EAST LANSING – The Catholic High School League has sent a girls’ soccer team to the past six MHSAA Division 4 championship matches.
However, Kalamazoo Christian has played at that same level in seven of the past eight contests, so it was likely the Comets’ experience and skill spelled the difference in their 4-1 victory over Grosse Pointe Woods University-Liggett last weekend.
“I think they did all the things that championship teams do defensively, and the goalie was there for them when they needed, so full credit to them,” Liggett coach David Dwaihy said. “They deserve that, but we did give them a good game, though, and I thought we represented ourselves really well and we played with a style that we feel really good about.”
The Comets jumped out to a 2-0 lead at Michigan State University’s DeMartin Soccer Complex, putting the Knights on their heels by getting both goals in the first three minutes of each half.
“It gave us a little shock,” University-Liggett captain Kerith Short said. “I don’t think we came out with full intensity, and I think it was kind of what we needed in that first five minutes. We responded well and kept with the play, but then we kind of lost it when they kept scoring. Then we tried to come back and we tried to switch the field up a bit, but it just didn’t work.”
“In the first half, it helped us in a weird way,” Dwaihy said. “It woke us up, and in some ways I thought in playing from behind we were a little bit more relaxed, and we had a little bit more of that ‘Let’s play to win’ vibe, as opposed to ‘Play not to lose,’ and it really favored us for the rest of the first half. I thought the next 37 minutes we looked really good. We worked our way into the game and created some chances, but more importantly, we held a lot of possession and that was key.”
The Knights (14-4-4) closed to within a goal when Short scored on a corner kick five minutes after the second tally came for the Comets (18-4-2). The Kalamazoo Christian goalkeeper caught Short’s kick cleanly, but the ball’s momentum caused her to fall across the goal line when doing so.
“When I know we’re down by a goal or in a tight situation, I try to aim for the goal,” said Short, who will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point in the fall. “It worked out in my favor. It was a little toward the front post and I usually aim for the back post, but yes, I always try to score.”
Liggett got one more corner kick and 10 second-half shots, but couldn’t get any more to go in. Kalamazoo Christian got two more goals in the final 10 minutes of play, resulting from a header off a corner kick, and a rebound.
“In the second half, tired legs started to set in and the game got away from us,” Dwaihy said. “We went for it at the end. We weren’t thrilled with 3-1, we wanted to try to make it 3-2. Sometimes when you push, you’re a little bit more susceptible, but I couldn’t have been more proud or pleased with the effort.”
Liggett had 14 shots as a team. Ten of those were on target, but 9 of those were turned away by the Comet keeper. Short led all players with 8 attempts on net.
“A lot of what my coach talks about is playing with composure and keeping our heads up,” she said. “Yeah, the ball wasn’t falling in our favor, but we just wanted to make sure we kept shooting and finding the back of the net, if possible. Our coach is very positive, so it’s helpful.”
“I thought we created some really good chances; we got Kerith in space a lot,” Dwaihy said. “She did so well putting it on her left foot and firing it, but sometimes it doesn’t find the back of the net. It doesn’t change all the buildup that led to it and all the great play. And defensively, even though we conceded four, we did a really good job against a powerhouse team.”
Dwaihy was asked what was the Knights’ biggest obstacle when facing Kalamazoo Christian.
“I think they are very clinical,” he said. “We saw that on the first goal. They had one chance to set up for it, and they buried it. The second chance was well taken. They created a lot of pressure, I think they really wore us down. Give them a ton of credit; defensivel,y they were really solid and organized. They bent, but they didn’t break.”
It was the sixth title in school history for Kalamazoo Christian, and the second in three seasons after the Comets also beat Clarkston Everest, 5-0, in 2023. Liggett had won two prior state titles, in 2016 and 2005.
“I don’t feel any sting,” Dwaihy said. ‘Losing’s tough. I’m sad for the girls, but man, I thought we played really well, and I feel like if you get to this stage, you’ve got to go for it, and I thought we went for it. I thought we played our best soccer of the year in terms of how we passed and moved and probed throughout the match. (But) We didn’t get rewarded with a goal.”
Despite the loss, Short was grateful for the opportunity to end her prep career in the state championship contest.
“It was awesome, can’t complain,” she said. “It’s a beautiful field, beautiful day, we have an awesome team and a we played a great opponent.”
“Credit to Kalamazoo Christian, they’re a fantastic team and they really overwhelmed us at times, but I was just so pleased with how we played it really didn’t feel like a loss sometimes feels,” Dwaihy added. “It’s a loss that I’ll celebrate for a long time.”
