BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR
Twitter: @MiSoccerNetwork
PORTAGE, Mich. – Portage Central is living by the motto that defense really does win championships.
The Division 1 fifth-ranked Mustangs already have one trophy and banner to add to the trophy case and gymnasium wall, respectively, and hope to add some more championship hardware to their resume in the upcoming weeks.
Portage Central has traditionally done so with stout defense and nothing has changed this year.
“We do take pride in our defense,” said Portage Central coach Tim Halloran, who has coached club and high school soccer at various levels since 1990. “We’ve had some good defensive teams here in the past and I think the way we defend makes teams work a little harder to (find) scoring chances.”
Portage Central reached the Division 1 Final Four two years ago, while the Mustangs lost in the regional finals last year to eventual state runner-up Hudsonville. Portage Central beat Hudsonville in the regional finals two years ago.
The Mustangs have always fielded a competitive side but have not captured a state crown since doing so in both 2002 and 2009. Those teams were led by Miss Soccer winners Lindsay Tarpley (2002) and Paige Webster (2009), a pair of prep All-America forwards who led the way.
“I’ve been around a long time,” said Halloran, who has coached at multiple schools such as Portage Northern, Kalamazoo Loy-Norrix and Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep and enjoyed success whatever he has roamed the sidelines. “I do understand that it’s never easy and there are so many good teams out there. Everything has to go right, and you have to be a little lucky sometimes.
“Two years ago, we lost to Hudsonville early in the season, but we beat them in the regional finals 1-0. Last year we beat them in the season opener, but they got us in the regional finals,” offered Halloran. “Hudsonville is very good again. We could see them again if we both can get out of our districts and make runs. But we have to win our district first and there are some teams out there that would love to beat us.”
Portage Central may not have that high caliber of player on this year’s roster as they did during those 2002, 2009 and 2022 seasons, but collectively they are a talented, tight-knit group of solid club players that have banded together to form another winning recipe for the Mustangs.
And that defense?
Portage Central enters Wednesday’s Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Tournament finals as the No. 1 seed, having gone 8-1-0 in regular season play inside the 10-school conference. The Mustangs have outscored the opposition 50-5 this season with 10 shutouts – 37-3 in nine conference games with seven clean sheets – and only one school has scored more than one goal on the stout Portage Central defense.
In the SMAC conference tournament semifinals the Mustangs opened up with – you guessed it – another shutout, as they recorded a 2-0 victory over Division 2 fifth-ranked Stevensville Lakeshore to set the stage for a grudge match with longtime nemesis Richland Gull Lake, ranked third in Division 2, in the conference tournament finals. Those same Blue Devils defeated Portage Central 2-1 in a conference game back on April 24 to be the only school to boot home two goals on the Mustangs.
Overall, the Mustangs have a 0.36 team goals-against-average late in the regular season.
“I think the girls are looking forward to playing them again,” said Halloran. “There have been a lot of times we’ve met them in our conference tournament. Last year Mattawan won the regular season, but we got them in the tournament.”
Traditionally, Portage Central has always fielded defensive-minded teams, especially post-Covid seasons. From 2021 through 2024, the Mustangs have recorded a combined 50 shutouts.
In 2021 when the current seniors were freshmen, the Mustangs finished 15-3-1, placed second in the SMAC regular season standings (7-1-1), defeated Richland Gull Lake 1-0 in a shootout in the conference tournament finals, and outscored the opposition 64-14 with 11 shutouts. After winning a district championship, the run ended in the Division 1 regional semifinals to an explosive Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central squad (4-0), a rare four-goal loss by the Mustangs. Forest Hills Central advanced to the Final Four that season.
Portage Central came back even stronger in 2022 and put up some impressive numbers all over the field, not just defensively but offensively as well. The Mustangs outscored the opposition 91-8 on the year and set the single-season school record with 19 shutouts, one of the top 10 best efforts in state history. Portage Central finished 19-5-0 overall, including first at 8-1-0 in the SMAC regular season, lost to Richland Gull Lake 2-1 in the conference tournament finals before setting the stage for a long tournament run.
Portage Central dropped a 1-0 decision to eventual Division 1 state champion Bloomfield Hills in the state semifinals in 2022, ending one of the best seasons in school history. That was the first time the Mustangs had reached the Final Four since 2009.
Last year PC’s numbers dropped slightly but the success story and tradition carried onward. The Mustangs finished 15-3-3 overall, placed second in the SMAC standings behind champion Mattawan, but the team was able to avenge Mattawan in the conference tournament finals with a 3-2 overtime victory. Overall, Portage Central recorded 10 more clean sheets and outscored its foes 48-14 during the 2023 campaign.
As for this year, Portage Central would love to take another long journey into the state tournament and perhaps make it an incredible one. Teams are having a difficult time scoring on the Mustangs while offensively, PC boasts a balanced attack.
Senior Mia Hesley, a four-year varsity veteran who has committed to NCAA Division III Hope College, is this year’s anchor. Hesley was All-State honorable Mention last season. Fellow senior Alana Simmons, who has signed with NAIA national powerhouse Spring Arbor University, has also been a staple on defense but has added seven goals on the offensive end. Seniors Marissa Talbott and Mallory Semelbauer, junior Kaeli Mason, sophomore Sophia Sanborn and freshman Jillian Mills have also aided the defensive effort.
Junior Allie Rearick, a converted goalkeeper two years ago, has been a sure-handed and steady presence between the pipes.
“She’s been playing really well back there. We moved her to goalie a couple of years ago and she has worked really hard to get better and it is really starting to show,” praised Halloran. “And out defense has been so consistent.”
Junior Anna Pellegrini, who came off the bench last season, leads the Mustangs in scoring with nine goals in her first season as a starter. Senior Maddie Crowley is a veteran who has added seven goals and the aforementioned Simmons also has seven tallies, as the offensive production is fairly spread out.
Juniors Katie McLaughlin (M), Lauren Tooley (M) Kyra Gardner (F), Madison Cutler (F) and Kate Bumgarner (M), seniors Emma Sanborn (M), Elise Martinson (M/F) Elise Dimick (M), sophomores Claire Pierce (M) and Delaney Oreilly (M) and freshman Kaitlyn Lam (M/F) are some of the other players that Halloran has worked into the rotation in the midfield or up top at forward.
“We’re very balanced offensively,” admitted Halloran. “We have a lot of girls that can finish. We don’t have any girls that are going to score 25-30 goals and we don’t have a ton of girls playing ECNL (club) soccer. A lot of our girls play on good club teams and they are girls that want to play high school soccer and want to be here.”
But defense has been the bread and better thrown into the mixture of success.
“Each team is a little bit different, but I would say that our strength is our defense,” noted Halloran.
So far, defense has been the staple.
(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 of teams or players with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com, or call 248-884-1051. 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.)
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