MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - When you have a talented team that’s off to a so-so start, you want to keep playing and improving.
Unfortunately the Reeths-Puffer girls soccer squad had to take a long breather for spring break with a 1-1-1 record.
The Rockets returned to action earlier this week against a struggling Muskegon squad and won by mercy rule just minutes into the second half. That wasn’t much of a workout.
They finally got their opportunity to work the kinks out on Thursday against a good Grand Rapids Union squad, which arrived with a four-game winning streak.
R-P's Taeah Rensberger (11) uses her arms while battling for control of the ball.
R-P looked a little rusty at times, but controlled the offensive flow for most of the contest and emerged with a very nice 2-0 victory on its home field.
Seniors Sophia Hekkema and Brooke Bradley found the net for the Rockets while senior goalie Ava Klopp posted the shutout.
Reeths-Puffer is now 3-1-1 overall and 2-0 in the O-K Green conference standings. The Rockets will host Western Michigan Christian on Saturday in a non-conference game, then will travel to Wyoming on Monday for another O-K Green matchup.
“Any time you come out of a long break - we were 11 days off – it kind of takes everything you’ve developed for 2 ½ week and you’re kind of starting over again,” said R-P Coach Kody Harrell. “There were some rhythm issues tonight, but that’s what makes the win more satisfying because we figured it out."
R-P's Sophia Hekkema passes the ball past a Union defender.
The 2-0 start in conference play is important for the Rockets, who believe they have what it takes to challenge for a league title.
They will have to beat some good teams in the coming weeks to achieve that goal, including rival and defending champion Mona Shores, and they plan to keep working and improving before meeting the Sailors on April 27.
Reeths-Puffer and Mona Shores are currently tied on top of the conference with perfect records. Every other team has at least a loss or a tie.
“In these games, we’re asking ourselves if it’s good enough to beat Mona Shores,” Harrell said. “I have no problem giving our rival that kind of credit, because it’s been several years since Puffer has beaten them. That’s kind of where we’re at right now, and we’re trying new things. Today we had a new formation.”
Rensberger moves the ball through a maze of Union players.
Thursday’s game was largely a defensive battle, with neither team putting a lot of shots on goal. The Rockets outshot the Red Hawks 3-2 in the first half and 4-1 in the second.
Reeths-Puffer helped itself by keeping the ball in the Union zone for a majority of the contest, maximizing its scoring opportunities and minimizing the Red Hawks’ chances.
Hekkema broke a scoreless deadlock with her fourth goal of the season with 5:16 left in the first half.
Bradley put the finishing touches on the victory with a long kick for a goal with 5:39 remaining in the game.
R-P's Grace Goodell (2) battles a Union player for the ball.
The goal was the third of the season for Bradley, a defensive midfielder. While defensive players don’t usually score so much, Bradley has a powerful shot that can cause damage from long range.
“That was a perfect shot from about 25 yards out,” Harrell said about Bradley’s goal.
Harrell would have liked to see more offense, but was happy with the way his players controlled the tempo of the contest.
“I think we were deeper, which allowed us to play our style and the tempo we wanted to play,” the coach said. “That allowed us to keep the ball in their end for most of the game. In the first 10 or 15 minutes, we probably had four or five chances inside the 18 but we couldn’t even get the ball on frame.”
