NORTON SHORES – When everything else is pretty equal, you can almost count on Liam Smith being the difference-maker.

The Reeths-Puffer boys soccer team played a strong Western Michigan Christian squad to a 1-1 tie through three-quarters of Wednesday night’s season opener at WMC.

Then Smith finally settled the issue with 11 minutes remaining in the game, ball-handling across the width of the field through numerous Warrior defenders, then easing the ball into the net, giving the Rockets an exciting 2-1 victory and a great start to their season.

Smith also scored the first goal of the game on a penalty kick about seven minutes into the contest.

It was the type of performance the Rockets have come to expect from the junior standout, who scored 27 goals last season.

“There were six guys on him (when he scored the game-winner),” Reeths-Puffer Coach Kody Harrell said about Smith. “It’s kind of fun to watch. He’s humble, too, which makes it so much easier for his teammates to celebrate his success. The guys love to celebrate what he brings to the table.”

The night wasn’t perfect for the Rockets, who showed some opening-game disorganization in the first half and struggled to get their offense in gear.

They managed to take a 1-0 lead early in the game when Smith was tripped inside the box and was rewarded a penalty kick, which he easily converted.

Western Michigan Christian controlled the rest of the first half and tied the score when Ashton Leffring brought the ball up from the corner of the field and shot from the side of the net. It appeared to hit an R-P defender before trickling into the net, making the score 1-1.

The Rockets might have trailed at halftime if it weren’t for several very nice saves by junior goalie Gage Hopkins., who maintained his composure when the Warriors were bringing the pressure.

“They created some scoring chances, but Gage is a goalie we can really count on,” Harrell said. “You don’t win a game like this without a keeper like Gage.”

Reeths-Puffer controlled the offensive tempo for most of the second half, outshooting the Warriors 6-1.

WMC goalie Jared Olsen made several nice saves to maintain the tie before Smith finally settled the issue with his game-winning goal.

Smith admitted he was getting frustrated by Olsen’s saves and was determined to get another shot past him.

“In my head I was thinking that we’ve got to make something happen,” he said. “That was definitely the motivation, 100 percent.”

Overall Harrell said he was happy with his team’s opening night performance, particularly against a skilled and experienced team like WMC.

“I think our guys settled into the turf in the second half, we played quicker defense, got settled on the ball and got more comfortable with the pace of play,” the coach said.

“In the first half we struggled a bit. We’re running a bit of a different formation this year, and it’s only game one. WMC is a good team and we knew it would be a good game. They returned a lot of players this year,  just like us.”

WMC coach Ben Buursma agreed that the game was a good opportunity to open up against a quality opponent.

“It’s always fun to play a team of that caliber right out of the gate,” Buursma said.  “Reeths-Puffer has a few very special players. They are hard to contain. We did a good most of the night and they broke through a bit in the second half.

“The last 28 or so minutes of the first half we put a lot of good things together and got a lot of shots on goal.”