rd goal of the season, a single-season school record, with 1:28 remaining in the contest.
Saline closed its run with nine straight shutouts, including seven during the postseason. The last team to score on the Hornets was Ann Arbor Skyline (in a 5-1 win) in the third-to-last game of the regular season. Saline also gave up a goal to Skyline in mid-April and two goals to Brighton in early April.
“To go down 2-0 was tough. I think the third goal was what really broke our back,” conceded veteran Grand Blanc coach Greg Kehler. “That team gave up only four goals all season, so that was a tough wall to climb. I thought we could put pressure on them and possibly score. But they are a great defensive team. Dana Restrick’s team is great — they are as good as advertised. They are very good in the back, very organized, they possess well and they have a lot of players who can finish.
“Saline defines the principals of defending,” noted Kehler. “They got it all. If they weren’t pressuring the ball, they had someone nearby, a cover defender back there to balance the field for them. That’s an experienced team, very well coached. They are very good. No shame losing to that team.”
The Hornets outscored the opposition 104-4 this season, and the four goals against is tied for third fewest allowed in a single season in MHSAA history. Record-holder Livonia Stevenson gave up one goal during the 1997 campaign en route to the Class A championship.
Defensively, Saline held Grand Blanc’s Annie Walker, one of the frontrunners for Miss Soccer, in check. The Hornets’ organized defensive schemes didn’t allow the Bobcats much breathing room all afternoon, constantly covering to quickly plug holes and frustrate Grand Blanc’s attack.
Saline outshot Grand Blanc 12-10 and was opportunistic by finishing four of the six shots on target.
“Annie Walker is an amazing player, and we knew we had to keep someone near her at all times,” Restrick said. “She’s extremely dangerous. And I think that goes back to our defense, always covering for one another. We always make sure that we don’t give the opposing team much space. And it’s not like we outshot them by much. We were fortunate enough to be able to finish (our chances). We have a lot of girls that can score.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Saline players rush the field to celebrate with teammates their first MHSAA girls soccer title. (Middle) Saline’s Taylor Mulder (1) works to stay ahead of Grand Blanc’s Alexiss Trudeau.
Williamston Makes Top Ranking Stand with Historic Championship Win
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
June 18, 2022
EAST LANSING – Williamston made its third appearance in an MHSAA Girls Soccer Final on Saturday. And for the third time, the Hornets were seeking their first championship against longtime powerhouse Hudsonville Unity Christian.
Williamston had lost Finals to the Crusaders in overtime in 2008 and 1-0 in 2010. But consider any lingering Unity nightmares over for the Hornets.
Junior Breyer Fenech blasted in a shot off an assist from Kaley Douglass with 1 minute, 21 seconds to play as Williamston pulled out a heart-stopping 3-2 victory in the Division 3 championship game at Michigan State’s DeMartin Stadium.
“Kaley put it right on my foot,’’ said Fenech. “She and Liz (Bellinger) are both going to play in college. They are great players. They know how to play. I don’t play mid that much, but unfortunately one of our midfielders got hurt the last game. I kind of saw Kaley coming down and I saw an opening and I called for the ball, she was able to get it through and I put it away.’’
Said Douglass: “It was all her. She called for the ball, and I heard her immediately. I slid it through, and it was all her. If she hadn’t gotten my attention, I probably wouldn’t have known she was there. She was the one that finished it, and I’m so thankful she did.’’
The Hornets (17-2-1) entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in Division 1, and Unity Christian (21-2-1) was ranked No. 2.
Unity hadn’t lost since falling to Division 1 contender Hudsonville in the Crusaders’ season opener.
“Their second goal turned the game around,’’ said Unity coach Randy Heethius. “The winning goal was a thing of beauty. Give them a lot of credit. They are a good team. Obviously, we’re disappointed with the way the game turned out. We’re young. I think we have a chance to get back.’’
Super freshman Ava Lutke gave the Crusaders a 2-1 lead with her 26th goal of the season with just over 21 minutes left in regulation. It appeared to be enough.
However, the goal of the game was a 45-yard blast 11 minutes later from senior midfielder Bellinger, a free kick that landed in the right corner of the Unity net.
“It brought a lot of energy; I wasn’t even expecting that,’’ said Bellinger. “I was just trying to get one in there. I think it did bring our energy up. I practice that every single day, hitting balls and redoing it. It was exactly what I was hoping for. We were storming the net and it went in, which is what we were hoping for.’’
Hornets coach Steve Horn wasn’t surprised.
“We’ve been waiting for that,’’ he said of Bellinger. “That was a fantastic free kick. She hit that top shelf. We’ve seen that from Liz all year. We have some great players and some good role players. That was a coming out for Liz. I have been waiting for that for a few games.’’
And it fired up her teammates.
“When she hit that I said this isn’t over. We have 10 minutes left,’’ said Douglass.
The Crusaders entered Saturday having won 10 girls soccer Finals titles – the second-most of any school – with three runner-up finishes, but hadn’t been in a championship game since 2016 when they lost to Flint Powers Catholic.
Williamston’s Emma Gorsline, a junior midfielder, wasn’t at full strength because of a hamstring injury. She was one of seven players who had made either first- or second-team all-state or honorable mention in 2021.
It was amazing that Williamston goalie Abby Pieper was even playing, after suffering a concussion during hockey season and an eye injury that kept her from seeing for a month.
“I think I played about 10 games this year,’’ said a jubilant Pieper. “I had some vision loss. I started feeling better late April, early May. It was a quick season for me, but it paid off.’’
Junior forward Olivia Bosworth, with an assist from Jade Taylor, got the Crusaders on the board less than five minutes into the game to give Unity Christian a 1-0 lead.
A collision in front of the Crusaders' goal 6:05 into the game led to a Douglass penalty shot, which she drove into the net to tie the score at 1-1.
Both teams had chances over the final 33 minutes of the first half, but weren’t able to convert.
Lutke had a great shot to open the second half, but it was stopped by Pieper.
PHOTOS (Top) Williamston’s Kaley Douglass fires a penalty shot during Saturday’s Division 3 Final at DeMartin Stadium. (Middle) The Hornets celebrate during their first championship victory.