'One heck of an achievement for us': Special run for Eaton Rapids soccer ends in regional final
WILLIAMSTON − After the shot found the back of the net and a celebration commenced around him, Kyle Bush took a few steps to his right and sat at the goal post.
The mind of the senior goalkeeper started thinking about what he could have done differently during penalty kicks for the Eaton Rapids boys soccer team.
And while trying to process a disappointing ending, Bush also had a sense of pride.
The regional final wasn't the place Bush expected to see his high school career come to an end – especially with the Greyhounds losing 10 players to graduation from last season.
But that's exactly where they were Thursday night.
Eaton Rapids took a Grosse Ile program that's been a fixture at this stage in the state tournament to the wire before falling in a shootout and suffering a 1-0 loss in a Division 3 regional final at Williamston..
"I'm very proud of my teammates and my team and everything they've given to make us (get) this far," Bush said. "They've given all they have and I'm proud of every single one of them. It's unlucky that we lost, but I believe that we've won something and we've pushed past (anything) we've done in a long time.
"I think we should be proud of what we just did. It sucks that we're not going any further, but we made it this far and it's one heck of an achievement for us."
More:See the MHSAA regional pairings, scores for Greater Lansing boys soccer teams
No. 14-ranked Grosse Ile won the shootout, 3-2, clinching its fifth straight regional title when Joseph Molnar, its fifth shooter, made the decisive penalty kick.
But it was the play of Bush that helped Eaton Rapids (14-5-1) push the contest to a shootout. He had several big plays in goal throughout the night and was part of what coach Greyhound coach Mike Decker said was a gritty effort by his team.
"Kyle is probably, if not the best goalkeeper in the area, he's definitely one of them," Decker said. "He's a big part of why we've had the success we have for the last four years and he's been really, really good this year. (It was) a tough deal for him, but (it was) an incredible season for him."
More:Veteran Robert Noyes helping lead young Eaton Rapids boys soccer to major success
While Bush won't be around in the future, he's excited about where the Greyhound program is headed. This year marked the third league championship in four years for Eaton Rapids, which added to that success by making one of its deepest state tournament runs in program history and best since a 1998 trip to the state semifinals.
"We showed what we can be and what kind of program we are and how far we can get," Bush said. "I believe we can get further.
"There was a lot of pride in making it this far and competing with a team that's gone to states many times in a row. Being able to have them right there where we wanted them and almost beating them was great. It was a great accomplishment for us."
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Eaton Rapids soccer falls in shootout to Grosse Ile in regional final
