Last year the Reeths-Puffer boys soccer team was surging toward the end of the season, and had very high hopes of winning a district championship.
The Rockets won their first two district games, then faced host Cedar Springs in the championship game and lost a 1-0 heartbreaker.
R-P went back to the scene of that disappointment on Monday, and this time it was the Rockets’ turn to throw some cold water on the Red Hawks.
It wasn’t a win – the game ended in a 1-1 tie – but it was enough to slow the momentum for a Cedar Springs team that came into the game with a 6-2 record and four wins in its previous five games.
There may be more drama around the corner, because R-P and Cedar Springs will again compete in the same Division 2 district tournament in the postseason this year.
Matthew Hansen
“Them and Ludington are the two teams to beat in our district, and I would be willing to bet Cedar Springs is going to remember us and have us in the back of their minds the rest of the season,” said R-P head coach Kody Harrell.
The Rockets took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half when Matthew Hansen stole the ball deep in the Cedar Springs zone and put a shot in the low far side of the Red Hawk net.
Cedar Springs tied the score with a free kick goal late in the first half.
The second half was scoreless. R-P finished with a 13-8 advantage in shots on goal.
“Our boys came out with some great intensity and generated a ton of turnovers,” Harrell said. “I was very proud of our defense, which did a ton right in the game, and our midfield is getting better. We were just not at our best with putting the ball in the net tonight.”
The Rockets, now 4-3-3 on the season, will host Muskegon on Thursday and Ludington on Saturday.
