(Have photos to go with this story? Email pics to Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and also list the photo credit as well.)
MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK: MSN NEWS: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/msnnews
BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Michigan Soccer Network | Premier Media Group and affiliates
BUSINESS LINE: (248) 525-2349
CELL PHONE: (248) 884-1051
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @LocalSportsFans @MiSoccerNetwork
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Just three weeks ago, Grand Rapids Christian was climbing the Division 2 charts with a bullet and knocked off area rival Grand Rapids Christian 5-0 in a non-conference game.
Grand Rapids Christian took that September 26 loss to heart and more than remembered that defeat.
The Eagles, the defending Division 2 state champs and honorable mention in the MIHSSCA polls, shocked third-ranked and highly-explosive South Christian 3-2 Saturday in a game played at Eagles Stadium on the campus of Grand Rapids Christian.
The win, Grand Rapids Christian’s sixth straight after being shell-shocked by South Christian, came in the highly-anticipated Division 2 district championship match and it keeps the Eagles’ hopes very much alive for a possible third state title in four seasons.
South Christian, which is up in Division 2 for the first time after competing in Division 3 for the past couple decades, came into the contest with a stellar 80-7 scoring edge – that’s a 3.81 goals-a-game scoring average and a team goals-against-average of just a paltry 0.34 for the season over 21 games. Those were some of the best averages in all of Division 2, and the Eagles defense found a way to limit South Christian’s dangerous long throw-ins and an array of goal-scorers in the match for the better part of 80 minutes.
And it took a full 80 minutes to gain some major measure of revenge and net the upset on the state tournament stage where it counts the most.
Grand Rapids Christian (15-6-1) found a way to slow down the Sailors’ high-powered offense with a multitude of weapons while putting up three goals on the stout South Christian defense – a defense that had not conceded more than three goals in a single game all season and allowed just four schools to even score on its back line before the district finals.
The schools that scored on South Christian prior to the district finals were Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central ( 3-1 loss), Holland Christian (1-1 tie), Grand Rapids Union (4-1 win) and Wayland Union twice (3-1 regular-season win and 7-1 district win).
The Sailors posted shutouts in 16 of 21 games coming into the district finals contest – yet the Eagles found a way to put up a three-spot on South Christian while cooling the Sailors down to only a pair of goals in the match.
Grand Rapids Christian (15-6-1) made sure it became just the fifth school to find the back of the net against South Christian and hand the Sailors just their second defeat of the campaign.
The Eagles never trailed and eventually led 3-1 at the halftime break.
Grand Rapids Christian held off the Sailors down the stretch for the upset.
South Christian (18-2-2) had not loss since the 3-1 setback to Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central back on Aug. 19 in the season opener and were on a 20-game unbeaten streak (18-0-2) where the Sailors conceded just four goals in that 20-game stretch.
Junior Emmett Vance headed home a cross from senior Peter Borst in the fifth minute to put Grand Rapids Christian up 1-0.
South Christian leveled the score in the 15th minute when senior Will Kuiphof broke loose in the box, beat a defender and tucked in a close-range shot into the near post.
The Eagles stormed back and tacked on two more goals in the first half to take the lead for the second time – a lead they would not relinquish.
Senior John Cassiday converted a penalty kick after Borst was tripped up in the box in the 30th minute, while Vance netted the brace when he scored off a pass from Cassiday in the 36th minute, which proved to be the eventual game-winner.
South Christian began to apply tons of pressure to try to get back into the game with the talented Kuiphof finally drawing the Sailors close with a goal in the 79th minute to trim the deficit down to 3-2.
South Christian continued to shove everything including the kitchen sink at the Eagles’ defense, but Grand Rapids Christian junior goalkeeper Josh Dykema collected a shot in the box with around 10 seconds remaining to preserve the victory.
Defensively, Soren White, Abel denDulk and Tyler Wolters combined forces to slow down one of the state’s most potent offenses and limit them to just two goals — just the sixth time that South Christian scored two or fewer goals this season.
The Eagles have outscored their last six opponents by a 21-6 margin with one shutout in that stretch and have also won seven of their last eight matches overall. Grand Rapids Christian owns a 62-26 scoring edge for the season with seven shutouts.
With the win, red-hot Grand Rapids Christian advances to the regional semifinals Oct. 23 where they will face unranked Sturgis at 5 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Steve Upton Field.
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / Michigan Soccer Network / National Soccer Network
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com or dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-884-1051 or 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com and jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
(MSN will compile a random sampling of game results from around the state each day. To send in results from high school varsity, club, amateur, pre-pro, semi-pro or professional soccer, email all pertinent details to Communications Specialist / Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com or submit information right on the correct link on the MSN website at https://www.michigansoccernetwork.com/reportascore. Please submit the competing teams, location and date of game, final score, overall and league records, goals, assists, goalkeepers and saves, standout defenders, players of the match, and any other pertinent details of the game. If there are courtesy action photos available, feel free to submit them at the above-listed emails.)
MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/misoccernetwork
Twitter/X: @MiSoccerNetwork, @msn_stickradt
Instagram: www.instagram.com/misoccernetwork/
(Have photos to go with this story? Email pics to Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and also list photo credit as well.)
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 41-50: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/post/boys-soccer-super-50-teams-positions-41-50
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 31-40: https://www.michigansoccernetwork.com/post/boys-soccer-msn-super-50-teams-positions-31-40
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 21-30: BOYS SOCCER: MSN Super 50 Teams Positions 21-30:
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 11-20:
BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 1-10:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE
Interested in internships in broadcasting, communications, journalism, public relations or sales and marketing in the sports world? The Premier Media Group is seeking applications for current college students or students entering their senior or junior years of high school that have a career interest in working in different capacity of a constantly-evolving media world.
Contact both Broadcast Director Jonathan Turner at 248-525-2083 or jonathan@thepremeiermediagrp.com and Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at (248) 525-2349 and dstickradt@thepremeiermediagrp.com.
Comments