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Men's
Soccer
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Head
Coach: Chris Riker
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JV
Coach: Steve Morrison
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Assistant:
Tim Martin
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2003 SMAC and District Champions
The Huskies capped off a fine season by winning the SMAC Championship. Then they earned the title "District Champs" as one of the smaller Division 1 schools in the state. The team played with tremendous heart throughout a 17-game winning streak, and also in defeat in the Regional Semifinal. It was a season that players, coaches, family, and friends can all take great pride in. Congratulations Huskies!
Congratulations also to the following players who earned accolades from coaches throughout the area and throughout the state.
DREAM TEAM: . . . Steve Hecker second year on team and ranked second in state.
| ALL STATE: | |
| First Team | Steve Hecker |
| Second Team | Brent Medema |
| Honorable Mention | Scott MacDonald |
| Eric Carnes |
| ALL REGION: | Eric Carnes |
| Steve Hecker | |
| Scott MacDonald | |
| Brent Medema |
| ALL DISTRICT: | Eric Carnes |
| Steve Hecker | |
| Jeff Jackson | |
| Scott MacDonald | |
| Brent Medema | |
| Tyler Young |
| ALL DIVISION: | |
| First Team | Steve Hecker |
| Jeff Jackson | |
| Scott MacDonald | |
| Brent Medema | |
| Tyler Young | |
| Honorable Mention | Eric Carnes |
| Tim Granaderos | |
| Luke Thurston |
| PORTAGE NORTHERN HUSKY AWARDS: | |
| Most Valuable Player | Brent Medema |
| Most Valuable Offensive Player | Steve Hecker |
| Most Valuable Midfield Player |
Luke Thurston |
| Most Valuable Defensive Player | Jeff Jackson |
| Most Valuable Team Attitude | Tim Granaderos |
| Most Improved Player | Eric Newcomb |
| Four-Year Varsity Players | Steve Hecker and Tyler Young |
Huskies fall to Okemos 1-0 in Regional Semifinal. Okemos scored off an unlucky deflection in the latter part of the first half, while Northern couldn't quite find the back of the net in either half in spite of many great plays and some good chances. The Huskies outshot their opponents 7-3 for the match, and were clearly the better team in the second half. But Okemos won the first half and the match. It was definitely a show of outstanding soccer by both teams. Congratulations Huskies on a great season! Conference champs and District champs in Division 1.
Huskies defeat Mustangs 3-0 for District Championship. The Huskies got the consummate team effort on Saturday afternoon as they avenged an early season loss to the Mustangs of Portage Central and laid claim to the Division I District Championship. It was clear from the outset that this match was going to be different then the first one this year between the two crosstown rivals. Northern, as they have done throughout the tournament thus far, came out strong and forced the action in the Portage Central end of the field. Northern finally broke thru the Mustang defense about 20 minutes into the match on a Steve Hecker chip shot over the head of the Portage Central goalkeep. Despite control of play, the Huskies were unable to add another score in the latter minutes of the half and the Huskies held an uncomfortable 1-0 lead at halftime.
As the 2nd half opened, Northern continued to pressure Central and moved the ball around the field with crisp passing. The Husky defense, led by Brent Medema, Jeff Jackson, Justin Bailey, Nate Amidon, Tim Granaderos, and goalkeeper Eric Carnes thwarted every Mustang advance into the Northern side of the field. The Huskies finally broke thru the stubborn Mustang defense with a nice header finish from Luke Thurston with just under 15 minutes to play, and another insurance goal from Scott MacDonald in the closing minutes to seal the win and claim the District Championship. The first two goals were served up by Thurston and Eric Newcomb, and this match fit the definition of Team Victory as much as any this year. Congratulations to the Huskies on a great game and good luck in Regionals next week!!!!
To see Regional matchups and the way districts are paired to go from the last 16 down to the State Champion, click here. To see schools that were in other Districts, click here. To see the regional brackets for D1, click here.
Final $100 Raffle winner is Sheila Topham. To see all raffle winners, click here.
Thanks are due everyone who provided content to the webmaster this season. Special thanks to Kent Hecker for writing the game summaries.
Volleyball assignments for all parents have been handed out, and are posted on the WMU volleyball match assignment page. This is an important fundraising activity and all parents are expected to meet their commitments or find a qualified substitute. The boosters thank you for your support
PN controls Jackson on way to 3-0 victory. Northern came out strong and with purpose on Thursday evening as they kept the Jackson team on its' heals throughout much of the first half. Even so, the Vikings were able to hang in the game and the score was an uncomfortable 1-0 margin at the end of the 1st half. The lone goal came midway thru the half on a nice finish from Luke Thurston off a nifty pass from Steve Hecker. The Huskies continued to pressure the Vikings in the 2nd half and got goals from Tyler Young and Eric Newcomb in the first 20 minutes of the half to secure the victory. With the win, the Huskies earned a rematch with crosstown rival Portage Central on Saturday in a match which will determine the district championship.
Huskies advance. . In their district opening game the Huskies outdueled the Knights of Loy Norrix by a score of 7-0. The first goal of the match came on a Tyler Young PK following a takedown of Steve Hecker in the penalty area. A short time later Young finished again and Northern took control of the match as the Knights seemed discouraged by the sudden hole they found themselves in. Young completed his hat trick later on in the match, and two goals by Steve Hecker and single tallies by Eric Newcomb and Aaron Kowalisyn completed the scoring for Northern. Coach Riker was able to substitute freely throughout the second half and a number of young Huskies were able to see their first varsity action. Next up will be the Jackson Vikings on Thursday evening at 7 pm. . The 5:00 match Thursday has been cancelled and Portage Central advances to the final Saturday.
Huskies win Conference Crown with 3-2 victory over St. Joseph..
The conference tournament championship was on the line on Thursday evening as the Huskies faced the Bears of St. Joe. Northern started off quickly with two goals in the first 15 minutes of the match. Luke Thurston and Scott MacDonald finished on balls served in by Brent Medema and the Huskies led 2-0. However, the game quickly tightened up again as the Bears came back with two goals of their own to tie the game 2-2 before the half ended. The Huskies continued to press the Bears in the second half and regained the lead with approximately 15 minutes to go in the match on a beautiful finish off the foot of Tyler Young. Northern was able to keep the Bears on the defensive for most of the second half while outshooting their opponents 14-2 for the game. The Huskies came away with a hard earned 3-2 victory and their first SMAC conference championship in three years. Congratulations Huskies!!
Northern defeats Mattawan and will face St. Joseph in Conference Final Thursday at home. . . The Huskies beat the Wildcats 2-1 Tuesday in the rain and wind with goals by Luke Thurston and Greg Vincent assisted by Steve Hecker and Brent Medema. In the early game the JV prevailed 3-2.
Northern advances to Conference Semifinal with 5-1 victory. . . The Huskies came out strong in this second round SMAC tournament matchup against Stevensville Lakeshore as Tyler Young buried a shot in the back of the net for an early 1-0 lead. Steve Hecker followed with another Huskie goal a few minutes later to put Northern up 2-0. Just as Northern seemed to be settling in for a romp the Lancers were awarded a PK on a trip in the outermost corner of the penalty box and suddenly it was a 2-1 game. However, a nice reset kick by Brent Medema a few minutes later put Northern back up by 2 goals and the half ended with Northern up 3-1. Second half goals by Steve Hecker (PK) and Scott MacDonald put the game away for the Huskies early in the second half. Northern outshot Lakeshore 23-2 enroute to the victory. Northern improves to 15-3 for the year while the Lakeshore Lancers fell to 14-4. Thursday's victory and Mattawan's victory over Kalamazoo Central means the Huskies will face Mattawan Tuesday evening at Mattawan.
Northern opens Conference Tournament by defeating Harper Creek. The Huskies outshot Harper Creek 31-2 enroute to a 10-0 victory in a first round SMAC tournament matchup on Tuesday evening. After a sluggish start, Northern broke through the Beaver defense often in the final 28 minutes of the first half to make the score 9-0 at the half. The match concluded about 15 minutes into the second half as Luke Thurston took on a Beaver defender and finished a ball into the upper corner of the goal. In the early game the Huskie JV won 8-1. Next up Northern hosts a second round SMAC tournament game Thursday evening against the winner of Tuesday's Lakeshore/Dowagiac game.
Huskies win East Lansing Invitational Saturday by first defeating Mason 3-2 on penalty kicks (4-3), and then besting East Lansing 2-1. The JV defeated Mason 4-1 before falling to East Lansing 2-1 on a very blustery day.
Northern defeats Niles 5-1 The match started off as a defensive struggle for much of the first half, with Eric Carnes coming up big on several occassions early on to keep the Huskies even. Finally, after some good offensive pressure, a crossing ball from Greg Vincent was headed into the goal by Steve Hecker to put Northern up 1-0 about 30 minutes into the match. A few minutes later Scott MacDonald finished a crossing pass from Hecker and put the Huskies up 2-0, which was the score at the half. In the second half the continuous pressure from Northern began to wear down the opponents and the Huskies added goals from Hecker, Brent Medema, and TylerYoung to put the game away. The Huskies improve to 11-3 with the victory over Niles
Northern Defeats Gull Lake on Senior Night. The Huskies continued their impressive play of late with a convincing 2-0 victory last night over Gull Lake. Greg Vincent and Luke Thurston found the back of the net on nice crossing assists from Tyler Young and Brent Medema. Northern played a solid game both offensively and defensively as they outshot the Blue Devils 13-3 and allowed few good opportunities for the visitors. The game was called 18 minutes into the second half of play because of threatening weather. Next up for the 10-3 Huskies is a crossover game at Niles on Thursday evening.
Northern defeats Sturgis 7-0. The Huskies came out strong again tonight with Tyler Young and Luke Thurston scoring goals in the first ten minutes of the match. Northern continued to press Sturgis throughout the remainder of the half but failed to notch another score before halftime. The floodgates opened in the 2nd half, however, as Trevor Holder, Scott MacDonald, Eric Newcomb, Chris Walker, and Tyler Young scored. Northern outshot Sturgis 24-2 in the match. Steve Hecker notched 3 assists and Eric Carnes and Eric Staver combined for the shutout. In the early game the JV prevailed 4-0.
Northern defeats Battle Creek Central. The Huskies scored early and often and came away with a 11-0 victory on Thursday evening against the Bearcats. Six different players scored for Northern, as the team rebounded from their early season scoring drought and outshot Battle Creek 20-0. Next up for the Huskies is Rockford on Saturday.
Northern defeats K-Central 1-0. The Huskies outshot the Maroon 16-5 but again struggled to find the back of the net. The Maroon survived an offensive onslaught in the first 15 minutes of the match as K-Central's goalie came up big on several occassions to make outstanding saves. The game then settled into a defensive struggle throughout the remainder of the half. Halfway through the second half of play the Huskies finally tallied what turned out to be the winning goal as Tyler Young curled in a shot from the right side of the penalty box. K-Central could not get the equalizer in the last 20 minutes of play and Northern came away with a hard fought victory.
Congratulations to Anna Bliss, Nicki Burnham, and Kristin McCall of the U17 TKO team for being State Cup Finalists! Everyone played well through both overtime periods before falling to the Hawks in a shootout. It's rare for a team from the west side of the state to make it to the final, especially when Vardar was in the way, but these three Huskies are showing what a strong defense can do for a team. Congrats U17 TKO.
