BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR
Twitter: @MiSoccerNetwork
ROCKFORD, Mich. – Collectively, Rockford sure has a flair for the dramatic on the soccer pitch.
In fact, perhaps the school should change its nickname from Rams to Minutemen or Minutewomen – at least in case of soccer.
Rockford keeps finding ways to win and winning games late – as in the final minutes.
The second-seeded Rams did it again Thursday night at home, scoring a goal in the 79th minute to topple fourth-seeded Grand Haven 1-0 in the Ottawa Kent Conference-Red Division conference tournament finals at Rockford.
It marks the second straight game the Rams scored in the waning moments of a contest and Rockford has done it several times this season with a late goal.
“We are a young team, but we are finding ways to win,” admitted Rockford coach Stu Quackenbush. “I am pleased because they never stopped working and they don’t let up regardless of what’s going on (out) on the field. That’s what I love about this team.”
The win capped one fine week for Rockford, where the Rams – the sole unbeaten school remaining in Division 1 this season at 11-0-5 – went 3-0-0, all in the conference tournament. That performance put the finishing touches on the conference title previously owned by Hudsonville the last three seasons.
The Rams also received a solid from upset-minded Grand Haven earlier in the week when the Buccaneers upset previously-unbeaten and Division 1 top-ranked Hudsonville 1-0 in a shootout in the conference tournament semifinals. Hudsonville went 10-0-0 in conference play last year and was 6-0-1 in the regular league season this year to gain the top seed in the OKC-Red tournament.
That same night that Grand Haven pulled off the huge upset and turned the OKC-Red field upside down, Rockford scored a goal with 31 seconds left in defeating third-seeded Caledonia 1-0 in the semifinals. The goal came on a wild goal-mouth scramble from sophomore Georgia Bosscher – one of 10 sophomores on the underclassmen-laden roster that also features two freshmen and three juniors against eight seniors.
It happened again in the finals.
Junior Ryan Whitford served the ball into the box and sophomore Rylan Potter cashed in her paycheck into the bank with 1:31 remaining for the game’s only goal. The win clinched the Ottawa Kent Conference-Red Division tournament and overall championship for the Division 1 11th-ranked Rams, who finished with 15 total points – eight in the conference tournament and seven in the regular league season. Hudsonville, which defeated Caledonia 1-0 on Thursday in the third place game, finished with 14 points thanks to their eight points in the regular league season and six points in the conference tournament.
“We didn’t want to tie because we didn’t want to give Hudsonville a chance. They have won a lot (of games) the last few years, so not to sound selfish but we really wanted to win this one and win the league. It’s been a while since we’ve won the league.”
Rockford finished second to Hudsonville in both 2021 and 2022 when teams in the OKC-Red played each other twice, while the Rams finished fifth in 2023 after an injury-plagued campaign which saw the OKC-Red play a round-robin style in the regular season coupled with the eight-school, three-round conference tournament to help distinguish the final pecking order in the OKA-Red Division.
Freshman Paige Shepherd, one of the top ninth-grade goalkeepers not only in Michigan but the Midwest, recorded her team’s 12th shutout of the season, one of the highest totals in school history.
“She’s going to be a good one,” smiled Quackenbush. “We know she’s getting looked at by some ECNL (club) teams. She’s only a freshman but she has a bright future ahead of her.”
Whitford, Potter and seniors Avery Rose and Mackenzie Blackmore have comprised the regular starting back four for Rockford this season, while senior Celeste Tracy and sophomore Molly Simmons have also aided the stout defensive unit that is putting up some impressive numbers shutting down star players and recording historically low numbers on the defensive end.
“Our defense is strong. They play well together and they don’t give up a ton of chances. And when you have good goalkeepers behind them and they communicate well it can make you tough (to score upon),” added Quackenbush.
While Rockford has scored 39 goals as a team, Quackenbush believes the Rams have much room for improvement on the offensive end of the field and will be more polished if they are to make a long postseason run.
“We still need to clean some things up,” he said. “We’re not consistent with our passing and scoring on some our chances, but we hope can improve there. We still have a tendency to get a little sloppy at times. But at the end of games, we sure find ways to score.”
Rockford drew a bye in its Division 1 district at Jenison High School and is idle until May 29, when the Rams play in a 5 p.m. district semifinals.
“There’s some really good teams in our district,” reminded Quackenbush. “And some really good teams in this area in general. We’ll probably see (OKC-Green Division champion Muskegon) Mona Shores in the semifinals and if we can get through and Mona Shores wins its opener, Grand Haven and (Grand Rapids) Forest Hills Northern are on the other half of the bracket. There won’t be any easy games for us at all.”
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer of teams or players with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com, or call 248-884-1051. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com.)
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