Preview: Matching Best of East vs. West
June 4, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This weekend’s MHSAA Girls Lacrosse Finals at Rockford High School will match the best from east and west – and top finishers from arguably the state's two strongest conferences for the sport.
Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 1 champion East Grand Rapids will open the day at 2 p.m. seeking its fourth straight title, this time against Detroit Catholic League Division 1 runner-up Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood. O-K Tier 1 runner-up Rockford then will look to win its third straight Division 1 title, taking on Detroit Catholic League champion Bloomfield Hills Marian at 4:30 p.m.
Click for more information including all results from this season's tournament. Both finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.TV and viewable with subscription, and broadcast on MHSAANetwork.com.
Here's a brief look at the four teams vying for championships (player statistics do not include Semifinals):
Division 1
BLOOMFIELD HILLS MARIAN
Record/rank: 21-3, No. 2 at end of regular season
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Division 1
Coach: Jamie Francek, eighth season, fourth of second tenure (112-49-4)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2009.
Best wins: 19-9 and 22-2 (Semifinal) over No. 9 Ann Arbor Pioneer, 14-3 and 13-10 (Regional Semifinal) over No. 4 Bloomfield Hills, 22-12 and 21-6 (Regional Quarterfinal) over No. 10 Troy, 14-9 over No. 3 Birmingham United in the Regional Final, 14-13 over Division 2 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
Players to watch: Caroline Forester, sr. A (103 goals, 24 assists); Colleen Grombala, jr. A (69 goals, 31 assists); Sarah Peterson, jr. M (16 goals, 13 assists); Claire Fisher, jr. A (92 goals, 28 assists); Claire Kelly, soph. M (36 goals, 12 assists); Olivia Hargrave-Thomas, sr. D.
Outlook: Marian has won four league championships since Francek returned to in 2012, and this is its best run during his tenures. Cranbrook Kingswood included, the Mustangs also beat six of the top-10 ranked Division 2 teams. Forester is one of five players in MHSAA girls lacrosse history to score at least 100 goals in a season, and she made the all-state first team last season while Fisher, Hargrave-Thomas, Kelly and Peterson all earned honorable mentions. The offensive firepower is impressive, but the defense might be more so; Marian is giving up only 7.8 goals per game.
ROCKFORD
Record/rank: 20-3, No. 1 at end of regular season
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 1
Coach: Mike Emery, eighth season (140-37-6)
Championship history: Division 1 champion in 2014, 2013 and 2010.
Best wins: 17-10 over No. 5 Hartland in the Semifinal, 15-6 over No. 9 Ann Arbor Pioneer, 20-5, 19-9 and 20-8 (Regional Final) over No. 7 Grand Rapids Forest Hills United, 14-7 over No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian, 11-6 over No. 3 Birmingham United, 12-2 over No. 4 Bloomfield Hills.
Players to watch: Alexandra Vandermolen, jr. M (67 goals, 28 assists); MeKenzie Vandermolen, fr. M (44 goals, 10 assists); Brooklyn Neumen, fr. M (75 goals, 21 assists); Grace Gunneson, jr. A (52 goals, 21 assists). Kelly Spehar, sr. D.
Outlook: Whereas last season’s championship run included many of the same faces, at least on offense, as in 2013, this year’s team has a bit a different look – especially with freshman Neumen the leading scorer. Alexandrea Vandermolen made the all-state second team a year ago and was the team’s second-leading scorer in the 2014 Final. The Rams didn’t lose a game against a ranked team in Division 1 – and had a win over Saturday opponent Marian – and went 6-2 against top-10 teams in Division 2. Those losses were to East Grand Rapids, including one by a goal in overtime.
Division 2
BLOOMFIELD HILLS CRANBROOK KINGSWOOD
Record/rank: 18-3, No. 2 at end of regular season
League finish: Second in Detroit Catholic League Division 1
Coach: Greg Courter, first season (18-3)
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 24-6 (Semifinal) and 19-2 over No. 10 Farmington Hills Mercy, 24-3 (Regional Final) and 19-5 over No. 8 Detroit Country Day, 16-13 (Regional Semifinal), 10-8 and 16-6 over No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, 16-10 over Division 1 No. 3 Birmingham United, 21-12 over Division 1 No. 10 Troy, 20-8 over Division 1 No. 9 Ann Arbor Pioneer.
Players to watch: Grace Giampetroni, jr. M (59 goals, 44 assists); Ari Vespa, sr. M (58 goals, 17 assists); Isabelle Scane, fr. M (81 goals 22 assists); Brigitte Ballard, fr. G (6.47 goals-against average).
Outlook: Cranbrook Kingswood broke through to the Final for the first time under the guidance of Courter, who formerly coached girls lacrosse in California and Colorado. The Cranes’ losses are impressive as well – by only one goal apiece to Division 1 No. 2 Marian and No. 4 Bloomfield Hills, and also by one in the third of four meetings with Academy of the Sacred Heart. Senior Maddy Weber (39 goals) and sophomore Danielle Augier (28) also provide scoring punch from the attack position, with Augier joining Scane and Ballard among an impressive group of underclassmen making contributions.
EAST GRAND RAPIDS
Record/rank: 23-1, No. 1 at end of regular season
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 1
Coach: Rich Axtell, sixth season (119-17)
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2014, 2013 and 2012.
Best wins: 9-5 over No. 3 Okemos in the Semifinal, 9-4, 13-6 and 19-6 (Regional Semifinal) over No. 4 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 19-1, 18-5 and 18-3 (Regional Final) over No. 9 Caledonia, 18-5 over No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, 11-10 and 13-5 over Division 1 No. 1 Rockford.
Players to watch: Liza Elder, sr. A (111 goals 71 assists); Lexie Duca, jr. A (28 goals, 9 assists); Lindsay Duca, soph. A (46 goals, 46 assists); Elle O’Connell, sr. M (21 goals, 11 assists); Auden Bargar-Elliot, soph. M (54 goals, 6 assists); Jane Goodspeed, sr. D (1 goal).
Outlook: The Pioneers have only five losses over the last four seasons and none against Michigan teams since 2011 as they go for a fourth-straight MHSAA title. In addition to beating top-ranked Rockford twice, East Grand Rapids was 6-0 against other teams ranked among the top 10 in Division 1 at the end of the regular season. Elder’s 182 points heading into this week were the third-most all-time in MHSAA history for one season, and she has more than 300 points over the last two seasons. Goodspeed joined her on the all-state first team last season, while O’Connell and Lindsay Duca made the second team and Lexie Duca earned an honorable mention. Elder will continue her career at Northwestern University.
PHOTO: East Grand Rapids’ Liza Elder, middle, prepares for a face-off during last season’s Division 2 Final win against Okemos.
Rockford Begins New Reign by Ending South Lyon United Winning Streak
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
June 5, 2026
HOWELL – It took one record to stop another record.
The Rockford girls lacrosse team prevented South Lyon United from claiming a second-consecutive title with a 16-9 victory Friday at Howell Parker. In doing so, the Rams claimed their MHSAA-record 10th Division 1 Finals championship and ended South Lyon United’s 48-game win streak, the longest in D1 history.
"I think it was teamwork," Rockford coach Mark Neumen said of Rockford's win. "This team started really believing in themselves and loved one another. It was just a really good team effort. This means so much."
The pressure of being a favorite is something Rockford (12-8) understands well. His program having won eight consecutive titles at one point, Neumen knew if the Rams could start strong, it would put South Lyon on its heels. Rockford did just that, with senior Brooke Gordon scoring a pair of goals during the first 90 seconds of play.
"We've kind of had a similar pressure all year because we've won nine state championships and everybody expects us to be (in the Finals) and when we're not, it's tough on the girls mentally to have to think about," Neumen said. "Today, the girls seemed pretty relaxed, like that pressure was gone. Then we scored those two quick goals, and I think that set the stage for us mentally for the rest of the game. It got us not thinking about championships or South Lyon's record and got us focused on just playing lacrosse."
Rockford would push its lead to 6-2 after one quarter, thanks in part to its play on the draw. The Rams won six of the nine draws during the opening period, allowing them to control possession early on.
"South Lyon is a very good team, especially offensively, so we didn't want to have to play from behind," Neumen said. "So our goal was to come out firing, and our draw circle girls were amazing for us today. South Lyon hasn't been behind much this season, so we wanted to put pressure on them and try and make them feel uncomfortable."
Each time South Lyon (27-1) would seem to get some momentum, Rockford had an answer. In the first half, Gordon was the answer. She netted five of her game-high six goals over the opening 24 minutes.
"I was just doing my own thing. I know what I am capable of doing, so I just kept trusting myself," Gordon said of her performance. "I just really wanted this, so I did everything I could to make it happen."
Rockford held a 9-6 lead at the break. South Lyon would get the deficit down to two goals twice in the third quarter thanks to goals from Alyssa Jakubiec and Gianna Lucchesi, but SLU wouldn't get any closer.
"We had moments where we would come back and then have a silly mistake," South Lyon United coach Deanna Radcliffe said. "That just kind of kept throwing us off when we had a chance to get back in the game. It just wasn't our day."
A big key for Rockford in the second half was the play of sophomore goalie Mia Mabry. She shut the door on some good opportunities, recording nine saves to keep the Rams in the lead.
"I'm not going to lie, I wasn't really thinking, I wasn't anticipating, I was just trying to do what I have been coached to do," Mabry said of her second-half work.
Rockford retained a three-goal lead after three quarters, but then blew the game open with the first five goals in the fourth, including two from Ava Wekenman and the sixth from Gordon.
"She's amazing. She had a great game," Neuman said of Gordon. "She's been amazing these last several weeks. A lot of teams have been focusing on some of our other players and people have been ignoring her, but there's no reason. She is one of our best players by far. Brooke is a threat no matter what."
Gordon had one assist to go with her six goals, while Wekenman finished with three goals and five assists for the Rams. Avery Maag, who took many of the draws, scored three goals as well.
South Lyon United had a balanced attack with Reagan Shields, Gianna Lucchessi, Shaelyn Perry and Jakubiec each netting two scores.
"One game definitely doesn't define this team," Radcliffe said. "We know we didn't play our best today, but that happens. It's bound to happen when you're going up against really good teams. We just lacked a little bit of confidence today and played a little unsure of ourselves. When you do that against good teams, they can capitalize on that quickly."
PHOTOS (Top) Rockford players celebrate during their championship win Friday. (Middle) The Rams' Jordyn Coretti (24) looks to pass near the opposing goal. (Below) South Lyon United's Shaelyn Perry (2) considers her optoins as Rockford's Lyla Vogt defends.