BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR
Twitter: @MiSoccerNetwork
TEMPERANCE, Mich. – Sometimes throughout the course of the season, one team can simply have another team’s number.
That is the case this season for Division 1 second-ranked Ann Arbor Skyline.
After going 1-0-1 against nearby rival Slaine during the regular season and winning the Southeastern Conference-Red Division title outright, the Eagles upended Saline once again on the big stage Saturday.
Skyline scored in just the second minute and the defense made it stand in a 1-0 Division 1 district finals victory over fourth-ranked Saline at Temperance-Bedford High School.
Skyline (15-1-2) compiled 25 points over an 8-1-1 league season to win the SEC-Red with Saline (14-2-3) finishing second at 7-1-2 for 23 points.
Saline tied Skyline twice during the 2023 regular season (0-0 and 1-1) before knocking out the Eagles 2-1 in double-overtime in last year’s district finals clash.
Skyline more than remembered that defeat to the Hornets one year ago.
Senior midfielder Brianna Ferguson knocked home a cross from senior midfielder Lucy Serlin just 1:30 into Saturday’s contest and senior Sophia Nehro and the Eagles stout defense cooled down Saline’s high-powered attack for 80 minutes in recording Skyline’s 13th shutout of the campaign.
Skyline – whose only loss came against city rival Ann Arbor Pioneer 1-0 on May 14 – has outscored the opposition 57-6 this season with the team’s goals-against-average being lowered down to 0.34.
Saline finishes with an eye-catching 93-12 scoring edge with 10 shutouts but were shut out three times this season including twice by Skyline.
The second-ranked Eagles head to Ypsilanti Lincoln Tuesday for their regional semifinals clash with Salem at 5 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS CENTRAL 4, EAST GRAND RAPIDS 1: After a rough week where the Rangers fell in the Ottawa Kent Conference-White Division semifinals to East Grand Rapids (2-0) and to top-seeded Byron Center (5-0) in the conference tournament third-place game, seventh-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central has been revamped for the Division 2 state tournament.
The Rangers captured three more wins over the past 10 days, including a 4-1 victory Saturday over sixth-ranked East Grand Rapids in the district finals.
Teresa Grooters served in a ball to an onrushing Aubrey Leetsma who buried a two-yard sitter early in the second half to give the Rangers (15-5-1) a 2-1 advantage.
Sydney Ryan finished off a pass from Gigi Sinicrope and Leetsma scored off a pass from Abby Busch to cap the scoring for Forest Hills Central, which owns a 63-19 scoring edge this season with 13 shutouts but gave up seven goals in a two-game stretch in late May during the conference tournament.
Addison Reuter made 10 saves in the winning effort for the Rangers, who will face top-ranked Spring Lake at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the regional semifinals at Cedar Springs. Sinicrope, Grooters, freshman Violet Belsito and Busch starred defensively for Forest Hills Central.
Junior Mollie Brandstadt scored for East Grand Rapids (14-5-1), which tied the game at 1-1 midway through the first half. The Pioneers recently won the OKC-White Division Tournament and has outscored its opposition 62-18 this season.
East Grand Rapids was the Division 2 state runner-up last season.
STEVENSEVILLE-LAKESHORE 2, VICKSBURG 1: Host Vicksburg took a 1-0 lead in the first half, but Division 2 fifth-ranked Stevensville-Lakeshore had the last laugh with two second-half goals enroute to the district finals victory.
Preslee Perkins and Abby Hoss scored in the second-half for the Lancers and Sophie delaForet made five saves on six shots for Lakeshore.
Ella Rohrstaff scored for Vicksburg.
Lakeshore has now outscored its opposition 53-17 this season with five shutouts and finished third in a competitive Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference.
The Lancers will head to the Richland-Gull Lake regional Tuesday to face eighth-ranked Mason at 5 p.m. in the regional semifinals.
SPRING LAKE 2, ALLENDALE 0: Top-ranked Spring Lake advance to the regional semifinals with this shutout win Friday over Allendale.
Freshman Aveya Patino and senior Clara Howe scored the goals and the Lakers’ defensive unit shut down the Falcons attack.
Senior Jessica Stewart notched the shutout for Spring Lake (13-2-5), who face seventh-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Division 2 regional semifinals at Cedar Springs High School.
Spring Lake has now outscored its opposition 65-15 this season and the district finals win was th 11th clean sheet of the season for Stewart.
GRAND RAPIDS NORTHPOINTE CHRISTIAN 3, MUSKEGON WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN 2: NorthPointe Christian’s offense has been on fire this season was enough to down top-ranked Western Michigan Christian in Saturday’s Division 4 district finals.
The seventh-ranked Mustangs (16-3-2) have outscored the opposition 78-20 this season with 10 shutouts, but it was the offense that simply outscored the Warriors Saturday.
Stella Oviatt scored in the 65th minute off a cross from Sophie Stob which proved to be the game-winner for NorthPointe Christian. Stob and tied the game in the 28th minute and put the and Mustangs up 2-1 in the 29th minute.
Emersyn Pang staked Wester Michigan Christian (11-2-2) with a 1-0 advantage in the 10th minute, while Nora Pollock tied the game at 2-2 in the 50th minute.
NorthPointe Christian advances to the regional semifinals Tuesday against Shelby with a 5 p.m. contest against unranked Shelby (9-9-2) at Big Rapids High School.
(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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