Portage Northern High School Men's Soccer

Latest News (Updated 21-Oct-2004)

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PC Advances to District Final. If you are reading this recap but weren't at THE GAME, be forewarned you will have only about a 10% chance of getting THE FEEL of truly being at this epic battle of two soccer powerhouses. Approximately 1,000 fans turned out to see Portage Northern and Portage Central play one of the greatest soccer games of the modern era (we are not sure what happened in the prior era, but we can guarantee it wasn't this exciting). A total of 26 seniors were trying to extend their high school playing careers at least one more game, with the harsh reality being that about half of them would not get that opportunity. A group of underclassmen played or witnessed action that will be tough, but fun, to try to duplicate in coming years.

After 80 minutes of action, neither team could put one on the board. The Huskies had two golden opportunities in the first few minutes, but could only find goalie Kevin Melotti with their shots. Northern had numerous opportunities in the game, including two phenomenal one-on-one saves by Melotti. Central could not muster many shots in the game, but did have what seemed like a great deal of corner kicks and free kicks, and although continually interrupting the oxygen flow to most Northern fans, could not score. Their best opportunity came late in the second half, with Husky goalie Eric Staver moving one way, but reaching back and flicking a hard shot just enough that it hit the crossbar.

The game continued into not just one, but two 15 minute overtimes. Still, after 110 minutes of soccer, the defenses remained the dominant forces, and the scoreboard said just one thing…”you are two wonderful soccer teams, and very shortly, one of you will be very happy, and one of you very sad”. The game was to be decided on a shootout, with five players from each team going one-on-one against the goalies. Win or lose, to have a game of this caliber end on a shootout was not a pretty feeling.

Goalie Eric Staver stopped the first Mustang kick, and by the time the ten kicks were done, only half had found their mark (perhaps 110 minutes of hustling soccer played a role). Each shot came with a hush over the crowd, with a subsequent cheer from one side or another. Three of five goals were for Portage Central, and two for Northern. With Central fans pouring on the field, and their team moving on to the district final, Northern fans sat stunned. We were in those shoes the past couple of years, and they sure were nice and comfortable. These shoes just don’t fit well.

Some memorable scenes will stick with us for a very long time. One is Eric Alexander, at the moment of victory, ignoring his team celebration to put an arm around Luke Thurston after the final shot. This was the same Luke who spent three years on the varsity, and spent this last season scoring one or two goals nearly every game, with a variety of shots and moves that make him one of the finest ever to play at Northern. There was Timmy Granaderos, whose dominant defense and incredible ball handling skills are unmatched, standing at the sideline looking at the field, when the 1,000 other people had left, his mom on one side and his dad on the other. There was a consoling embrace that would not end; Matt Toepper and his dad…son playing his heart out until the final buzzer, and finding solace on a familiar shoulder. And, if I may, Matt Stinson, facing the field sitting on his car nursing a bag of popcorn, well after the lights were gone and his car was the only one remaining. Matt played a monster game of defense. Karl Jansen, Andrew Johnson, Aaron Kowalisyn, Brett Knight, Matt Russell, Greg Vincent, Kyle Hitson, Andrew Jongeward, Blaine Rueber, Chris Walker, Matt Stinson, Eric Newcomb, Luke Thurston, Tim Granaderos, Trevor Holder…. ….Thank you seniors for giving us your love of the game for so many years, your desire to excel, and your support of each other. Especially thank you for those of you who have not played as much as you would have desired, yet worked hard, pushed each other, and made this team the 17-4-1 team it was. Along with your underclassmen cohorts, you have made coming to Husky soccer games an extremely cool pastime.

Congrats to PC on this win and good luck moving on against Jackson in the District Final Saturday at Husky Field..

PN Advances to District Semifinal. District play opened Tuesday night with the district seemingly spread around the state, with PC playing at Holt, Northern at Kalamazoo Central, and BC Central at Loy Norrix. The next two rounds (semi’s and final) will be at Northern’s home field. Portage Northern’s game at K-Central was certainly not taken for granted, as Northern fought hard to win an earlier game this season on the same field, 3-1. Thirty minutes into this game the score remained tied, and the fans were getting sidetracked with hot chocolate and popcorn. The final ten minutes however proved to be an exciting precursor to the final half.

Eric Newcomb was taken down in the box and Justin Bailey put the PK off the left bar and into the net for a 1-0 lead. Shortly thereafter, Luke Thurston threaded a pass between two defenders 25 yards ahead of him (with one of those “foot things” he does) to a streaking Kyle Hitson. Hitson’s shot was deflected by a diving goalie, only to have a streaking Chris Walker punch in the rebound. With all this streaking, you would have thought it was the 70’s. The Giants thwarted any Husky momentum by scoring just moments before the half ended, to close to within one, at 2-1.

The second half was like a game of Texas Hold’em, there were so many cards thrown. Early in the half, a scrapping Blaine Rueber got a ball to Bailey who fed a perfect ball to Matt Toepper, who…looking for a synonym for “blasted” or “ripped” here…destroyed a ball into the net for a 3-1 lead. Halfway through the second half, just after a red card caused the Giants to play one man down, Kevin Kay’s deflected shot was put in by that streaker Chris Walker (4-1).

At that point, Peter Milonas came into the game at the goalie position for the Huskies, and before he could even settle in, he was faced with a penalty kick. To the delight of the Husky fans, Peter rejected the PK with a great save. To the delight of the Giant fans, a Husky player entered the box too early or there was some other infraction, and another PK was awarded. This time, K-Central scored, and moments later, off a controversial free kick, scored again, to make it a Tums evening at 4-3. A game that seemed all but over was anything but over.

The Huskies took back the night with two goals near game’s end (even though the Giants still managed two or three big attacks, with Eric Staver making a diving grab of a shot with two minutes left). Andrew Jongeward assisted to Toepper (his second goal) and Zach Hurd served up a perfect header ball to Eric Newcomb for the final tally. To see the Gazette article, click here. The win brings the Husky record to 17-3-1.

Senior spotlight: Greg Vincent has always been the kind of kid to take life head on as it comes to him. He has been a serious soccer player since he was five years old. Soccer’s demanding physical and mental requirements have been an excellent outlet for Greg. One early childhood story comes from the time he was with his parents at the tender age of two. The Vincent family was looking at a home to purchase here in Portage when the family was moving back to the Portage area from Chicago. Greg was really enjoying running the loop through the kitchen, dinning room, living room and family room. After about twenty laps the real estate agent remarked that this is about the most energetic two year old she had ever seen! Greg continues his high energy head on ways till this day. Recently he once again demonstrated this with a head on car crash! Luckily, Greg walked away. We missed Greg greatly when he missed games due to his accident.

On Thursday, Jackson will play Loy Norrix at 5:00 and PN will take on cross-town rival PC at 6:45 at Husky Field. The concession stand schedule has been updated for Thursday and Saturday.

Huskies Successfully Defend Conference Crown. In a game that is really hard to write about (since it was one of the best games of our generation and your reporter was too into the action to take any notes), the Huskies took on the Bears of St. Joe for the conference SMAC-16 championship.

Northern controlled the action throughout the first half. In about the 15th minute, Justin Bailey took a ball ten yards out just left of the net, juked two defenders with some serious body language, and then finessed the ball past the goalie. That put the Huskies up 1-0. Kyle Hitson and Eric Newcomb both had shots that were inches from expanding the lead, but at halftime Northern had to settle for the slim one goal lead.

St. Joe played a good game, and they picked up their physical play in the second half. Northern countered the toughness with incredible D, goalie Eric "Saver", ball control, courage, and Mrs. Riker in the stands. One of the greatest plays of the year occurred late in the second half, with Tim Granaderos shielding the ball in the near corner to burn off a few seconds. The defender could not get to the ball, and with nary an inch to maneuver, Timmy put on the spin cycle, crossover, tight-roping, see-ya-later alligator ‘this ball is on its way down to the other end’ move. Northern’s fans gave a championship-style standing ovation, as the clock ran down on the 1-0 victory.

The Huskies head into districts next week with a 16-3-1 record, a conference championship, and a team that is playing together superbly. Go Huskies.

Senior spotlight: In what has become the Class of the Ninja Turtle, Andrew Johnson’s favorite toy was a Ninja Turtle punching bag. Punching bags are made for punching of course. But for future soccer players, you don’t punch punching bags, you kick the stuffing out of them. “Take that corner kick, bag”. “Take this penalty kick, bag”. The bag did not last through the warranty period. It is always fun to watch Andrew when he gets in games, because his speed cannot be exceeded by any forward anywhere. Thanks for your four years of Husky soccer Andrew!

The Portage Soccer Club (Portage Lightning) is looking for men and women with previous playing experience at the high school and/or college level to either act as head/assistant coaches or aid in training for youth teams. For more information please contact Bruce Bejcek at 269-324-3723 or bruce.bejcek@wmich.edu

SMAC Tournament is underway. The seeds for the teams in the top 8 are: 1-St. Joseph, 2-Battle Creek Lakeview, 3-Portage Northern, 4-Portage Central, 5-Mattawan, 6-Marshall, 7-Stevensville Lakeshore, 8-Dowagiac.

Varsity photo: The sequence below shows Greg Vincent going straight up for a header as the Mattawan keeper comes out to punch the ball away, while being undercut by his own teammate. One of many good plays by both teams this past Tuesday evening.

Practice is 3:30 to 5:30 each weekday, always rely on your coach for any changes.

Varsity and JV photos are now posted, as are schedules and rosters. Access them via links along the left column. Please report errors to the webmaster

The concession stand work schedule is also posted. You are obligated to serve the time slot you are assigned. If you cannot serve at that time, you are responsible for trading with someone or arranging for someone to serve your time. No one under 18 is allowed to serve.

PN wins at BC Lakeview 3-1. In a conference tournament semi-final match, the Huskies wore down Lakeview for the second time in a few weeks, taking a 3-1 victory. Northern moves on to play at St. Joe Thursday night for the conference championship. The game is at the Stadium Field at Upton Middle School (click here for map).

Lakeview looked determined to make things different this time around, especially when they scored first twenty minutes into the game. But the Huskies pressed forward for most of the rest of the game. Lakeview did have many chances to score the rest of the night, most of the time on throw-ins on the narrow field, which served more effective than corner kicks. But every time, the Huskie defense and goalie Eric Staver staved off the threats.

Five minutes after Lakeview scored their only goal, the Huskies countered during a scrum in front of the net. The ball eventually bounced off a Lakeview player and into the net. Andrew Johnson listened joyfully as he got credit for the goal from the game announcer. Andrew however, wasn’t playing at the time. The goal actually was credited to freshman Kevin Kay, who was playing up on the varsity for the first time. Kay played an excellent game for the varsity.

Midway through the second half, Luke Thurston floated across the middle and blasted a shot to the far side of the net for a 2-1 lead. After Timmy Granaderos was leveled, drawing a yellow card from the opponent, the Lakeview fans got raucous, giving the referee loving quotes and phrases. But the Huskies kept going, and with about ten minutes left, got an insurance marker on a Justin Bailey free kick to the charging Thurston, who headed the ball past the Lakeview goalie.

Northern improves to 15-3-1 for the season, with all three losses being one goal differentials. The Huskie defense allowed only their 12th goal of the season.

Senior spotlight: Matt Russell was just another of these guys that were youngsters when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were hot. He was a big fan too. But his parents were no dummies…they kept the sharp knives out of harms way, on top of the refrigerator. Matt was a little sharper than they thought though. The three year old moved his high chair near the stove, climbed on the stove to reach the top of the frig and get the knives down. Mom came in and tried to remain calm as Matt swooshed the knives around like Zoro. She calmly left the room so not to surprise him and put him in harm’s way. He eventually got bored and put them down.

Matt could get to the top a little more quickly now, as he pole vaults on the track team.

Northern defeats Marshall. In what has become known as the season of global warming, the only hat being worn on this beautiful fall evening was on the foot of Luke Thurston. Luke scored his second hat trick in two weeks…ironically both have come against the same Marshall team. This time, it was the first game of the conference tournament, with the Huskies coming out on top 5-0.

Thurston scored at the ten minute mark of the first period. With the ball bounding around like a pin ball machine, Luke took control of it and drained it from 25 yards out. His second goal came just into the second half, with the Marshall defense stilled by anticipation of an offside call, Luke casually continued playing and scored easily. One minute later, to prove his prior goal was not wimpy, Luke scored by ripping a shot off a full stride into a small crevice left open by the goalie, who had figured the small opening was safe from enemy fire.

Eric Newcomb scored near the end of the first half by rumbling through the defensive line, jumping and skipping while continuing to move the ball forward before dumping it in the net. Finishing the scoring late in the game was an offensively hungry Timmy Granaderos, who has yearned for a scoring opportunity after squelching so many for the opponents.

The Husky defense was incredible, not allowing a shot on goal all night. Besides the stellar play of those who started the game, those who finished it were just as stingy, including Andrew Johnson and Steve Labadie.

Senior spotlight: Luke Thurston’s desire to be the best came early in life. As a four year old boy, Luke would shag soccer balls for older neighbor kids, making one cent for each ball retrieved. One time, a crying Luke was carried home by an older boy after getting hit in the stomach with a ball. His mother wiped away his tears and sat him on the counter to comfort him. “Luke, why don’t you stay here with me now”? Luke, wiping his nose on his sleeve, replied, “No Mom, I gotta go back there”.

The Husky JV tied the Redskins JV 1-1 in the early game.

East Lansing Invitational (East Lansing, Mason, Lowell, Portage Northern): The Huskies went back to this tough invitational to defend their crown from last year. Lowell was Northern’s first opponent, and before the fans were even settled in, Lowell scored a quick goal within minutes of the start. The Huskies fired numerous shots high of the frame throughout the next 40 minutes. Then, about 5 minutes into the second half, a Matt Toepper pass to Eric Newcomb was converted into a tying goal. But, as fate would have it, a Lowell player slipped in between a few defenders and fired a rocket into the net with just 15 minutes left in the game. Tim Granaderos added one blast of excitement with just seconds left, trying to finish some heated offensive attacking; but the goalie made an excellent save on the final attempt and the game was over, as was Northern’s seven game winning streak.

Lowell went on to play East Lansing (2-1 winners over Mason) for the Invitational title. Northern played Mason in their second game of the day, and came out 1-0 winners, on an early goal from Eric Newcomb off a forwarding lob pass by Matt Toepper.

The JV won their first game 2-1 over Mason, but then fell to East Lansing in the finale.

The day at East Lansing started out with winter apparel, but soon turned to good ole sun, albeit blustery. The Northern fans did not mess around, as they warmed their bodies with a tailgate party fit for a king. All players and fans enjoyed the superb soccer and food.

Senior Spotlight: Timmy Granaderos has an older sister named Alyson. At the age of 9 she was an aspiring make-up artist who had no sisters, so Timmy became her 4-year-old model. Being the easy-going fellow that Timmy is, he would sit patiently while Alyson applied make-up, blush, eye shadow and lipstick. She would dress him in dresses and shawls, and adorn him with earrings and various headpieces. Timmy would graciously pose and offer a wan smile for the parental camera. Timmy (or should I say, his parents) has a portfolio of glamour shots from his short-lived modeling career, including wedding pix complete with bride. I better report that Timmy ended his modeling career at a young age when he lost patience with these sessions. His sister, Alyson, is now a make-up artist in Los Angeles, and her parents attribute her success (in part) to her first and most endearing subject.

Huskies shut out Lancers. Thursday night the Lakeshore Lancers visited Portage Northern for a West Crossover game. All the “old” guys were honored before the start of the game, as the Huskies honored their seniors on Senior Night. With 15 seniors on the team this year, there will be a huge void in the Husky program when the season ends. When all seniors stood in a line with their parents after being introduced, the line stretched long, and 15 scholar athletes graced the field where crowds have marveled and cheered for the past four years at their athletic endeavors. Tonight was no different. The Huskies fought hard, bending but not breaking in a 2-0 win, raising their record to 12-2-1. Justin Bailey took a cross from Brett Knight 16 minutes into the game, trapping the ball from the air and balancing it on the top of his foot, before putting on a move not seen since Barry Sanders retired. Andrew Jongeward scored the second and final goal on a far post header from a well-placed corner kick by Kyle Hitson. Keeper Eric Staver is credited with the shutout, and the defense anchored by Tim Granaderos, Blaine Rueber, and Matt Stinson was also instrumental in the Husky victory.

The Husky JV squad continued their winning ways with a smartly fashioned 4-0 victory over the Lakeshore Lancers on Thursday evening. Justin Rhodes and Ronald Dewberry scored first half goals offered up by assists from Kevin Kay and DJ Jarrad to stake Northern to a 2-0 halftime edge. Then in the second half, the Huskies continued to play solid soccer and got goals from DJ Jarrad and Matt Hecker off assists from Matt Hecker and Ronald Dewberry, respectively. However, the story of this game and for the year as a whole continues to be the solid play of the defensive unit. Here's a quick quiz for all you Northern fans: How many goals did the JV Husky squad allow in the month of September? Well, the answer is...the same number as how many losses the team has endured for the year.....ZERO!!! Good job JV's.....and continue the fine play at this weekend's East Lansing Invitational!!

Saturday morning the JV plays at10:00 and the Varsity at 11:30 with Lowell. Then at 1:00 and 2:30 the JV and Varsity play either Mason or East Lansing. An updated map is available on the Maps page.

Portage Northern Wins at Battle Creek Lakeview. Northern traveled to Battle Creek Saturday morning for a nonconference game against a tough and upset minded Lakeview team.

You will have to use your imagination to visualize the first goal 14 minutes into the game, but it is worth the meditation. Andrew Jongeward lofted a long ball that Eric Newcomb was able to back peddle to just inside the box. With Eric going backwards and the Lakeview goalie (nearly twice the size of Eric) charging toward him from behind, Eric just jumped up and let the ball bounce off his head and pop over the goalie’s head behind him, skipping slowly into the net. OK, now open your eyes and read about the rest of the game.

Lakeview tied the game a few moments later on a long shot off a mid-field reset that bounced around amongst many players but ended up in the goal. The goal was only the ninth goal of the year given up by the Huskie defense in 14 games this year (11-2-1), including six shutouts.

The 1-1 tie continued well into the second half. With 14 minutes left, Justin Bailey gave his corner kick a low trajectory, and Matt Stinson was able to race in front of all defenders and head the ball into the net for the winning goal.

In the next few minutes, a calm and composed Karl Jansen surprised the defense with a short touch pass to an open Justin Bailey who snuck the ball past the goalie. Then Chris Walker ended the scoring shortly after that, by somehow splitting two defenders who seemed to be glued to each side of him, beating the goalie in the process.

The JV posted ANOTHER shutout victory in their game. That's 9 shutout victories in a row.

Next match is Thursday when PN hosts the crossover game with Stevensville Lakeshore from the West Division. Thursday is also Senior Night. On Saturday PN travels to the East Lansing Invitational (map is now updated).

Senior Spotlight: Karl Jansen had a very Kool assist in the Lakeview game. Karl showed an interest in soccer at an early age; the photo right shows Karl getting ready to make an assist in the living room…with his eyes closed.

When Karl was four, he and his best friend decided to use crayons to mark up the walls in basically the entire first floor of the house. That was about the same time his parents had to decide whether to send him to school according to his September birthday or hold him back. His parents looked at the "X"s and "O"s with lines between them, and decided if he could draw up soccer plays, he was probably ready for school, although memories are fuzzy and it may be they figured the more time he spent in school, the less time he'd have to mark up walls

Huskies Defeat Redskins in Crossover Game. Huskie fans celebrated even before the game started Thursday night. Upon arriving at the field on yet another bright, sunny afternoon, fans finally got a field laid out east-to-west! For the first time this season, we could actually see the action without squinting.

Early in the first half, Luke Thurston did what he does so well…score. Luke was standing alone near the left side of the goal, appearing to be thinking about college, dinner, or spring break, when the ball arrived at his right foot, which he swung forward to open the scoring. Minutes later, Aaron Kowalisyn ran a ball down deep in the corner and crossed a perfect pass the Thurston, who scored again, this time by “chesting” the ball into the net. Soon after, Matt Toepper led Eric Newcomb up the middle with a pass that Eric ran down and snuck past the goalie. Before the first half ended, Toepper again assisted, this time to a guy named Luke, who burst between two defenders to complete his first half hat trick. Halftime score: 4-0.

Early in the second half, Trevor Holder assisted on a Matt Toepper goal. Toepper scored the goal from the right side as he was getting drilled by a defender. The pain of hitting the ground vanished as the ball disappeared in the net. Kyle Hitson later tried one of his special free kicks, but this one hit the crossbar. An alert Justin Bailey drilled the carom in for another score. Finally, Zach Hurd caught the Marshall goalie out just a little too far from the net to embrace his 40 yard loft shot. Marshall scored once in the second half on a deflected reset, to make the final score Northern 7, Marshall 1.

In the early game the JV notched another shutout victory, this time 2-0.

Senior spotlight: Aaron Kowalisyn’s perfect assist in the first half was no doubt recorded by team statistician Rick Staver. If the past is any indication, Aaron will review the stats thoroughly at season’s end. When Aaron was three years old, he told his daycare provider that he had to go upstairs to go the bathroom. Much time passed and the provider got curious, and went upstairs to see if Aaron was OK. There, lying in the upstairs hallway, was Aaron, reading the stats in the sports page of the newspaper.

Huskies Outduel Knights. Seventeen. That was the lucky number for the Huskies Tuesday night at Loy Norrix. Seventeen minutes into the game Andrew Jongeward assisted on a Justin Bailey goal for the first score. Not until there were 17 minutes left in the game did the Huskies come through again, with Luke Thurston breaking away for a score. In between, Loy Norrix Knight goalie Justin Kastman did a tremendous job of keeping the Huskies at bay, making at least six excellent saves.

Loy Norrix did their best to keep the game within reach, but once that second goal came, the floodgates opened, and the Huskies added four more goals in a ten minute span near the end of the game, to come away with a 6-0 win. Justin Bailey made an awesome move along the end line (a move he has legally patented) and fed a short pass to the foot of Chris Walker, who flicked it in the net. Brett Knight (no relation to Loy Norrix) scored on an assist by Thurston, and then assisted on the next goal for Matt Toepper. Eric Newcomb finished the scoring when he headed in a beautiful serve from Toepper.

The Huskies record now stands at 9-2-1.

The JV extended their undefeated streak with another shutout victory, and they are 9-0-1.

Senior spotlights:

Andrew Jongeward is the master of the header…because he stands tall and proud and uses his strength to get up and direct the ball. When Andrew was two he wanted to stand tall also, even when securely strapped in his stroller. Andrew would finagle his way to a standing position, with the stroller strapped to his back like a large backpack, and just walk away.

Kyle Hitson is a real treat to watch play soccer. In Kyle’s first ever trip to the Soccer Zone, Kyle’s parents took him to an introductory training session for 2 and 3 year olds. It was October 31, Halloween. Kyle’s mind was not on soccer that day. When he passed by the doors within the walls of the field, Kyle would knock on them and yell “Trick or treat”!

Huskies shut out Falcons. The highly regarded Falcons of East Kentwood brought their strong game of soccer down to Portage Northern Saturday afternoon, on another beautiful Michigan late summer day. Fans at this game knew that midway through the first half, any score would be huge in this rough defensive struggle. Luke Thurston gave the Huskie fans something to collectively “ooooooohhhhh” about when he caught the goalie away from the net and his loft shot hit the crossbar. Just before the half, Kyle Hitson gave them something to “aaaaahhhhh” about when he also just missed on another golden opportunity.

With a scoreless halftime tie, the teams moved aside to make way for some serious AYSO/Portage Soccer Club scrimmages. Halftime highlights included five year old Brian Schreiber putting a series of moves on to score a game tying goal with just seconds left. His goal sparked the Huskies in the second half.

With 7 minutes gone in the second half, the Huskies tallied their only goal of the game on a restart about 25 yards out. Kyle Hit(it with perfect precis)son hit the bottom of the crossbar and the ball ricocheted off the goalie into the net. The rest of the game was action-packed, with heart pumping excitement. With Huskie fans begging for an insurance marker, a couple of open shots could not find their target. The defense was masterful, with Tim Granaderos and Matt Stinson playing big roles. One of East Kentwood’s best chances was thwarted when Brett Knight ripped across the field to strip the ball from a charging Falcon player with 20 minutes to go. The Huskies hung on for a 1-0 victory.

In the JV contest, Justin Rhodes scored twice (for his dad’s birthday), and Mitch Kinner scored off a rebound to give the undefeated JV team a 3-0 win. The JV has given up just one goal this year.

Senior Spotlight: One day more than 17 years ago two baby boys were born at Borgess Hospital just hours apart. Brett Knight and Matt Stinson have been friends, well basically for a little more than 17 years now. They have relied on each other and helped each other in tough times, as you can see in the picture where Brett gave Matt a shoulder to lean on when Matt was having one of his many tired moments. The original uncropped photo has eight babies lined up in a row; next time you see Knights or Stinsons, ask them what this was all about (click on photo for larger image).

When Brett Knight made a game saving steal in today’s game, he did not do what he used to do on defense in his early AYSO games: doing cartwheels in front of the goal…during the games. Also of note, Brett dropped so many things in his youth he was nicknamed “hands”. It is no wonder he took up the sport of soccer.

The Huskies won today’s game, but even if they had lost, Matt Stinson would have still thought they won. In Matt’s first year of soccer, playing with budding stars like Justin Bailey and the Malone girls, his team lost about as many as they won. Yet, when asked by anyone about how they were doing, Matt would always say the same thing…”we are undefeated”.

PN wins over BCC. “Justin Bailey drives the baseline, shoots, and scores!” Well, Justin probably wouldn't be seen doing that on the basketball floor at BC Central, but he did start the scoring on the soccer field that way. The Huskies scored five goals in the first ten minutes in route to a 12-0 shutout of the Bearcats, with all the scoring coming in the first half. After Bailey’s goal, Chris Walker knocked one in off a cross from Luke Thurston deep in the corner. Luke then scored his own goal with a rocket from 20 yards out. Matt Russell scored on a breakaway goal, followed up by a Thurston goal off an assist by Bailey. The Bearcats had serious hustle, but could not match up with the talent and depth of the Huskies.

The last twenty minutes of the first half saw a menagerie of scores. Trevor Holder assisted on the first two just minutes apart, with Karl Jansen and Eric Newcomb doing the finishing. Then Holder scored himself on a penalty kick. One minute later Newcomb got his second tally, and Jansen scored again on a header off a nice pass from Nuke. Zach Hurd got on the tally list after finishing off a pass from Thurston. Finally, Matt Toepper put the first half to rest with the Huskies final score of the night. The game was called after ten minutes of the second half.

In the early game, the JV kept their string of shutout victories alive by winning 10-0.

The Huskies are home Saturday against a tough East Kentwood squad.

Senior spotlight: Trevor Holder scored on a penalty kick tonight after crashing to the ground in the box. It wasn’t Trevor’s worst crash of his life. When Trevor was six years old, he was riding a bike down a hill on Mackinaw Island near the Grand Hotel. With his parents in front of him, and not knowing he did not know how to work the brakes, Trevor zipped by them and through the end of the road, crashing into (and destroying) a beautifully landscaped area. It was really a good laugh…well, for his parents at least.

THANK YOU to Ed Stinson for writing the varsity game summaries and making it interesting!

For earlier game summaries, click here.

For details of the fall 2003 season, including a 17-game winning streak and Conference and District titles, click here.

For photos of construction of the new rest room / concession facility, click here.