It’s not very often that a team feels encouraged after a loss, but the Reeths-Puffer soccer squad felt pretty good on Thursday night after giving state-ranked Byron Center a real battle.
The Rockets lost 1-0 at home on Senior Night, and Byron Center did not score its goal until there were about five minutes left in the game.
The Bulldogs only had a 7-5 advantage in shots on goal.
Senior defender Kaden Vanderlaan
Byron Center, ranked 11th in the state in Division 1, improved to 14-2-2 and finished the O-K Green conference season as champions with an 8-0-1 mark.
The Rockets are now 12-5-3 overall and finished fourth in the O-K Green with a 5-4-1 record.
The strong performance convinced R-P head coach Kody Harrell that his team is ready for Division 2 districts next week, following one more non-conference game on Saturday at Big Rapids.
Senior defender Trent Plummer
“We had to scrounge for scoring chances throughout the game, but had two really good ones in each half,” the coach said. “Owen Ritsema was a problem for the BC back line all night, and our defense was stellar again, and super organized.
“We are thrilled about where we’re at going into districts."
The Rockets usually like to schedule an easier opponent on Senior Night, to increase the chance of victory, but decided to stick with the original plan.
"Our seniors loved the idea of having this challenge, and they almost pulled it off,” Harrell said.