Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
Last season ended in a disappointing fashion for the Mason soccer team, and that disappointment is fueling the Bulldogs in a big way this fall.
Heading into last year’s district title game against Eaton Rapids, Mason had strung together eight consecutive district championships. That string came to an end last year as Easton Rapids defeated Mason in a shootout.
Motivated by the sting of that loss, the Bulldogs are on a mission this season and have been taking the state by storm enroute to a No. 1 ranking in Division 2 as the soccer season swung into full swing.
“We have a good collection of guys returning from last year’s team,” said Mason coach Nick Binder. “We are heavily dominated by our senior and junior classes. We’ve had a good start to the season, and I attribute that to the experience and maturity level of our older guys.”
Those experienced players helped Mason to an 18-3-3 record last year and a ninth-straight league championship.
The team also suffered a rash of injuries last year that enabled many of this year’s juniors to gain valuable varsity experience that is paying off this season.
Heading up this year’s team is a trio of senior captains who have been a part of the varsity team since their freshmen seasons. Josh Rudd plays both midfield and defense while Peter Brandenburg and Nick McNeilly anchor the defense.
“Those three guys have been part of the varsity since they were freshmen,” Binder said. “They are very experienced and are good leaders.”
Senior Alec Hamlin has been providing the team with solid play in the midfield.
Mason’s offense has been led by juniors Bill Wilson and Tyler Raab. The duo has been on the varsity since their freshmen years as well and are leading the team in goals this season. The Bulldog offense has also been helped by senior forward Bobby Albert, who has been a steady goal scorer.
A strong balance between offense and defense has been a key for Mason.
“We’ve been scoring two or three goals in every game,” Binder said. “I’d like to see us finish a few more but we have been getting a lot of chances. Our defense allowed just two goals in the first eight games and has done enough for us to win each game.”
Mason hosts the district tournament this season, and the Bulldogs would like nothing better then to start a new district winning steak, but they have plenty of work to do before getting to that point.
“Our focus right now is on getting better each game,” Binder said. “We host district this year and a goal of ours is to win the district at home, but we have a lot of work to do before that.”