By BUTCH HARMON
So much for the experts.
Despite finishing the season with an unbeaten record, the Lansing Christian boys soccer team never cracked the top ten of the state soccer rankings all season and were listed as honorable mention in the final regular-season poll.
Despite being unranked, the Pilgrims shocked the state and captured the Division 4 state championship by defeating top-ranked Covenant Christian 1-0 in the state final. The win capped the finest season in school history, as the team finished with a 22-0-1 record.
“It has been a lot of hard work, especially from our seniors,” said coach Joel Vande Kopple. “After three tough years losing in the regional finals, we finally broke through. Everything just fell in place for us. Everything came together, and it starts with the seniors. It was their last chance. They really wanted to give it their all.”
It’s not as if the Pilgrims were an unknown coming into the season. They had reached the regional final the last three years but were unable to break through and secure a regional title until this season.
“It’s always been a dream to go to the state championship,” said senior forward Jordan Terry. “We’ve been working hard and striving hard every year to get there. It felt good to get past the regional finals.”
A four-year varsity player, Terry has been a team leader for the Pilgrims, and he came up big in the state title game by scoring the game-winning goal early in the second half off an assist from Alex McDowell.
Terry also led the way for the Pilgrims in their state semifinal match with Roeper School. He scored a pair of goals in a 4-1 Christian win, with Jacob Lyon and Brayan Guzman-Ortiz also scoring for the Pilgrims.
Terry was the catalyst of the team all season, leading in scoring with 27 goals and 11 assists. Junior Martin Lang, Jr. added 18 goals during the season, while Guzman-Ortiz and McDowell scored 11 goals apiece.
While the Pilgrims had a potent offense, it was the play of the defense that was key in the state tournament. Lansing Christian outscored its tournament opponents 22-1, with the lone goal allowed in the state semifinal win.
“At the beginning of the year, our big worry was if we can keep teams from scoring, because we knew we were going to score a lot of goals,” Vande Kopple said.
The Pilgrims had six seniors on this year’s roster, and the state title capped what has been a memorable four-year run.
“It was a lot of hard work,” Vande Kopple said. “Three months put into it, and really for a lot of these guys, it was a lot more than that, for the seniors especially.”
“It feels really good,” Terry said. “I can’t really describe it. It is something we all wanted. I am just happy we pulled it out.”