BY DAN STICKRADT
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST | WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
PH: (248) 884-1051
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @LocalSportsFans @MiSoccerNetwork
WATERFORD, Mich. – Jackson Lumen Christi is simply not the same team at the end of the season as it was at the beginning of the 2024 campaign.
After starting 5-7-0 and being outscored 27-24 in their first 10 games that included just three shutouts and four games where they were left off the scoreboard, the unranked Titans have more than turned the tables down the stretch.
Lumen Christi moved to 8-2-0 in its last 10 games and captured their eighth straight victory Tuesday night, as the Titans rallied past eighth-ranked Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 3-1 in the Division 4 state semifinals at Waterford Kettering High School.
The Titans (13-7-0) move on to face sixth-ranked and defending state champion Kalamazoo Christian at 1 p.m. Friday in the Division 4 state finals at Michigan State University’s DeMartin Stadium.
This marked Lumen Christi’s first appearance in the state finals in 24 years and just the second in school history. The Titans played in their sixth Final Four in program but moved to 2-4 in state semifinals games with the win over the Lancers.
Lumen Christi’s only other state finals appearance came back in 2000 when the Titans lost to perennial power Detroit Country Day (1-0).
Oakland Christian finishes 16-5-0 and was making its first-ever appearance in the state semifinals in program history. The previous week, the Lancers advanced to the regional finals for the first time and also captured their first-ever regional crown with an double-overtime win over 11th-ranked Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (2-1).
Oakland Christian, which outscored the opposition 107-32 this season with seven shutouts – 24-8 in the postseason – was able to get on the board first with 30:58 remaining in the first half on a nice individual effort from junior midfielder Jessica Reyes. One of the top players in Division 4, Reyes maneuvered through several defenders and into the box before slipping in a 15-year shot into the back of the net for her team’s 107th goal of the season and her 20th tally of the campaign.
That lead stood firm into halftime and into the second half.
Playing in their first state semifinals match since 2003, the unranked Titans were able to knot the score at 1-1 with 34:35 remaining in the second half on a close-range goal from sophomore forward Paige LeFere scored off a cross from senior forward Brooke Lefere.
Then the floodgates opened in the waning moments of the contest.
Junior midfielder Paityn Patino netted what proved to be the game winner with 2:03 remaining off a slotted pass from Brooke Lefere. The Titans also added an insurance tally with 45 seconds remaining when Oakland Christian had most of its players pushed up trying to net an equalizer and Brooke Lefere was able to cruise in alone and net a breakaway goal to cap the scoring.
The Titans’ defense clamped down on Oakland Christian’s talented offense and only allowed the first half goal. NCAA Division I University of North Carolina-Ashville commit and junior center back Kathleen Doane anchored Lumen Christi’s rejuvenated back line that has only conceded six goals during the final 10 games for the Titans, who have scored 32 goals in that time span.
(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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