FRUITPORT - Now we know the Reeths-Puffer girls soccer team can perform very well on artificial turf.
We also know that Sophia Hekkema was successful in her bid to break her own school scoring record before graduation.
The only question remaining for the Rockets – at least this week - is whether they can beat a great Spring Lake team and win a district championship.
Reeths-Puffer, which plays on a grass field at home, took to the turf at Fruitport High School on Tuesday and dominated Ludington 5-0 in the semifinal round of the Division 2 districts.
The Rockets will play Spring Lake, the top-ranked team in the state, for the district trophy on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Fruitport.
R-P's Sophia Hekkema, who now has 23 goals this season, a new school record.
The faster pace of the turf game had been a concern for the Rockets, so they spent a few days practicing at the Holton High School football stadium, which has a turf surface.
They obviously got the hang of it, because they had one of their best offensive performances of the season, piling up 23 shots on goal, compared to two for Ludington.
“Mentally I think it was a confidence builder,” said R-P Coach Kody Harrell about practicing on turf. “Now they know they can see the ball skip, receive it and play with proper pace on this type of surface. I definitely think it helped.
“I would like to see what kind of team we would be if we played on it full-time. It’s nice to see that we can adapt.”
The other big story of the game was Hekkema, who set a school record of 22 goals as a sophomore in 2021, tied it last year as a junior, then set a new record of 23 goals when she scored twice against Ludington.
R-P's Abby Hill (15) tries to dribble past a Ludington defender.
With at least one game left in the Rockets’ season, Hekkema could tag a few more on her mark before her senior season is over.
She admitted that reaching and surpassing her own record was important to her, but said she wasn’t dwelling on it.
“I didn’t come into this game with it in the front of my mind,” she said. “I just thought if it happens, it happens, if not we still have another game, because I was confident in my team to win this game and get to the finals.”
Harrell wondered if Hekkema is the program’s career scoring leader, as well, and vowed to check the record books to find out.
Hill gets ready to rip a shot in front of Ludington defenders.
He noted that she has 67 goals in only three varsity seasons, because girls soccer was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID. He also noted that the old single-season record was 17 goals, and Hekkema has now shattered that mark for three straight years.
“I’m pretty sure she must be very close to it, or has the career record,” Harrell said. “She’s a hell of a player, she makes scoring look easy, and she can do it multiple ways – with her speed or her strength when a defender is on her back. She can finish in many different ways.”
While Tuesday was certainly fun for the Rockets, there’s no time to dwell on the win, because they will face a huge challenge on Thursday.
Spring Lake, 15-2-2 this season, reached the finals by beating Fruitport 8-1 in Tuesday’s other semifinal game.
The Lakers, who play on turf at home, will be the favorite heading into the championship game, particularly after beating Reeths-Puffer 3-0 in a matchup earlier this month.
R-P's Jillian Singleton (5) moves the ball up the field.
But Harrell says his team is playing the best it has all season and believes his girls can give the Lakers a game.
“I think we’re playing our most complete soccer, particularly from a depth standpoint,” the coach said. “The turnovers don’t increase when the subs go in, everybody is giving maximum effort, and we can go 16 or 17 deep without losing anything.
“I think we can give them a run. This is with all respect to Spring Lake – they have a great program – but they are the No. 1 ranked team in the state, and they are going to have to play like the No. 1 team in the state to beat us. I have to believe in my team, too.”
The Rockets gained the lead against Ludington less than a minute into the game when Taeah Rensberger's slow roller of a shot somehow trickled past the Ludington goalkeeper.
R-P players watch the action from the bench.
Hekkema tied her record when she scored with 22:41 left in the first half, giving R-P a 2-0 lead. She broke the record with a goal with 3:38 remaining and the Rockets led 3-0 at halftime.
Billie Tryska and Brooke Bradley added second-half goals for the Rockets.
R-P goalie Ava Klopp had a pretty quiet night but made one very nice diving save in the second half.
