Elk Rapids just short in 1st semifinal

Jun. 16—CEDAR SPRINGS — Hudsonville Unity Christian didn't want a repeat of last year.

A lot of factors coincidentally pointed to it, when the Crusaders lost on the same day at the same stadium to an opponent from the same conference.

This time, No. 2-ranked Unity (21-1-1) held on, outlasting No. 5 Elk Rapids (18-3) in a 3-1 Division 3 state semifinal girls soccer game Wednesday at Red Hawk Stadium in Cedar Springs.

Elk Rapids didn't get any help from Lady Luck, as starting goaltender Jorja Jenema left the game just 6:18 in with an ankle injury.

"We wanted a little different outcome this time around," Unity Christian head coach Randy Heethuis said. "We came out a little tentative to begin with. A lot of balls were bouncing up in the air, and a lot of credit goes to Elk Rapids because they were winning a lot of those 50/50 balls early."

In 2021, Elks' Lake Michigan Conference compatriot Boyne City battled perennial powerhouse Hudsonville Unity to a 1-1 deadlock in regulation and won the state semifinal 2-1 in penalty kicks at Red Hawk Stadium as Ramblers goalie Maggi McHugh stopped three Crusader shots.

This time around, Unity capitalized on early fortune to lead 3-0, coming out of the 20-minute water break for an Ava Lutke goal and a 3-0 lead.

Less than two minutes later, senior Gabby Krakow scored on a high, arcing shot into the top left corner to put Elk Rapids on the board and cut the lead to two goals.

Gwen Carroll, one of the Elks' 10 seniors, made seven saves the rest of the way, keeping Elk Rapids in striking distance as the speedy Crusader offense made things difficult. Jenema stopped two shots before exiting after a save in which her right foot caught under her as she slid to stop Lutke from getting to an opportunity.

"She said she heard a crack," Elk Rapids head coach Andrea Krakow said. "But mentally that takes the team out of it. Although, our girls stepped up. Gwen Carroll come on. ... She's got some serious leg issues going on, and she said she'd go in and she did a great job."

Carroll stopped Crusaders forward Jenna Schreiber's opportunity five minutes after coming in for Jenema, with Hannah Janssen clearing the rebound to end that scoring threat.

"It was just really unfortunate for them that their goalkeeper got hurt," Heethuis said. "And then you know, we took advantage of that and got some really nice goals. ... I'd like to point out whoever that was, the goalkeeper that had to come in for them, because she did a great job in a very difficult situation."

Hudsonville Unity's Emily Timmer scored the game's first goal after Carroll made an initial kick save coming across the line on a corner kick with 28:04 remaining in the first half. Jordan Steen put the Crusaders up 2-0 with 22:14 left in the opening half.

Hudsonville Unity heads to the program's 14th state finals since Heethuis started the program in 1990. The Crusaders own 10 state championships, but make their first final appearance since 2016. They'll even have a familiar voice calling the game, as Cedar Springs public address announcer — and future McBain Northern Michigan Christian athletic director — Trey Reed called Wednesday's semifinal and also handles the state finals for the MHSAA.

"No. 2 over there is a really good talent," Heethuis said of Elks junior forward Lauren Bingham. "She had that one breakaway that hit the crossbar early after we had hit the crossbar at the other end. But that was her only really good look of the night, and that's a credit to a lot of our defenders."

The game time moved back to 7 p.m. in an attempt to minimize extreme heat, although it was still nearly 90 degrees by the time the game ended around 9 p.m. Temps were even higher on the artificial turf playing surface.

The Elk Rapids back line of senior Annabelle Parrish, junior Lily Morton and Janssen, supported by sophomore defensive midfielder Ally Plum, played very well against the pressure generated by Hudsonville Unity.

"Offensively, we did just enough to win this game," Heethuis said. "We forced their defense under a lot more pressure than they were probably used to. But a ton of credit to them, especially the one that the defender (Morton) saved off the line. That was just an incredible play. Those girls worked their butts off, and yeah, Andrea does a fantastic job with that team and my hat's off to them because they battled the entire game and nothing came easy."

Elk Rapids surrendered only six goals all season coming into the semifinal, the Elks' first Final Four appearance in the program's 26-year history.

"Big season for Elk Rapids," Krakow said. "First regional title, and anything past that would have been awesome. They played well. They got to this point, the first time for the girls program to be in this game. So it's all a huge win for us."

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