NORTON SHORES – State championships don’t happen every year. There’s more than a little luck involved, no matter how good a team might be.

North Muskegon girls soccer coach Caleb Parnin is well aware of that, which is why he was determined to enjoy Friday’s Division 4 district championship, which came after a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Western Michigan Christian on the Warriors home field.

The Norse, who won their sixth straight district title, will face the winner of the Grand Rapids Covenant Christian-Grand Rapids NorthPointe district final in the first round of regionals on Tuesday in Cadillac.

North Muskegon, now 14-3-1 on the season, is now four wins away from repeating last season’s state championship, but every opponent will get a little tougher every step of the way, and there are no guarantees.

“Both Covenant Christian and NorthPointe are very solid teams,” Parnin said after the game. “It’s about enjoying this sort of thing, because quite honestly, last year was really cool, but those things are so improbable. You gotta enjoy the milestones along the way.”

The Norse got off to a fast start when junior Jaley Schultz slipped the ball past Warrior goalkeeper Libby Mast just six minutes into the game. The Warrior defense stiffened up through the rest of the half, and the Norse led 1-0 at halftime.

The Norse offense remained on the attack in the second half, and found another opening with 22:40 remaining in the game when Natalie Pannucci passed to Sam Johnson, who was able to knock the ball into the net to give her team its final 2-0 lead.

Despite the Warriors’ best efforts, and 15 saves from Mast, the Norse held onto that lead and were able to hoist the district trophy.

North Muskegon had a 17-3 advantage in shots on goal. The fact that WMC only managed three shots was a testament to the tough defense that the Norse threw at the Warriors.

“Our midfield really played out of their minds tonight,” Parnin said. “I’m really proud of them. They’ve been working out in the gym since September – and they wanted it again.”

While they celebrated their most recent title, Pannucci noted that the team is not cocky, and the players know they will have to work hard every step of the way in the tournament.

“It’s next game at a time (for us),” said Pannucci, who notched an assist Friday night. “It’s the playoffs, so you have to take the games one at a time, for sure.”

Western Michigan Christian, the Lakes 8 Conference champion, finished with a 9-7-5 overall record.