MUSKEGON TWP. - If shots on goal were the measuring stick in soccer, the Reeths-Puffer girls would have walked away with mercy rule win on Wednesday in the first round of districts.
The Rockets blitzed the Cadillac goal with 24 shots, while the visiting Vikings only managed three. On top of that, R-P had at least a dozen attempts that went just a foot or two wide or barely over the Viking net.
Yet Cadillac scored the first goal, and the game was tied 1-1 at halftime and 10 minutes into the second half.
Then the Rockets’ shots finally started finding the mark, with three goals in the second half, including two in the final 10 minutes, and R-P secured a hard-earned 4-1 victory on its own field and advanced to the district semifinals.
Jaslynn Kops (11) takes the shot that tied the school record. Photo/Jeremy Clark
One of those last two goals was the big one that everyone was waiting for – junior Jaslynn Kops’ 23rd of the season – which tied the Rockets’ single season record, held by Sophia Hekkema.
Kops will have at least one more game to try to break the record, when R-P plays Ludington in the district semifinals next Wednesday at Cedar Springs High School.
“No, not at all,” Kops said, when asked if she ever thought she might tie the school scoring record. “That wasn't even on my mind. I didn't even actually know about the record until, like, two games ago, when somebody brought it up to me, and I was like, huh, guess I am pretty close.
“It was exciting. I mean, I think I expected more of myself tonight, but I'm really happy that I got to share this moment with my team and at home. Now I really want to win a district title, especially for the seniors we have this year. They’re so special me to me, and they deserve it more than I do."
Mallorie Messer, left, heads the ball over a defender. Photo/Jeremy Clark
R-P head coach Kody Harrell, who also coached Hekkema, said Kops is a special player because of her attitude.
“I’m excited for her,” he said. “She’s been great. She puts in the extra work and she always puts her team first. Even when I acknowledged her in the huddle (after the game), she was giving me a stare like, ‘OK, Coach, lets move on.’”
The first 50 minutes of Wednesday’s game was absolutely maddening for the Rockets, who were clicking on offense and ripping off shot after shot, only to have them stopped by Cadillac goalkeeper Lydia Owens, or sail just high or wide.
R-P kept the ball in the Cadillac zone for the vast majority of the first half and had a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal, yet the Vikings drew first blood when Alyssa Kovacevich massaged a shot into the Rocket net with 6:58 remaining in the half.
Wren Tryska (20) gets ready to rip a shot. Photo/Jeremy Clark
The Rockets answered just under three minutes later, however, when Mallorie Messer cashed in from about 10 yards out, and the score was knotted up at halftime.
“I feel like it just picked up the rest of the team, because (Cadillac) was coming out on fire after they went up on us, and then we tied it,” Messer said about her goal. “It just really proved that we could do it. It really proved that we could finish and stay in the game.”
The frustration continued into the second half, however, when R-P intensified the offensive pressure and had several near misses within the first few minutes.
Coach Harrell admitted he was starting to worry just a little bit.
Emmarie Siembida, right, battles for the ball. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“That goalkeeper was amazing tonight,” he said. “In the first half, I thought we didn't do our best job at making her work. We had a lot of shots that were right at her, but in the second half, holy cow, she had four, five big saves. I'm like, man, she's an All-State worthy keeper. I mean, she was diving in full extensions, getting tips over the crossbar.
“I'm not gonna lie. I was a little nervous, especially when it was still 1-1 in the second half I'm like, all right, I'm starting to think about my overtime rotation. But sooner or later, (the shots) had to go in, and they finally started to. With my girls, I knew we would be fine.”
The tie-breaker finally came with 29:10 left in the game when Ashlynn David blasted a shot past Owens, making the score 2-1.
The game remained scary for the next 14 minutes. R-P goalie Ava Callender jumped on a dangerous ball close to the Rocket net with 11:17 remaining, before Kops scored her big goal with 10:59 left to make the score 3-1.
Abby Hill (7) moves the ball up the field. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Messer added her second goal a little more than two minutes later, with 9:46 remaining.
Overall the Rockets had a 15-1 advantage in shots on goal in the second half.
“We were finding really good shots, but their goalie was pretty tall, and we just couldn't find the net for a second there, and then we finally found it,” Messer said.
“I wasn't really getting frustrated because I knew we just had to place it and we would be fine, and that's what we ended up doing, and now we're moving on.”
Kops embraces teammates after scoring the record-tying goal. Photo/Jeremy Clark