Country Day Repeats as Cook Serves Up Another Title-Clinching Goal
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2026
HOWELL – Charlotte Cook is building quite a reputation for herself at Detroit Country Day.
In 2025, as a freshman, Cook scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Yellowjackets to the Division 2 championship over Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
On Friday night, in pouring rain, Cook found herself with the ball in the final minute of the 2026 D2 Final with East Grand Rapids, with the score tied 12-12.
Cook once again came through, putting the ball in the back of the net with 29 seconds to play for what would be the game-winning score in DCD’s 13-12 victory.
“Taking the ball at the end, I wanted to prove to everyone that as a sophomore, even when I was being face-guarded, I could get in there and I could make something happen,” Cook said of her game-winning goal. “I wasn’t just doing it to win, I wasn’t doing it for myself, I was doing it for my team around me because they wanted me to take that (shot) and I’m glad they could trust me.”
Cook tied the game with 2:52 to play as part of a six-goal effort to lead Country Day to its first repeat MHSAA girls lacrosse championship, and third Finals title overall.
“She’s someone that we can consistently depend on and rely on to be the one to set the tempo,” Detroit Country Day coach Liz Nussbaum said. “I think that takes so much character and so much preparation on her part. She puts in the work in advance so she’s ready for these big moments, and she carries the team on her back in that way.”
The win for Country Day (15-5) avenged a pair of losses during the season to the Pioneers (19-3). East Grand Rapids led for the majority of Friday’s game, including the 12-11 advantage in the closing minutes, but came up just shy of claiming its first championship since 2022.
“I think the reason they fought so hard is because of their love for each other and their love for the game,” EGR coach Kira Schoonveld said of her team’s effort. “It’s been a while since we’ve been back on this stage, so they were hungry for it.”
The Pioneers took control of the game in the second quarter with a four-goal surge that put them up 6-3. Senior Rylee Renker had two of the goals during the run to help EGR lead 6-4 at the break.
“I think the girls actually came out pretty settled. Of course, they have nerves, but I think they managed those pretty well,” Schoonveld said of her team’s first half.
Country Day came out in the second half and scored the first four goals. Two came from Cook and the other two came from senior Adri Zuk.
“That was absolutely huge,” Nussbaum said of the scoring surge. “We are very young, so a lot of this game is really mental for us. Having that kind of momentum shift was super important.”
East Grand Rapids answered the Country Day run with one of its own. The Pioneers scored the next three goals to regain the lead at 9-8.
The lead would change hands three more times over the remainder of the game, including with Cook’s game-winner.
The drama was heightened by the consistent rain, which never let up throughout the match.
“Rain is never fun and we’ve been fortunate that we’ve never had to play in the rain this season, so that of course poses more challenges,” Schoonveld said. “But, between every quarter and time out, our girls were still fired up and pumped and just ready to take on the challenge ahead of them. It’s just unfortunate that it didn’t go our way tonight.”
Jane Weaver finished with three goals and an assist to lead East Grand Rapids, while Nora Williams, Livia Burgess and Renker each had two goals and an assist. Avery Albers made 10 saves in net.
Cook finished with six goals to lead Country Day, while sophomore Bella Papsin had six assists.
“She’s always been a really good feeder, but she’s improved with her patience and waiting for more open opportunities,” Nussbaum said of Papsin. “She really found the open player today, and that was important because we knew that we weren’t going to be able to drive very well against this EGR defense.”
Junior Jackie Calso had four goals in the win, while Zuk tallied the other three.
After graduating a large senior class in 2025, Nussbaum wasn’t sure if her team would be able to get back to the Finals in 2026. Despite the rain pouring down, Nussbaum was all smiles after the match given her team’s difficult achievement of repeating as champion.
“We lost 11 seniors last year and had almost a completely new squad this season, but the consistency and dependability of the team, and the culture they have built, led them to this championship,” Nussbaum said. “It really is such a reward and a joy to be able to coach these girls and see all their work pay off.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Country Day’s Charlotte Cook makes a move while directing the offense during Friday’s Division 2 Final. (Middle) The Yellowjackets’ Adriana Zuk (10) winds up to take a shot. (Below) DCD's Jackie Calso (8) and EGR's Ella Alguire (9) contend for the ball.
Preview: Titles to be Decided by Rematch, Matchup of 1st-Title Hopefuls
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 6, 2025
Saturday’s MHSAA Girls Lacrosse Finals at University of Michigan will begin with a rematch of the 2024 title decider and conclude with a matchup of teams making their first championship game appearances in more than a decade.
Detroit Country Day will take on Grand Rapids Catholic Central at 11 a.m. with the Division 2 title on the line and after the Cougars won last year’s season finale 10-9.
Hartland and South Lyon United will follow in the Division 1 Final at 2 p.m., with the winner claiming the champion's trophy in this sport for the first time.
Below is a glance at all four teams playing at U-M. Rankings as part of “best wins” are based on the Michigan Power Rating formula. Tickets cost $11 and are good for both games, and may be purchased online only at GoFan.
Both games will be broadcast and available with subscription from MHSAA.tv.
Division 1
HARTLAND
Record/MPR: 20-5, No. 7
League finish: Second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Ryan Skomial, first season (16-4)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2012.
Best wins: 7-6 over No. 4 Rockford in Semifinal, 8-7 over No. 3 Lake Orion in Regional Final, 19-7 over No. 8 Holt in Regional Semifinal, 8-6 over No. 10 White Lake Lakeland in Regional Quarterfinal, 8-2 over No. 6 Birmingham United, 8-2 and 9-6 over No. 9 Bloomfield Hills.
Players to watch: Amanda Norton, jr. M; Ella Ebright, sr. A; Claire Pielack, jr. G.
Outlook: Still one of the state’s all-time leading scorers 12 years after graduating, Skomial has returned to Hartland this season after helping lead Brighton to the last three Division 1 championships – including as head coach in 2022 – and now has Hartland playing in a Final for the first time since her junior season. After losing three one-goal games during the regular season, the Eagles have won two straight in two of the biggest games in program history.
SOUTH LYON UNITED
Record/MPR: 20-0, No. 1
League finish: First in Lakes Valley Conference
Coach: Deanna Radcliffe, ninth season (143-26)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2008.
Best wins: 12-6 over No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood in Semifinal, 12-9 (Regional Final) and 8-7 (OT) over No. 2 Brighton, 13-4 and 9-5 over No. 10 White Lake Lakeland, 15-6 over No. 9 Bloomfield Hills, 15-8 over No. 3 Lake Orion, 10-3 over No. 8 Holt, 15-7 over No. 6 Birmingham United.
Players to watch: Shaelyn Perry, jr. M (46 goals, 21 assists); Reagan Shields, soph. A (50 goals, 33 assists); Madison Lukas, soph. A/M (35 goals, 8 assists); Alyssa Jakubiec, jr. A (31 goals, 16 assists).
Outlook: Radcliffe – who is in her second tenure at South Lyon after also coaching at Hartland from 2013-22 – has the Lions undefeated just like when she took them into the 2008 championship game. Since opening the season with a one-goal win over Brighton, South Lyon United’s closest game has been three goals in their Regional Final rematch with the Bulldogs. Junior attacks Gabriela Lucchesi (27 goals, 20 assists) and Gianna Lucchesi (25/17), senior mid Courtney Putnam (23/17) and sophomore defender Cate Cumberland (14/9) also are among top scorers.
Division 2
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/MPR: 16-3, No. 1
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Coach: Liz Nussbaum, second season (33-7-1)
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2023, three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 19-8 over No. 9 Saline in Semifinal, 11-10 over No. 2 East Grand Rapids, 21-3 over No. 6 Haslett, 9-6 and 18-6 over No. 3 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 17-11 and 12-6 over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton, 19-7 over Division 1 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 19-5 over Division 1 No. 7 Hartland, 19-5 over Division 1 No. 6 Birmingham United.
Players to watch: Mary Pavlou, sr. A (76 goals, 13 assists); Charlotte Cook, fr. M (46 goals, 17 assists); Georgia Pavlou, sr. A (54 goals, 40 assists); Campbell Lindner, jr. G (7.08 goals-against average, .490 save %).
Outlook: Country Day will play in its fourth-straight championship game, having added runner-up finishes last spring and in 2022 to its title in 2023. All three of the Yellowjackets’ losses this spring came to opponents from Indiana or Illinois. Mary and George Pavlou are finishing up all-state careers and Cook looks to be one of the next class of standouts. Sophomore mid Jackie Calso (32 goals, 11 assists) is among leading scorers as well.
GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/MPR: 16-5, No. 3
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 1
Coach: Joe Curcuru, second season (39-5)
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2024 and 2011.
Best wins: 19-3 over No. 6 Haslett in Semifinal, 8-7 over No. 2 East Grand Rapids in Regional Final, 15-3 (Regional Quarterfinal) and 10-9 (2OT) over No. 10 Spring Lake, 12-7 and 11-7 over No. 7 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 8-6 and 13-7 over Division 1 No. 4 Rockford, 12-5 over Division 1 No. 6 Birmingham United.
Players to watch: Catherine Marshall, sr. M (88 goals, 28 assists), Lily Engstrom, jr. M (86 goals, 32 assists), Alexandra Unzens, fr. A (14 goals, 6 assists); Samaya Dean, sr. G (6.55 goals-against average, .525 save %).
Outlook: The Cougars avenged a pair of regular-season losses to East Grand Rapids in the Regional Final on the way to earning this opportunity to repeat, and can complete it by avenging 9-6 and 18-6 defeats to Country Day from the season’s first five weeks. Marshall and Engstrom are one of the most potent 1-2 scoring pairs in the state and with Dean have been starring for multiple seasons. Seniors Ameila Sharpe (14 goals) and Claire Sullivan (12) also are among leading scorers from the attack spots. Catholic Central’s only other loss this season came to three-time reigning Division 1 champion Brighton.
PHOTO Grand Rapids Catholic Central players raise their sticks together during last season’s Division 2 championship win.