NORTON SHORES – Last year the Mona Shores soccer team was the talk of the town, winning a district championship and advancing to the state quarterfinals.
This season Reeths-Puffer has been making news, with sophomore Liam Smith piling up goals and leading the Rockets to impressive wins.
But when the two O-K Green conference rivals locked horns on Tuesday, it was Mona Shores that carried the day.
The Sailors kept Smith off the scoring sheet, and goalie Tyler Ross turned in a shutout in a 3-0 victory.
[1]Photo/Tonya Pardon
Mona Shores improved to 4-2-2 overall and 2-1-1 in conference play. Reeths-Puffer fell to 6-3-2 and 2-1-1.
Mona Shores Coach Michael Apostle was clearly thrilled with the way his team kept Smith from scoring. Smith came into the game with 12 goals already this season.
“Our defense is pretty solid,” Apostle said. “Obviously we have to worry about Liam, he’s a very dynamic player, but Jordan DeKuiper is a four-year starter and one of the best center backs in the area. It was a good matchup.”
The Sailors might have been a little extra fired up because it was a special night. The team traded in its traditional blue jerseys for purple ones with the words “Sailors Fight Cancer” across the chest.
The Rockets also got in the spirit, trading their traditional away jerseys for white jerseys with “RP Fights Cancer” across the chest.
“It’s really impressive,” Apostle said. “Everyone has been impacted by cancer in some form, so to actually have a game about it, with a great rivalry, is pretty awesome.”
[2]The same sentiment was echoed across the field by Reeths Puffer Coach Kody Harrell.
“It was perfect for us to do it together,” Harrell said. “It’s fun to put the rivalry into something like this, because you know you’re going to get a good turnout. We battle on the field, but it’s respect off the field.”
Mona Shores’ Alex Eckerman opened the scoring with 20:17 left to play in the first half. A shot from the wing hit the post, and landed perfectly for Eckerman to knock home the rebound.
The score was 1-0 at halftime.
In the opening minutes of the second half, a ball was played into the Sailors’ box, where Ross, the Sailors’ keeper, calmly collected it before the Rockets could get an attempt on goal.
That was the type of play that Ross made all night, on top of making four key saves.
“He has made a lot of improvements from last year, especially because he didn’t get to play a lot,” Apostle said. “He has really stepped it up in his senior year.”
Moments later Ibrahima Ndiaye doubled the Sailors’ lead when he pounced on a loose ball in the box and buried it in the R-P goal.
With 23:56 left in the game, Mona Shores’ Diego Godoy iced the game with a goal from the left wing.
“We’ve just been trying to improve every week, and it’s good to see that we are moving the right way,” Apostle said.
Reeths-Puffer goalie Gage Hopkins made five saves.