MOUNT PLEASANT — When Reeths-Puffer was awarded a penalty kick for a foul in the box 30 seconds into Tuesday's regional semifinal game against Gaylord, the Rockets appeared to be off and running towards what coach Kody Harrell believed would be a victory.
However, when junior Jaslynn Kops misfired on the shot, sending it wide of the net, it proved to be a harbinger of things to come as the Rockets didn't execute their game the way they wanted. A very strong Gaylord team took advantage, scoring twice in the first half and defeating R-P 3-1 to end an excellent Rocket season.
Kops is the Rockets' newly minted single-season record holder in goals scored, and indeed added another goal to that record late in the game, but as Harrell noted, even the best players in the world sometimes don't hit the ball the way they want on a PK.
"The goalie didn't even move," Harrell said. "I think a good player just mishit it, and that happens. It happens to pros. A really talented player just mishit the ball and it is what it is...It's not like it was something where (the keeper) psyched her out with movement or there was a mind game."
The teams battled without a goal for over 16 minutes after that opening salvo, but Gaylord got on the board in the 17th minute when Ella Cherwinski barely beat Rocket keeper Ava Callender to a long pass and pounded in a rebound shot. The Blue Devils later perfectly executed a corner kick, resulting in Josie Bensinger heading one in from right outside the goal.
That left the Rockets in a very tough spot heading into the second half. R-P had chances to create scoring opportunities, but its normally precision passing just wasn't there the way it often is.
"Our kids are amazing," Harrell said. "The effort was there. The heart was there. The togetherness was there. Our passing just wasn't there to win today, and I think that's what made their midfield look so good. They ran a very flat formation, which is a formation we feel really comfortable picking apart, but the passing wasn't there today.
"We were in their half more than they were in our half, that's for sure. But we didn't really do anything with it. That last pass into the box just wasn't there today."
R-P finally did unleash a great pass in the final minutes when Wren Tryska launched a long ball perfectly to Kops' feet past midfield, setting the junior star up to race the rest of the way for a goal, her 24th of the season. Unfortunately, by then Gaylord had added a third goal, less than a minute prior to Tryska's pass - a brilliant 30-yard shot by Bensinger for which there was no defense.
As is the case for all but four teams in the state, the Rockets' season ended in defeat, but it was undeniably a hugely successful season, which included the first district title for R-P since 2014 and the first win over rival Mona Shores since 2016. Seven seniors, including stars Mallorie Messer, Ashley Bradley, Abby Hill, Lola Sapone and Sara Carlson, will graduate from this team. There is excitement, though, with the number of players slated to return, including Kops, Ashlyn David, Callender and many more.
"You've got five freshmen that played big minutes, so in some ways, we could even be better next year, but they've got to put the work in this offseason," Harrell said. "There's a lot of potential, so we'll see what we can do with that. Having a little bit longer run this year, hopefully that just fuels them for what the possibilities can be."
Rockets win shootout to take district title
Reeths-Puffer pulled out a dramatic district finals win over Cedar Springs Friday night in a penalty kick shootout, 2-1, to hoist the program's first district trophy since 2014.
R-P never trailed in the game thanks to a first-half goal by Sara Carlson, the former keeper. When the Red Hawks scored in the second half and neither team managed an overtime goal, current keeper Ava Callender moved to center stage for the penalty kick shootout.
Callender made one save, on the Red Hawks' fourth attempt, and Mallorie Messer made her shot, making the Rockets 5-for-5 in the shootout and clinching the win.
