Unity Christian Stacks 4th-Straight Finals Title, 24th-Straight Postseason Shutout
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2026
EAST LANSING – The unblemished championship run of Hudsonville Unity Christian continues.
The Crusaders completed their fourth-consecutive playoff run without allowing a single goal Saturday, this time defeating Bloomfield Hills Marian 2-0 in the Division 2 championship match at DeMartin Field.
“It’s a credit to the girls,” Unity Christian coach Randy Heethuis said of the recent run and 14th title in program history. “I know it is a cliché, but we just play one game at a time. Next game, next team up and let’s put our best foot forward and let’s do what we do, and what Unity soccer does. They know the prescription for success and they were able to carry it out, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Unity Christian (24-0) has claimed its second-straight D2 title after winning the Division 3 championships in 2023 and 2024. In all four cases, the Crusaders didn’t allow their opponents to get on the scoreboard throughout all six postseason matches.
This time, the Crusaders allowed just one goal for the entire season, matching an MHSAA record previously set by Livonia Stevenson in 1997.
On top of all that, Unity Christian has now gone 55 consecutive matches without being defeated, a run dating back to May 22, 2024.
“I’m not sure how much they are really aware or think about records or streaks or this, that, and the other thing,” Heethuis said of all his team’s accomplishments this season.
Marian (21-3) knew the lore Unity Christian had created for itself, but the Mustangs were appearing in their 15th MHSAA Final, seeking their 10th title in program history.
They survived the early charge from the Crusaders and started to turn the momentum of the match in their favor midway through the first half.
“We didn’t start quickly enough. That pressure that (Unity Christian) put us under in the first 5-10 minutes, we rode it. We rode that pressure,” Marian coach Danny Price said. “I felt like we defended well through it and then sort of grew into the game a little bit.”
The Mustangs thought they may have had the first goal 30 minutes in when junior Nia Bordogna put a shot that went off the bottom of the crossbar and bounced near the goal line before Unity Christian senior goalie Payton Barendsen corralled it.
“It that goes in, their record is gone. It changes the game and puts them under a little bit more pressure,” Price said of the near-goal. “Now somebody’s scored on (them) and they’ve conceded (a goal) in the Final. So, I felt the momentum swing a little bit after that.”
Just five minutes later, the Crusaders would get the first goal of the game. Senior Kiersten Witte made a run toward the net and collided with a pair of Mustangs, including keeper Caitlyn Curtis. The ball trickled over to the foot of junior Myla Obande, who casually put it into the back of a wide-open net to make it 1-0.
“I just knew that this shot had to go in and when I hit it, the ball was rolling so slowly, it felt like it took forever to go in,” Obande said. “When it went in, I was so relieved, and so happy. I just wanted to help the team get the job done.”
With three minutes left in the half, Unity Christian junior Kyla Kobrzycki got in open field and charged toward the Marian goal. She played a shot that hit the right-side post, but then landed on the foot of senior teammate Tessa Ponstein for another goal to make it 2-0.
In the second half, Marian made Unity Christian earn the shutout. Barendsen recorded five saves in the match, including a pair of diving saves during the final 40 minutes.
Not to be outdone, Marian’s Curtis, a freshman, tallied 10 saves as she kept the Crusaders from building on their lead.
“She was brilliant,” Price said of Curtis. “She made some cracking saves. She’s just fantastic. She’s a good kid and she reads the game well, and has good positioning. What a performance from a freshman goalie in a big, big game like this.”
Avery Dekker, Ava Steen, Karli Rose, and Ruthie Hall handled the back-line defense for Unity Christian in yet another shutout, the program’s 23rd of the year.
“Our entire team, they bought into their roles, whether they are on the bench or whether they start,” Heethuis said. “They just do what is asked of them, and that’s a credit to them.”
PHOTOS Unity Christian’s Kiersten Witte (14), Marlie Moelker (15) and Myla Obande (24) celebrate during their team’s Division 3 Final victory Saturday. (Middle) The Crusaders’ Kyla Kobrzycki (21) attempts to nudge the ball past Marian keeper Caitlyn Curtis, far left. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Preview: Soccer Returns with Past Champs, New Contenders
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 17, 2021
Four first-time finalists – one playing in each championship game – will make their MHSAA Girls Soccer Finals debuts this weekend at DeMartin Stadium.
They'll be joined by reigning champions in Bloomfield Hills Marian and Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, and two more past champs looking to climb once again as the first titles are awarded since 2019 after last season was canceled due to COVID-19.
Following is this weekend’s schedule:
Division 1 - Saturday - 4 p.m.
Troy Athens vs. Hartland
Division 2 - Friday - 4 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills Marian vs. Spring Lake
Division 3 - Friday - 1 p.m.
Boyne City vs. Detroit Country Day
Division 4 - Saturday - 1 p.m.
North Muskegon vs. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic
Tickets cost $9.40 and may be purchased online only at GoFan. One ticket is good for all girls 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, with free audio broadcasts on the MHSAA Network.
Below is a glance at all eight teams taking the field, with statistics through Regionals:
Division 1
HARTLAND
Record/rank: 19-4-1, unranked
League finish: Third in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Andrew Kartsounes, 16th season (189-80-42)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Hannah Kastamo, jr. F (20 goals, 10 assists); Justina L’Esperance, sr. M (22 goals, 8 assists); Julia Pietila, sr. F (16 goals, 7 assists); Morgan Seog, jr. GK (0.27 goals-against average, .939 save %).
Outlook: Hartland has won 10 straight games and now reached the Semifinals for the first time. The Eagles shut out their first five postseason opponents – including reigning champ Novi and No. 14 Lake Orion – before defeating No. 11 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 3-2 in the Semifinal. Senior midfielder Jaden Frigerio had a team-high 13 assists entering the week as Hartland has outscored its opponents by a combined 89-15. Sophomore Leila Al-Qallaf (0.83 goals-against average) has split time with Seog in goal, and they’ve combined for 13 shutouts.
TROY ATHENS
Record/rank: 17-1-4, No. 2
League finish: Third in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Todd Heugh, 10th season (119-46-35)
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2000), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Nitya Balusu, sr. GK (0.77 goals-against average, 11 shutouts); Abby Mayne, jr. M (20 goals, 13 assists); Gillian Ciak, jr. M (11 goals, 7 assists); Alyssa Carnes, jr. D (9 goals, 4 assists).
Outlook: In 2019, Heugh coached the Athens boys team to its first championship since 1997, and this weekend his girls team will attempt something similar in their first title game appearance since the 2000 win. The Red Hawks have eight straight shutouts, including a 2-0 win over No. 20 Ann Arbor Skyline in the Semifinal. Junior Casey Gruber (9 goals/2 assists), sophomore Amanda Leonard (8 goals/8 assists) and freshman Alex Haggerty also share in a balanced scoring effort.
Division 2
BLOOMFIELD HILLS MARIAN
Record/rank: 12-3-1, No. 12
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Barry Brodsky, 20th season (345-30-37)
Championship history: Eight MHSAA titles (most recent 2019), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Lauren Briggs, sr. M (3 goals, 6 assists); Abby Lucchesi, jr. M (4 goals, 5 assists); Elle Ervin, fr. F (23 goals, 3 assists); Maria Askounis, sr. F (10 goals, 8 assists).
Outlook: Marian is seeking its fourth-straight Division 2 championship and also hasn’t given up a goal during the postseason with senior Izabel Toma a standout in net. The tournament run has included wins over top-ranked DeWitt, No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and No. 13 Dearborn Divine Child. Askounis and now-senior Emily Rassel scored Marian’s goals in the 2019 Final, and now-senior Olivia DeConinck started that Final as a sophomore. Askounis earned all-state honorable mention that season.
SPRING LAKE
Record/rank: 15-3-2, No. 4
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue
Coach: Becky May, fifth season (69-8-5)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Meah Bajt, jr. F (31 goals, 8 assists); Zoe Komar, sr. F (10 goals, 4 assists); Eryn Bouwhuis, jr. D (7 goals, 8 assists); Jessica Stewart, fr. GK (0.95 goals-against average, 9 shutouts).
Outlook: Spring Lake has won District titles every season under May, who played at Michigan State, and this season took a few more steps reaching its first championship match. They advanced with a 2-1 Semifinal win over No. 7 Byron Center, and the Lakers’ only losses this spring were twice the Division 3 No. 2 Hudsonville Unity Christian and once to Division 1 No. 3 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. This could be just the first of a few deep tournament runs; Spring Lake will graduate only three starters.
Division 3
BOYNE CITY
Record/rank: 21-1-2, No. 7
League finish: Tied for first in Lake Michigan Conference
Coach: Eduardo Fantozzi, fifth season (68-24-2)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Jordan Noble, sr. M/F (33 goals, 29 assists); Inanna Hauger, sr. M (12 goals, 22 assists); Taylor Noble, sr. M/F (33 goals, 13 assists); Ally Herrick, sr. M/D (3 goals, 3 assists).
Outlook: A star-studded group of sophomores who helped Boyne City to its first Semifinal in 2019 have the Ramblers headed to their first championship game this weekend. They’ve navigated one of the toughest tournament roads, defeating No. 6 Elk Rapids, No. 8 Cheboygan, No. 10 Big Rapids and No. 2 Hudsonville Unity Christian along the way. The lone loss was to Elk Rapids in April. Jordan Noble made the all-state first team, Hauger and Taylor Noble the second team and Herrick earned honorable mention in 2019. Sophomore Reagan Woodall (13 goals) and senior Megan Harmeling (14) also are finding the net regularly this season.
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/rank: 16-2-2, No. 1
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Coach: Laura Hamway, sixth season (74-21-6)
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2004), five runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Lila Bienhold, sr. GK (0.50 goals-against average); Calihan Bearden, sr. D (2 goals); Madison Salzenstein, sr. F. (11 goals, 4 assists); Jordan John, sr. F (6 goals, 4 assists).
Outlook: Country Day is making its first championship game appearance since back-to-back Division 3 runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015. The Yellowjackets were in Division 2 the last season of play, in 2019, and Bienhold made the all-state first team with Bearden and Salzenstein earning honorable mentions. They’ve given up just one goal over five postseason games this spring while also navigating a difficult path, defeating No. 3 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, No. 5 Grosse Ile, No. 13 Williamston and No. 15 Clawson. Country Day also has wins over Division 1 finalist Troy Athens and Division 2 finalist Bloomfield Hills Marian.
Division 4
NORTH MUSKEGON
Record/rank: 19-1-1, No. 6
League finish: First in West Michigan Conference
Coach: Caleb Parnin, first season (19-1-1)
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Hope Johnson, sr. F (36 goals, 21 assists); Audrey Wilson, sr. M (18 goals, 15 assists); Emily Olsen, sr. M (21 goals, 21 assists); Syann Fairfield, sr. GK (5 goals scored, 2 assists; 14 shutouts).
Outlook: North Muskegon made back-to-back Semifinals in 2018 and 2019 and has taken another step into its first Final. Fairfield and Wilson made the all-state second team as sophomores, and Fairfield has given up only five goals over 17 games this spring. The Norsemen have allowed only one goal over five postseason games, with shutouts of top-ranked Grandville Calvin Christian and No. 16 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian along the way. Sophomore forward Natalie Pannucci (17 goals, 9 assists) also is among offensive catalysts.
ROYAL OAK SHRINE CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 14-3-1, No. 11
League finish: Third in Detroit Catholic League AA
Coach: Mark Soma, 21st season (record N/A)
Championship history: Division 4 champion 2019.
Players to watch: Ellie Plunkey, sr. F; Bridgette Drouillard, jr. M; Addy Vemulapalli, soph. GK. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Shrine reached and won its first Final in 2019, and then graduated a number of past all-staters last spring who would’ve given them a strong chance of returning in 2020 – but has come back this spring with just three senior starters. Shrine has given up only one goal over four playoff games, to No. 15 Bad Axe in the Semifinal, and also has defeated No. 9 Allen Park Inter-City Baptist and No. 12 Adrian Lenawee Christian during this run. All three losses came in April, to No. 3 Clarkston Everest Collegiate, Division 3 No. 17 Wixom St. Catherine and Division 2 No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
PHOTO: Marian's Maria Askounis makes a run at the goal during the 2019 Division 2 championship game.