Preview: Several of History's Best Back to Make More, New Contenders Seek to Join Them
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 11, 2026
An impressive sampling of MHSAA girls soccer history's championship leaders will be finishing the 2026 seasons this weekend at Michigan State’s DeMartin Stadium.
The most titanic matchup of this Finals weekend may be in Division 2, where 13-time champion Hudsonville Unity Christian will face nine-time champion Bloomfield Hills Marian in the season’s final match Saturday afternoon. They rank first and third, respectively, in Finals titles in this sport.
Detroit Country Day is making its 12th trip to a championship match, Troy is making its eighth and Royal Oak Shrine Catholic will be playing in its fourth.
On the other side are Rockford, Grand Rapids West Catholic and Harbor Springs, all seeking their first championship in this sport.
Following is this weekend’s schedule at Michigan State University:
Division 1 - Friday - 4 p.m.
Troy vs. Rockford
Division 2 - Saturday - 4 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills Marian vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian
Division 3 - Saturday - 1 p.m.
Detroit Country Day vs. Grand Rapids West Catholic
Division 4 - Friday - 1 p.m.
Royal Oak Shrine Catholic vs. Harbor Springs
Tickets cost $11 and may be purchased online only at GoFan. One ticket is good for all soccer, softball and baseball games at MSU’s Old College Field that day. All four Finals will be broadcast and available with subscription from MHSAA.tv.
Below is a glance at all eight contenders, with statistics through Regionals:
Division 1
ROCKFORD
Record/rank: 21-2, No. 10
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Stu Quackenbush, sixth season (72-15-13)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Audrey Muterspaugh, sr. F (10 goals, 22 assists); Grace Young, sr. D (6 goals, 4 assists); Laney Carlson, sr. M (9 goals, 7 assists); Sawyer Lenon, sr. M (8 goals, 3 assists).
Outlook: Rockford has followed up its first Regional championship with its first trip to the Finals and built toward this over the last three seasons with a third-straight league title and second-straight District championship kicking off this run. Carlson, Lenon, Muterspaugh and Young all earned all-state honorable mentions last season and make up part of an overall balanced lineup. Ten players had scored between 5-10 goals entering this week, including as well seniors Reese Petack (10 goals, 7 assists) and Sydney DeKuiper (10/4). Senior keeper Kaia Slanger entered the week with nine shutouts and a 0.41 goals-against average while splitting time in net.
TROY
Record/rank: 17-3-2, No. 8
League finish: Third in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Tony Casali, first season (17-3-2)
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2013), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Olivia Jasniewicz, sr. F (13 goals, 11 assists); Sabrina Gaul, sr. F (15 goals, 7 assists); Emma Rozek, sr. D (1 goal, 3 assists); Maren Swan, sr. M (7 goals, 9 assists).
Outlook: This will be Troy’s first Final since its most recent championship season, and the Colts earned it in part with wins over No. 3 Rochester Adams and No. 13 Troy Athens along the way. Casali took over the program this year after leading Sterling Heights Stevenson to a league title in 2025, and Troy is seven wins better this spring than last. Jasniewicz made the all-state first team last season, and Rozek and Gaul earned honorable mentions. Senior Kennedy Brudenell and junior Kiera Gallihugh have combined in goal to give up fewer than one per game.
Division 2
BLOOMFIELD HILLS MARIAN
Record/rank: 21-2, No. 3
League finish: First in Catholic High School League Central
Coach: Danny Price, third season (52-9-4)
Championship history: Nine MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), five runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Clair Dauer, sr. CM (10 goals, 4 assists), Leah Nalichowski, jr. F (28 goals, 15 assists); Nia Bordogna, jr. M (10 goals, 21 assists); Emma Wyciskalla, soph. F (20 goals, 10 assists);
Outlook: Marian has finished runner-up twice, in 2022 and 2024, since winning its most recent championship, and the Mustangs enter this decider having won its first five postseason games by a combined score of 26-2. That run has included defeating No. 5 DeWitt, No. 10 New Boston Huron and No. 13 Waterford Kettering. Bordogna and Dauer both made the all-state first team last season, while sophomore keeper Olivia Bussa (0.26 goals-against average) and Wyciskalla earned honorable mentions.
HUDSONVILLE UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 23-0, No. 1
League finish: First in O-K Black
Coach: Randy Heethuis, 37th season (687-105-44)
Championship history: Thirteen MHSAA titles (most recent 2025), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Ava Steen, sr. D (6 goals, 5 assists); Addison Pell, sr. M (7 goals, 2 assists); Kyla Kobrzycki, jr. M/F (18 goals, 23 assists); Tessa Ponstein, sr. F (21 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: Unity Christian is pursuing a fourth-straight Finals championship – which would tie for the second-longest streak behind its record six straight from 2005-10. The Crusaders also haven’t lost a game since May 22, 2024, a run of 54 without a defeat and only three ties among them. A shutout of Marian would also give Unity a fourth-straight playoffs without giving up a goal. Steen made the all-state first team last year, Kobrzycki and Ponstein made the second and Pell earned an honorable mention. Sophomore Olivia Walters had added 11 goals and 10 assists entering the week, and senior keeper Payton Barendsen has given up only one goal all season.
Division 3
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/rank: 13-4-3, No. 3
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Coach: Laura Hamway, 11th season (113-58-19)
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), five runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jenna Shaban, sr.; Megan Mateer, jr.; Charlotte Hartley, jr.; Georgia Hopkins, jr.; Julia Goetz, jr. (No positions or statistics provided.)
Outlook: Country Day defeated top-ranked Goodrich 1-0 in their Semifinal to advance to Finals weekend for the first time since 2021. The Yellowjackets have given up only one goal over five playoff games and have shutouts in seven of their last nine overall. Shaban and Mateer made the all-state first team last season, and Hartley, Hopkins and Goetz earned honorable mentions.
GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 18-5-2, No. 7
League finish: Third in O-K Gold.
Coach: Ryan Smith, seventh season (74-44-16)
Championship history: Has not played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Katelyn Adams, sr. GK (0.72 goals-against average, 12 shutouts); Lexy Druelle, fr. M (13 goals, 14 assists); Hadley Giradot, jr. M (8 goals, 13 assists); Kenley Slanger, soph. F (34 goals, 7 assists).
Outlook: West Catholic won its first Regional title as well this spring and got here with wins over No. 2 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, No. 5 Grand Rapids West Michigan Aviation Academy and No. 10 Traverse City St. Francis. It’s also been a great jump off last season’s 8-9-4 finish. Slanger made the all-state second team last spring and Adams earned an honorable mention, and they’ve played major parts in the Falcons taking that big step. Junior Avery Dusseau (10 goals/3 assists) is another top scorer.
Division 4
HARBOR SPRINGS
Record/rank: 19-1-1, No. 9
League finish: First in Northern Shores Conference
Coach: Aaron Riley, 11th season (122-74-12)
Championship history: Division 4 runner-up 2001.
Players to watch: Stefi Reskevics, jr. F (25 goals, 8 assists); Fran Warren, sr. M; Maeve Riley, fr. F (16 goals, 19 assists); Lilly Barnadyn, sr. M (12 goals, 4 assists). (Limited statistics provided.)
Outlook: Harbor Springs is up to a combined 34-4-2 over the last two seasons and won its first Regional title since 2003. The Rams have defeated No. 7 Kalamazoo Christian and No. 13 Elk Rapids on the way, with their lone loss to Leland at the end of April. Reskevics made the all-state second team last season, and Warren earned an honorable mention. Warren also is one of only four senior starters.
ROYAL OAK SHRINE CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 11-8-3, No. 8
League finish: Sixth in CHSL AA
Coach: Mark Soma, 23rd season (record N/A)
Championship history: Division 4 champion 2019 and 2022, runner-up 2021.
Players to watch: Julia Kraemer, soph. F (27 goals, 9 assists); Leah Proctor, jr. M (6 goals, 12 assists): Rowan Armstrong, soph. F (7 goals, 5 assists); Jo Malcolm, jr. M (9 goals, 6 assists).
Outlook: After just a few years away, Shrine is back in East Lansing to play in its fourth championship game over the last seven seasons. Wins over No. 15 Auburn Hills Oakland Christian and No. 10 Schoolcraft were big along the way, but the best week of the run came when the Knights defeated No. 3 Bath and No. 2 Clarkston Everest Collegiate back-to-back in the Regional. Kraemer earned an all-state honorable mention last season, and senior Caitlin Wetzel is another playmaker in the midfield entering this week with one goal but 18 assists.
PHOTO Harbor Springs' Fran Warren makes a run upfield during her team's Division 4 Regional Final win over Ovid-Elsie. (Photo by Sarah Shepherd.)
Preview: How Will These Stories End?
June 13, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
While it’s convenient when previewing a Finals series to find a common theme bonding all four games, sometimes that’s just not possible.
Sometimes, like this weekend, the stories are unrelated – but all worth the price of admission.
In Division 1, reigning champion Novi is attempting to repeat without one of its top players against a Plymouth team seeking its first title. The Division 2 Final will match up Bloomfield Hills Marian and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern for the third straight season.
Essexville Garber in Division 3 and Royal Oak Shrine Catholic in Division 4 are playing in Finals for the first time. Kalamazoo Christian is back after finishing Division 4 runner-up the last two seasons, and Garber’s Division 3 opponent Grand Rapids South Christian is one of three teams among the final eight that didn’t win its league but can end this spring with a victory.
Following is this weekend’s schedule:
Division 1 - Saturday - 4 p.m.
Novi vs. Plymouth
Division 2 - Friday - 4 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills Marian vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
Division 3 - Friday - 1 p.m.
Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Essexville Garber
Division 4 - Saturday - 1 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic
Tickets cost $8 and include admission to the softball and baseball games also being played at MSU’s Old College Field. Radio broadcasts of all games can be heard online at MHSAAnetwork.com. All games will be streamed live online at MHSAA.tv and viewable on subscription basis. (Click for brackets, scores and a parking map.)
All statistics below are through Regionals.
Division 1
NOVI
Record/rank: 27-0-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Todd Pheiffer, fifth season (84-17-15)
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2018).
Players to watch: Avery Fenchel, jr. F (24 goals, 14 assists); Jessie Bandyk, sr. M (10 goals, 15 assists); Lauren Calhoun, sr. D (2 assists); Eva Burns, soph. D (1 goal).
Outlook: Improving on a championship season of course is difficult. But one more win would do it for the Wildcats, who can finish unbeaten after totaling five losses in 2018 and earlier won their league after finishing third last spring. And Novi has done it after losing sophomore keeper Abbey Pheiffer (0.16 goals-against average) to a season-ending injury – but freshman Sammy Maday (0.14) stepped in and the team hasn’t missed a beat. Fenchel and Bandyk were all-state first teamers last season, and Calhoun and Burns earned honorable mentions. Senior forward Julia Stadtherr ranks second in scoring with 17 goals, and senior forward Lexi Whalen has added nine and 13 assists.
PLYMOUTH
Record/rank: 19-4-1, No. 5
League finish: Second in KLAA East
Coach: Jeff Neschich, 15th season (record N/A)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2010.
Players to watch: Kennedy White, sr. F; Rebecca Przybylo, sr. GK. (Stats not submitted.)
Outlook: Plymouth won its first Regional title since 2010 on the way to advancing to a Final for the second time in program history. These Wildcats avenged a regular-season loss to No. 13 Troy in the Semifinal, and will attempt to continue that streak after falling to Novi twice. The only other loss, and the tie, came to No. 11 Hartland. White made the all-state first team last season for the second straight, and Przybylo made the third team as a sophomore.
Division 2
BLOOMFIELD HILLS MARIAN
Record/rank: 17-1, No. 2
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Barry Brodsky, 18th season (334-27-36)
Championship history: Seven MHSAA titles (most recent 2018), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Jansen Eichenlaub, sr. F (23 goals, 7 assists); Sara Stroud, sr. M (4 goals, 6 assists); Anna Leonard, jr. M (1 goal, 1 assist); Kate Biglin, jr. M (4 goals, 9 assists).
Outlook: Marian is heading to the championship game for the third straight season hoping for a third straight Division 2 championship. Plenty of Marian’s best have won before – Eichenlaub made the all-state first team last season, while Leonard and Stroud made the second, senior defender Neve Badalow made the third and junior forward Chloe Aberlarde (two goals this spring) earned honorable mention. Sophomore forward Maria Askounis is the team’s second-leading scorer with eight goals and 10 assists off the bench, and senior mid Sydney Petoskey has seven goals as another super sub.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN
Record/rank: 19-2-1, No. 6
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference White
Coach: Daniel Siminski, sixth season (105-18-11)
Championship history: Four runner-up finishes (most recent 2018).
Players to watch: Parker Hutchinson, jr. G (0.60 goals-against average, .848 save percentage); Elyse DeSchryver, jr. F (28 goals, 18 assists); Grace Sayers, soph. F (25 goals, 2 assists); Alyssa Greshak, jr. F (10 goals, 10 assists).
Outlook: Forest Hills Northern is hoping to break through after three straight championship game losses. The Huskies’ only losses during the regular season were to top-ranked DeWitt and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, which reached the Division 1 Semifinals. DeSchryver made the all-state third team last season and leads the scoring for a team that has netted 106 goals and given up only 16. In addition to DeSchryver, Sayers and Greshak, sophomore Emily Vander Hoff has 11 goals off the bench, and senior Carlye Fatum has 12 assists as a starting mid.
Division 3
GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 19-3-3, No. 5
League finish: Second in O-K Gold
Coach: Brian Broekhuizen, sixth season (99-31-12)
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2013.
Players to watch: Annika Zuverink, sr. GK (0.22 goals-against average, .930 save percentage); Cassidy Broekhuizen, sr. F/M (10 goals, 5 assists); Joz VanTol, sr. F/M (6 goals, 8 assists); Emma DeVries, jr. F (14 goals, 5 assists).
Outlook: South Christian also is coming off its second Regional title on the way to this second Finals appearance. The Sailors got here in part by winning a shootout with No. 6 Allegan in the Regional Final and then downing No. 8 Boyne City in the Semifinal. South Christian has 19 shutouts and eight straight including a scoreless run through all six tournament games. Zuverink earned an all-state honorable mention last season, while VanTol and senior defender Morgan Rottman made the third team.
ESSEXVILLE GARBER
Record/rank: 22-0-2, No. 7
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference East
Coach: Troy Stewart, 15th season (164-116-22)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Rachel Hahn, sr. F (30 goals, 22 assists); Teagan Betzold, fr. F (29 goals, 16 assists); Natelle Vantol, jr. M (14 goals, 16 assists); Logan Rau, sr. GK (0.42 goals-against average, 16 shutouts).
Outlook: Just three years ago, Garber was finishing its third straight sub-.500 season – but was on the verge of this climb. The Dukes went from eight wins in 2016 to 13 the next season and 15 last spring. In addition to the unbeaten record this season, Garber also won its first Regional title before upsetting No. 2 Warren Regina in the Semifinal. Hahn earned an all-state honorable mention as a junior, and she’s one of seven Dukes who had scored at least nine goals entering this week including also senior Isabel Baranski (14 goals, 11 assists). Rau actually made it 17 shutouts on the season with another Tuesday and has given up only eight goals all spring.
Division 4
KALAMAZOO CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 21-2-2, No. 3
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Coach: Jay Allen, sixth season (114-19-13)
Championship history: Four Division 4 titles (most recent 2008), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Sarah Miller, jr. M/D (9 goals, 21 assists); Lauryn Mohney, jr. M/D (16 goals, 12 assists); Kayla Beebe, sr. M/F (36 goals, 7 assists); Emma Bertrand, sr. M/F (19 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: Kalamazoo Christian has come up just short the last two seasons, falling 1-0 in last spring’s Final and in a shootout in 2017, both times to Lansing Christian. The Comets have outscored their opponents this spring by a combined 120-12, with losses only to Division 3 No. 4 Otsego and also larger Paw Paw. Beebe made the all-state first team last season, and Mohney made the second, while senior defender Elise Van Sparrentak made the third and junior keeper Jenna Blackwell and Bertrand earned honorable mentions. Junior Sarah Wenke joins the three mentioned above with double-digit goals, finding the net 10 times heading into this week.
ROYAL OAK SHRINE CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 22-3-3, No. 2
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League 2/3
Coach: Mark Soma, 15th season (record N/A)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Allison LaPoint, jr. GK (17 shutouts); Chloe Woodbeck, sr. F; Elli Plunkey, soph. F; Regan Robinson, jr. M. (No other stats submitted.)
Outlook: The Knights have dominated in winning their first Regional title and now moving on to their first championship game. Shrine has outscored its six tournament opponents by a combined score of 34-1, with wins over No. 14 Lansing Christian, No. 4 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and No. 5 Madison Heights Bishop Foley along the way. LaPoint and Robinson made the all-state second team last season, and Plunkey earned honorable mention. But the team got a massive boost when Woodbeck – who has signed with Purdue – joined the high school team this spring after playing at the elite club level.
PHOTO: Marian’s Jansen Eichenlaub, here in last season’s Division 2 Final against Forest Hills Northern, will try to lead her team this weekend to its third straight championship.