Holt boys soccer displays growth with Gold Cup victory over Mason
MASON — Justice German and the Holt boys soccer team took their lumps last fall.
A mostly new group of varsity contributors went just 1-4-1 in the CAAC Blue with each of the losses coming by one goal.
Holt has flipped things around this season, going 4-1-1 in the CAAC Blue while finishing as the runner-up and earning a spot in the Gold Cup
And the Rams added to that success Tuesday by punching a ticket into Thursday's Gold Cup final.
German scored a pair of goals in the first half while helping No. 3 seed Holt to a 2-1 victory over No. 2 seed Mason.
The Rams, who avenged a 6-0 loss to Mason in late August, earned a home date against No. 4 seed DeWitt in Thursday's final with the win. DeWitt knocked off top seed East Lansing, 3-2, in the other semifinal.
German called the victory over CAAC Red champion and Division 2 No. 10-ranked Mason (8-2-5) a big mental upgrade for the Rams (9-6-1).
"We've worked hard for this moment," German said. "It's a great win for us. We literally came back from (a) 6-0 (loss) to a 2-1 (win). They haven't lost in like forever. They've won all their games and literally tied (the others) and we came back, so that's a great W for us. I'm glad I was able to contribute to the team and the game overall."
Veteran Holt coach Aaron Smith has also been thrilled to see the progress of his team after last year's struggles and to see the players' work rewarded with a spot in the Gold Cup final.
"To me, the best part was we played hard," Smith said. "The fact that we won makes it sweeter, but at the same time we're all getting ready for the districts and stuff like that. Seeing your team get better makes it worthwhile. The win is kind of the cherry on top."
Blendi Jahiri had the lone goal for Mason, which hadn't lost since a 1-0 setback to Grosse Ile on Sept. 9 at the Williamston Showcase. Jahiri scored just over two minutes into the contest to give the Bulldogs an early lead
German got the equalizer with 16:46 remaining in the first half. Less than 90 seconds later he sent home the go-ahead goal.
Holt made that goal stand over the final 55 minutes to record its second straight victory after a three-game losing streak that featured losses to East Lansing, Division 1 No. 7-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer and Division 1 No. 9 Troy Athens.
"This team is obviously one of the best teams we're going to play this year and to see us step up to them and take ownership and take the lead — it's honestly a big growth in our team," German said. "I just hope that we continue to go far and strive for the Gold Cup (title)."
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Holt boys soccer gets mental upgrade with victory over Mason
