Highlight Reel: Boys Soccer Finals
November 7, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA communications director
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, Mason, Grand Rapids South Christian and Burton Genesee Christian won MHSAA boys soccer championships Saturday.
Click below for MHSAA.tv highlights from all four games, plus links to watch them in full.
Division 1
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 2, Canton 0
Rangers First Goal - Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central scored once in each half in the Division 1 title game against Canton. Anthony Bowie gets the first tally with 17:25 left in the period.
Insurance Goal By Haji - With 1:30 left to play, Forest Hills Central gets its second goal, by Mohamed Haji.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 2
Mason 3, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 2 (Shootout)
VanNortwick Blast - Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern scored first in the Division 2 title game with Mason. Evan VanNortwick's blast from way out found the top of the net with 15:13 left in the first half.
Bulldogs Tie It - Early in the second half, Mason's Christian Jordan heads in a corner kick to tied the score at 1-1.
Barrington Bangs It In - Things looked good for Forest Hills Northern when Travis Barrington headed in a cross with 2:32 left against Mason to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead.
Wild Goal Ties It Again - In a wild play in front of the net, Mason's Christian Jordan gets the goal with 38 seconds left in regulation to tie the game against Forest Hills Northern at 2-2.
Shefkiu Finishes It - On the final kick of the shootout, Mason's Lirim Shefkiu scores to give the Bulldogs the Division 2 title.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 3
Grand Rapids South Christian 1, Williamston 0 (Shootout)
Selvius Stops - The big save in the shootout for Grand Rapids South Christian came when Sailors keeper Carter Selvius stopped a shot by Austin Brown of Williamston.
Championship Kick - In the shootout, Zach DeKock scored the winning goal for Grand Rapids South Christian.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 4
Genesee Christian 3, Kalamazoo Hackett 2 (OT)
Soldiers Score First - Cole Russell gets the game's first goal with 10:01 left in the first half for Genesee Christian.
Knoll Goal - Kalamazoo Hackett ties the game 10 minutes into the second half when Will Knoll directs the ball in off a restart.
Rose Smelling Sweet - Genesee Christian took a momentary lead with nine minutes left in regulation when Tyler Rose scored.
Amat Knocks Down The Door - Hackett tied the game at 2-2 with 7:11 left in regulation when James Amat knocked in Max Keenan's free kick.
Oliver’s Twist For The Win - Jesse Oliver got the game winner for Genesee Christian with about a minute left in the first overtime period.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
PHOTO: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s Mohamed Haji (10) had one of his team’s two goals in the Division 1 Final.
Flashback 100: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch
October 4, 2024
Alexi Lalas was named the Mr. Soccer Award winner by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association in 1987 after his senior season at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood. He went on to have a storied career in the sport, playing for the U.S. men’s national team in the 1992 Olympics and the 1994 World Cup and professionally for a decade.
In high school, Lalas also was a part of two ice hockey MHSAA Finals-winning teams. He played on the 1987 and 1988 Cranbrook teams that won Class B-C-D championships as part of a run of four consecutive titles that began in 1985.
Lalas captained the 1988 team, which defeated Riverview Gabriel Richard 11-0 in the first round and Grand Rapids Catholic Central 8-0 in the Semifinals before winning the Final 5-2 over Sault Ste. Marie at Michigan Tech. In 1987, Cranbrook triumphed over Riverview Gabriel Richard 12-0 in round one, Forest Hills Central 8-0 in the Semifinals, and Hancock 6-3 in the Final at the I.M.A. Sports Arena in Flint.
On the pitch, Lalas also was the first American to play in Serie A, Italy’s top soccer division. He spent two seasons with Padova, scoring three goals in 44 appearances. Afterward, he transitioned to Major League Soccer (MLS), playing for the New England Revolution, New York/New Jersey MetroStars, Kansas City Wizards, and Los Angeles Galaxy before retiring after the 2003 season.
Today, Lalas is a soccer commentator for Fox Sports, having previously spent six years with ESPN in a similar role. He also hosts a soccer podcast called State of the Union.
Follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok for more weekly "Flashback 100" photo features and additional content celebrating our 100th anniversary.
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Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS At left, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood's Alexi Lalas poses for a photo in his soccer uniform; at right, Lalas plays for Cranbrook during his high school hockey career. (Middle) Lalas stands fifth from left with his 1987 Cranbrook soccer team. (Soccer photos courtesy of Alexi Lalas and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood; hockey photo courtesy of Stouffer Photo/Observer & Eccentric Newspapers.)