Trojans earn share of Lakes 8 title

Tue, May 20, 2008

SPRING LAKE — Some would argue that the soccer superiority in the Lakes Eight Conference has shifted from Fruitport toward Spring Lake the past two seasons.

But with one convincing victory at Spring Lake Soccer Field Monday, Fruitport proved it's a league that's clearly two-sided.

The Trojans displayed a burning intensity from the opening whistle and their defense completely took Spring Lake out of its game in a 2-0 victory. The two rivals now must settle for being co-champions of the Lakes Eight, after the Lakers finished undefeated in the conference regular season.

"Who likes a tie?" asked Fruitport coach David Hulings. "But the bottom line is these are two very good teams and both teams deserved a piece of (the title)."

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"We've had control of (the conference) since my freshman year and it just tore us apart inside that Spring Lake took it away from us last year," Trojans' junior sweeper Shelby Gotaas said. "Tonight we wanted to step up and show them that we deserved to be mentioned as champs, too."

Fruitport lit up the scoreboard with 18 minutes, 58 seconds showing on the clock in the first half, a score few thought would be the eventual game-winner. Trojans' junior forward Jamie Adams created the opportunity, sending a shot on goal, battling for the rebound and then finding freshman teammate Linsye Haan uncovered. Haan deposited a solid shot to the right corner, just out of the reach of Lakers' goalie Rachel Kilbry.

By the half, it was clear that the Trojans had outworked Spring Lake (12-2-3 overall), a fact that burned Lakers' coach Jeremy Thelen afterward.

"We played like prom was on Saturday and they were more concerned about talking about that," he said. "Fruitport outworked us and beat us to most 50-50 balls.

"With this team, they have that light switch they think they can turn on or off. Sure, we can do that against teams like Ludington or Fremont, but with a team that's prepared for us, we just can't do that."

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It helped that Gotaas, along with the defensive line of Paige Pellegrom, Rachel Hoffman, Taylor Blackman and Kelli Crow, were simply outstanding in shutting down Spring Lake playmakers Annie Steinlage, Lauren Gagnon and Haley Smith. Gotaas said it was just a matter of trusting the game plan, an effort that limited Spring Lake to three harmless shots on goal.

"We made it a priority to push them to the outside," she said. "And we had to know where Annie Steinlage and Lauren Gagnon were at all times, because they're great goal scorers."

Steinlage was limited in the second half because of leg cramps and Gagnon could never use her tremendous speed to break free and then create.

"It took a lot of courage but it paid off," Gotaas said of the defensive strategy. "We had a lot of painful practices but we knew it would be worth it to help us earn our title."

"We knew their bread-and-butter was sending two up the middle and we tried to take that away," Hulings said. "I thought (Rebeka) German in the middle played a great game. We made sure it stayed wide."

The Trojans received some much-needed breathing room midway through the second half, as junior Hannah Saheb blasted a rocketing shot from 30-yards out and hit nothing but net.

"I got a nice look (on a throw-in) from Kelli Crow and I had some time so I just concentrated and shot," Saheb said. "I just tried to shoot high so maybe the goalie would bobble it or misplay it."

Trojans' goalie Naomi Bush wasn't needed much, but she did make a diving save with 16:40 left to preserve the shutout. She finished with two saves.

The Trojans totaled eight shots on goal, with Kilbry also making two saves.

Hulings didn't hesitate when asked if he'd like to face the Lakers a third time — in the upcoming Division 2 districts hosted by Fruitport.

"Sure. I think it would be another great game and that's what the people want to see," Hulings said. "But I guarantee you they'd be a lot more ready to go. Plus, the stakes would be different, because one team would move on and another would go home."

JUNIOR VARSITY: The Trojans and the Lakers played to a 0-0 tie Monday. Earning shutouts in goal were Kendall Schreur for Spring Lake and Shannon McAvinchey for Fruitport.