NORTH MUSKEGON – There really hasn’t been much difference between the North Muskegon and Ravenna soccer teams this season.

Earlier in the year they played and tied 1-1 in a West Michigan Conference matchup, and on Thursday they met again in a Division 4 district championship game.

There weren’t a lot of shots on goal or great chances in the contest, and it could have easily been another draw that went to overtime or a shootout.

But North Muskegon had Brandon Winter, and his goals made all the difference.

Winter found the net twice, early in the game and toward the end when the outcome was still in doubt, leading the Norsemen to a 2-0 victory over the Bulldogs on their home field.

North Muskegon’s Brandon Winter (7), who scored two goals in the game, gets ready to kick the ball.

The Norse now advance to the first round of regionals on Tuesday in Cadillac.

The district title was a nice prize for North Muskegon, which advanced to the district finals last year in Big Rapids, only to lose to Western Michigan Christian.

It was also a well-deserved reward for playing a very hard schedule and ending the regular season with more losses than wins, despite having a very good team.

“We played 9 or 10 state-ranked teams,” said North Muskegon Coach Jeremy Tjapkes, whose team is now 10-11-2. “When the season started, we talked to the kids about the strength of our schedule, and said if we went .500 it would be a good season for us. We were just trying to improve and be more competitive for districts.”

The Norse were determined to do well in the tournament as a first-time district host, and winning the championship accomplished that goal.

“This is the first time in our program’s 22-year history that we’ve hosted districts, and we wanted to make sure we left our stamp on it,” Tjapkes said.

North Muskegon’s Gabe Lenius works the ball up the field.

Finally, winning the title provided a great chance for the Norse to honor a teammate who could not play this year.

During the trophy presentation after the game, North Muskegon Coach Jeremy Tjapkes pointed to senior Mason VanWyck, who was on the field wearing street clothes. He accepted the trophy on behalf of the team, then was mobbed by his teammates in a happy celebration.

“Mason is our senior centerback,” Tjapkes said. “He blew out his knee as a freshman, and this year, in the very first game, he blew out the same knee again. I was hoping we would win so I could allow him to accept the trophy for his team. He’s been there the whole way with us, and he’s been an inspiration for the team.”

The first half had a lot of up-and-down the field action, but relatively few scoring chances for either team.

One Ravenna shot hit the goalpost and rolled away, North Muskegon goalie Leighton Hunt made a great leaping save on another Bulldog shot, and Ravenna goalie Isaac Kantola made a nice diving save near the end of the half.

The only goal came about eight minutes into the game, when Winter took a pass from teammate Hunter Koekkoek and headed the ball into the net.

“I got a great pass from my teammate, and I was just in the right spot at the right time,” Winter said.

North Muskegon’s Jack Injerd races to the ball with a Ravenna player in pursuit.

The Norse outshot the Bulldogs 2-1 in the first half.

The second half was similar until the final minutes, when North Muskegon started getting more offensive chances.

Winter scored his second goal with 5:33 remaining after Kantola stopped a long, hard shot but bobbled the ball, and the Norse junior was there to kick it into the net.

“It just popped out and I was there,” Winter said. “It was a great shot from my teammate, and I was just in the right spot at the right time again.”

Coach Tjapkes said Winter’s goals were definitely not accidents.

“Mr. Winter has been stepping it up for us big this year,” the coach said. “He’s prepared, opportunistic and he capitalizes for us.”

North Muskegon outshot Ravenna 5-1 in the second half.

Just appearing in the district championship game was an accomplishment for Ravenna, which didn’t have soccer for time until the program came back five years ago under Coach Alex Mares.

Thursday’s game was Ravenna’s first district final appearance since then.

“I started with only nine players, the next year we had the full 11, the next year we had three subs, and this year we have seven subs, so I can’t ask for more,” said Mares, whose team finished the season with a 6-9-3 record.

“I thought it was a really close game. We lost, they were better than us, but I couldn’t ask for more from my guys. We got to where we got, and it was all because of them. North Muskegon is an excellent team with an excellent coach, but I’m really proud of my boys.”