Holland Christian soccer surges to regional title

BYRON CENTER - Coming off an intense and emotional win over No. 1-ranked Catholic Central in the regional semifinals, it took the Holland Christian boys soccer team a while to get back in the groove on Thursday night.

But once the Maroons found their rhythm they couldn't be stopped, as Holland Christian scored four goals in the final 22 minutes of the first half en route to a dominating 5-0 win over Paw Paw in the Division 3 regional finals.

With the victory, Holland Christian (18-1-3) will now move on to play Elk Rapids (18-7-2) in the state semifinals next Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Cedar Springs High School.

"We talked a lot about how we had spent a lot of energy in the last game," Holland Christian coach David DeBoer said. "We knew that we had to celebrate and then just start focusing on the next game so we could just mentally get to that same place.  It took us a little bit, but I'm obviously proud of our first half finish."

Holland Christian had a few chances in front of the goal early on, but it wasn't until the 21:15 mark of the first half when junior midfielder Jordan Rees scored off an assist from junior fullback Jon Hogsten to break the ice and make it 1-0 Maroons.

A few minutes later, Holland Christian senior forwards Kyle Cannon and Lucas Freriks took it upon themselves to make sure that the Maroons would not be ending their season.

Cannon took a feed from Freriks with 15:14 left in the opening half and blasted a shot from about 10 yards out off the inside of the left goalpost to put Holland Christian up 2-0. Then with 4:37 to go before halftime, junior forward Caden Petroelje delivered a slick entry pass to Freriks, who again put the ball right into the middle of the box with a pass from the end line right onto Cannon's foot for a 3-0 advantage. Cannon completed his first half scoring barrage by heading a beautiful cross from Freriks into the net with 1:11 to play before the break to give the Maroons an essentially insurmountable 4-0 lead.

"(Lucas) provided all three assists for my three goals, so we got it going early and we kept it going through the second half," Cannon, who had never scored a varsity hat trick, said. "I just see when he's driving end line, I know where to go to get to the right spot, and he's hitting me."

When asked which of his goals was the most memorable, Cannon responded, "I'm gonna say probably my second one because I was kind of late coming in (to the box) and once I saw (Lucas) taking end line, I just bolted and ran in right to where he kicked it, so it just worked out really well. I owe it (the three goals) all to my teammates. (The win) Tuesday was a huge momentum-setter for us and it just carried over into this one. We're going for two more wins, so we've just gotta bring the same energy and motivation that we've had (all season)."

Freriks was happy with the way his team overcame some early-game jitters.

"I think we maybe came in a little bit nervous just because this was the first time in a while we've been in the regional finals, but once we got it rolling, we just kept going," Freriks said. "Ever since the start of last season, Kyle and I have always had a little connection. We were 3 for 3 tonight, so I couldn't be any happier. (On Cannon's third goal) I looked up, saw him back post where he always likes to sit and I just chipped it over to him. He's got size and he's not scared to fight for the ball, so I just put it up to him.

"We kind of keep saying to ourselves that the job's not finished, so we just keep looking for that state final. We're excited to be here, but we're not done yet."

DeBoer also felt good about the way his team took care of business and dominated play throughout the game, as Holland Christian didn't allow a shot on goal for Paw Paw (11-9-1), outshooting them 12-0.

"For us, the sum is greater than the parts for sure," DeBoer said. "Whether you're (number 1) or 26 (on the roster), you need to do your role to the best of your ability. There's something to be said for high school sports and what these kids have done this season. There's club (soccer) and all that, but there's nothing like playing for your school and playing in front of all your classmates."

DeBoer also had praise for one of his top confidantes.

"My assistant Matt (Finkbeiner) doesn't get nearly enough credit for us," DeBoer said. Tactically, he sees the game really well and gives tremendous feedback to these kids individually. He's really helping us be who we are."

Junior midfielder Lukas Hegg closed out the scoring for Holland Christian when he deposited a ball into the net with 2:04 remaining in the game. Junior fullback Samuel Plockmeyer recorded the assist for the Maroons.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland Christian soccer surges to regional title, on to state semis