Did you see that?
April 2, 2012
Check out our must-know scores and news from March 26-31.
(Click on links for coverage.)
Girls lacrosse
Marian takes early advantage: In a match-up of 2011 Division 1 contenders, Bloomfield Hills Marian edged Ann Arbor Pioneer 10-9 in the second game of the season for both teams. Marian advanced to the Semifinals last season before falling to eventual champion Brighton by one, while Pioneer then fell to Brighton in the Final by two in overtime.
East Grand Rapids wins battle of D2 powers: In another game between regular MHSAA title favorites, East Grand Rapids got a big win downing Okemos 16-7. The Chieftains won the 2009 and 2010 Division 2 championships before falling in a Regional Final in 2011. East Grand Rapids ended last season with a one-goal loss to eventual champion Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
Girls soccer
Troy remains tops in town: Last season’s Division 1 runner-up got a solid March win, 2-0 over rival and returning District champion Troy Athens. The match-up had a little bit different feel this season, with Athens coach Todd Heugh running the show in his first season after taking over for longtime great Tim Storch. (The Oakland Press)
Baseball
State coaches release preseason polls: The Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association released its preseason polls, and three of four reigning MHSAA champions have top rankings in their respective divisions – Rockford in Division 1, Madison Heights Bishop Foley in Division 3 and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett in Division 4. Reigning Division 2 champion St. Clair comes in No. 2 behind Grand Rapids Christian. (Click for full rankings.)
Softball
Best of 2011 expected to be best of 2012: The Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association also released its preseason rankings, and all four reigning MHSAA champions are starting out in the top spots – Mattawan in Division 1, Stevensville Lakeshore in Division 2, Clinton in Division 3 and Petersburg Summerfield in Division 4. (Click for full rankings.)
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Anchored By Current Star, Dedicated to Past, Stoney Creek Surges Late for D1 Win
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
June 17, 2023
EAST LANSING – Rochester Hills Stoney Creek’s MHSAA Division 1 girls soccer championship battle against Hudsonville was expected to be a low-scoring, high-energy battle Saturday afternoon at DeMartin Field.
It lived up to the billing – and for the Cougars, so much more.
Stoney Creek scored two goals over the final 8 minutes, 41 seconds, both from reigning Miss Soccer Award winner Lilley Bosley, to claim the title with a 2-1 victory.
Bottled up for most of the game, Bosley – headed next to Michigan – bounced in a rebound with 1:49 left to stun the Eagles. It was her 52nd goal of the season.
“We’ve been waiting for this,’’ said Bosley. “We worked in practice on switching the field on the long balls. We recognized on film that they over-shift a lot, and they’re very ball-oriented. That score came off us switching the field. We had a diagonal ball, and then I got our momentum going.’’
Hudsonville (19-3-2) shadowed Bosley all afternoon, including with freshman Lauren Moylan – who was fantastic as a defender and playmaker.
“You put (Bosley) in the midfield, but they had that girl marking her the whole time,’’ said Stoney Creek coach Bryan Mittelstadt. “They had a couple behind her. We had to move her around a little bit to get her more active. We pushed her up a little bit higher. We dropped her a little higher and put her on the left. We tried to mess up their shape a little bit. She puts herself in places where she can be effective.’’
On her winning goal, Bosley said: “We scored a lot of our goals on set pieces. We have really good corner takers. Ava Avripas and Kaeli Butcher are fantastic on the corners. They are very accurate. We knew that we were going to get on the end of one of the corners to score.
“I really thought (today) I had more space than I normally do.’’
Senior defender Lily Solek was playing for the family’s second soccer title, and with her teammates was driven by the memory of her older sister who starred for the Cougars the first time they won it all.
Emily Solek scored the only goal in Stoney Creek’s championship win over Canton on June 17, 2016 – the same date as this victory, seven year ago. A multi-sport standout for the Cougars, Emily Solek died in 2020 after a car crash.
“I had two sisters on that team,’’ said Lily Solek. “Today would have been Emily’s 24th birthday. This means so much. Seven years to the day she scored the winning goal in PK for our state title.’’
Said Bosley: “Lily is my best friend. We’ve been together since little kids. We dedicated this to Emily. It was seven years to the day. With this being her birthday, it just makes it so much better.’’
The Cougars (26-1-1) had defeated top-ranked Rochester High, No. 12 Utica Eisenhower and No. 15 Saline during its run. Hudsonville advanced with wins over No. 2 Northville and No. 7 Portage Central, and hadn’t given up a goal in the playoffs before Bosley’s first Saturday.
Eagles coach Holly VanNoord was a record-setting keeper a decade ago at Unity Christian, which won the Division 3 title Friday, and Hudsonville High also had closed the regular season with a 1-1 draw against her alma mater.
There was plenty of action Saturday but no scoring until senior Raeleigh Woodwyk (playing next at Grand Valley State) booted in a rebound off a shot by Moylan that hit the crossbar to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead 12 minutes into the game.
Stoney Creek’s Madeline McGinlay did her best to tie the score with 15 minutes remaining in the first half, but her shot was deflected over the net.
Junior keeper Reid DeGoede was brilliant for Hudsonville during the first half, and all-state senior Clara Feenstra, next playing at Hope College, took over to start the second and blocked a shot off a centering pass that seemed destined to score.
Bosley finally got loose and tied the game at 1-1 with 8:41 to play off an assist from Megan Kennedy.
PHOTOS (Top) Stoney Creek’s Lily Solek (8) moves the ball upfield during Saturday’s Division 1 Final. (Middle) Hudsonville’s Raeleigh Woodwyk (9) celebrates her goal. (Below) The Cougars’ Laura Palmer (14) and Jessica Kennedy celebrate. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)