MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - It started out as a great game, and it might have had a great finish – but then came the rain, thunder and lighting, and the action stopped at halftime.
About 90 minutes later, with no break in the weather, the second half was officially cancelled and the Reeths-Puffer girls soccer team walked away with a 1-0 victory over Zeeland East on its home field on Thursday.
The win was the fifth in a row for the surging Rockets, who are now 6-1-1 overall and 4-0 in O-K Green conference play.
Reeths-Puffer will play a pair of non-conference games at home on Saturday in the Rocket City Showcase, then will have two important conference matchups next week – on Tuesday at second-place Zeeland West, and on Thursday at home against rival Mona Shores, which is the only other undefeated team in the O-K Green.
Alyssa Herbert (3) celebrates her goal with her teammates.
As for the Zeeland East game, which started great and never really ended, R-P Coach Kody Harrell said he would have loved to play the last 40 minutes, but rules are rules, a win in a win, and the Rockets will take it.
Under state rules, a game becomes official if it has to be stopped at halftime or beyond.
“At the end of the day it's about the kids playing soccer,” Harrell said. “There is no joy in winning in 40 minutes. We would much rather do it in 80, but it’s the ref’s call.
“As good a game as it was, I felt like we were in the driver’s seat and were controlling the tempo. I thought our girls played extremely well.”
R-P goalie Ava Klopp gets ready to drill the ball out of the Rocket zone.
The first and only half was well-played and full up-and-down action. Both teams had multiple scoring chances, and the Rockets had a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal.
The only goal came about 16 minutes into the half when R-P’s Alyssa Herbert found the back of the net with a long shot from just outside the box. Ashlynn Anderson was credited with an assist.
Reeths-Puffer goalie Ava Klopp took care of the rest, stopping Zeeland East on several good scoring opportunities.
Since the first game of the season, which the Rockets lost 3-2, they have only given up one goal, mostly with Klopp in net.
R-P's Ashlynn Anderson gets control of the ball.
With five consecutive wins under their belts, the Rockets are starting to play with a lot of confidence and a bit of swagger, and they feel ready for the big conference showdowns next week, according to Harrell.
“There has been so much trial and error, but we are eight games in now and we have girls understanding their roles and I am getting a feel for everyone’s tendencies,” the coach said. “We’ve become more of a team as we fit together more pieces of the puzzle.
“That wasn’t there right away this season, but now everyone is trusting each other’s confidence. That’s where the swagger is coming from.”
