By BUTCH HARMON
Thanks to the return of a trio of players who were part of one of the strongest travel teams in the nation last spring, the Powers Catholic girls soccer team is poised to return to the top of the mountain in Division 3 soccer this season.
As freshmen at Powers, Ally Haran, Morgan McKerchie, and Heather Rolls were part of a Powers team that won the state championship. As sophomores, they were all-state soccer players who helped the Chargers reach the Division 3 state title match. Last year, the trio chose to play for the Hawks, a Michigan-based travel team that was one of the top teams in the nation. Michigan High School Athletic Association rules do not allow players to participate in travel team sports during the same high school season, so the girls were not part of the Powers varsity team that eventually reached the state semifinals. This season, the trio decided to play their final year of high school soccer together at Powers, and the results have been impressive.
“We have been doing well,” coach Art Moody said. “We started the season with a 12-0-1 record. Our only tie was 2-2 against Fenton. We have been scoring a lot of goals this year. We have scored over 70 goals in our first 13 games. We have also allowed only five goals this year.”
The Chargers have been putting up those numbers against some strong opponents. “We played some very good teams early on this year,” Moody said. “The big difference is this year, when we get opportunities on offense, we have been capitalizing on them. We have been putting teams down early, and that has been boosting our confidence.”
Having a trio of elite players return to the lineup has also been a big boost for the Chargers. The three players have all signed to play college soccer with Division 1 programs. Rolls, the starting goalkeeper, has signed with Georgetown University. McKerchie, a forward, has signed with Michigan State University, and Haran, a defender, has signed with Wake Forest University of the Atlantic Coach Conference.
“All three girls played for the Michigan Hawks, and all three decided to come back this year,” Moody said. “They won a state title their freshman year, and in their sophomore year, they made it back to the state finals. They were all also all-state as sophomores. Last year, they competed on the national level for one of the best select teams in the country. This year, they all decided to come back and finish their high school careers at Powers. They also hope to make it back to the finals.”
The trio has helped make this a special year for Moody, who won the 100th game of his coaching career earlier this season.
The Powers team is not just about the returning trio, however. The three join a squad that has plenty of talent returning from a team that reached the state semifinals last spring.
“Gabriela Gerra is a senior who has been playing for us since she was a freshman,” Moody said. “She is a midfielder, and she has been at the core of the team. She is a captain and is a big part of our team and is one of the better players on the team.”
The Chargers have also been getting solid play from senior Kristin Syrowik. “Kristin is a four-year player for us at forward,” Moody said. “She has been scoring a lot of goals for us.”
The five seniors have been leading the way for the Chargers, but plenty of talented young players are following behind. “We have been building a strong girls’ soccer program here at Powers,” Moody said. “We have some real solid seniors this year, but we also have a very nice freshman class this year. Our junior varsity program has also been very strong. The freshman class will allow us to continue to play at a high level.”
With the state tournament around the corner, the Chargers are keeping their focus. “Our philosophy is to play one game at a time,” Moody said. “It is the next game that we focus on. That has helped us as a program. As a team, we stay focused on the goal at hand.”
The ultimate goal, however, is to bring another girls’ soccer championship back to Genesee County. “When these seniors were freshmen, they were the first girls’ soccer team to win a state soccer championship for Genesee County,” Moody said. “As sophomores, their goal was to become the first team to win back-to-back state titles in Genesee County. We hope this year to bring another state title back to Genesee County.”