They say team records can be deceptive, and that’s certainly the case for the Reeths-Puffer girls soccer squad.
The Rockets wrapped up their season on Tuesday afternoon with a 3-1 loss to Gaylord in a Division 1 regional semifinal game at Mount Pleasant High School.
The final loss left R-P with a 12-8-1 record for the season, which most people would describe as good, but maybe not great.
Within those 12 wins, however, was a lot of excitement.
The Rockets beat their archrival Mona Shores for the first time in a decade. They won a district championship last Friday for the first time since 2014.
The Rockets react to beating Mona Shores for the first time in a decade.
Their top offensive player, junior Jaslynn Kops, broke the team’s single season goal-scoring record.
So while they were disappointed to lose in regionals, the Rockets feel like they had a great season in a lot of different ways.
“There is a lot to be proud of,” said R-P head coach Kody Harrell. “This will be a memorable season for a long time to come.”
Tuesday’s game became frustrating for the Rockets right away, when they were awarded a penalty kick in the first minute of play. PK shots are usually a pretty sure thing, but the R-P attempt went wide of the net, leaving the game unexpectedly scoreless.
Gaylord scored its first goal midway through the first half on a shot from inside the goal box.
The shot that went in and gave Jaslynn Kops (11) a share of the scoring record.
The Blue Devils scored again about 10 minutes later, on a header following a corner kick, and led 2-0 at halftime.
Most of the second half was scoreless. R-P senior Ashley Bradley, a key player in the lineup, injured her wrist with about 12 minutes remaining and had to leave the game.
Gaylord added a goal with about seven minutes left, making the score 3-0.
R-P’s lone goal came about a minute later, when Kops scored her 26th of the season off of a nice pass from Wren Tryska.
Gaylord had a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal.
The Rockets celebrate after winning the district title.
“We were in their half (of the field) a lot with the ball, but our passing was not the best today,” Harrell said. “We were good at getting out of our end, but a lot of passes went out of bounds, We were just giving the ball right back.
“But the effort was there the entire game. The girls worked their butts off.”
The Rockets will say goodbye to seven seniors – Bradley, Mallorie Messer, Abby Hill, Katelynn Russell, Sara Carlson, Lola Sapone and Morgan Huddleston.
Eighteen of the 25 players on the postseason roster are eligible to return next spring, however, including Kops and several other standouts.
“We are definitely going to miss the seniors, but we have a lot of talent coming back,” Harrell said. “We had a nice run this year, and hopefully that fuels us for something even more special next year.”