Petoskey soccer clinches No. 1 district seed in home invite, eyes BNC title next

PETOSKEY — On a surface level, there wasn’t a whole lot riding on the Petoskey Soccer Invitational this weekend for the Petoskey girls’ soccer team.

But, away from the actual invite itself, there actually was when it came to postseason play just ahead if they could string some wins together Saturday.

And, they did.

“Today's results helped us clinch the top spot for district seeding and it was a great day of competition to prepare us for another tough week of Big North games,” Petoskey coach Zach Jonker said following the invite.

After going 2-1, the day helped move PHS to 11-2-1 overall on the season and brought them that coveted No. 1 seed within the district, guaranteeing a hosting opportunity and a couple if they win.

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Harbor Springs also competed within the invite and finished with a 1-2 day as the smallest program among the schools in attendance, much of them Division 1 or 2 programs.

For Petoskey, the day opened with a 5-0 win over Marquette – one of those district teams ahead – followed then by a 1-0 win over Grand Blanc and 3-1 loss against Lake Orion.

Five different players scored against Marquette in the opener, which included Lily Premo, Brynn Jonker, Clara Mailloux, Haidyn Wegmann and Madi Smith.

Smith also had two assists and Premo and Claire O’Donnell each had one.

Avery Armstrong then scored against Grand Blanc, assisted by Wegmann with just five minutes left in the contest.

Smith then added her second score of the day in the loss to Lake Orion, unassisted.

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On top of a day that included the top seed clinched and seven goals on the offensive end, Jonker had to give praise to his backline and keeper for notching their seventh and eighth shutouts of the year.

“Our backline successfully dealt with a lot of pressure throughout the day and Sadie Corey had another exceptional day in goal,” added Jonker.

The next couple weeks ahead now shift to trying to wrap up a Big North Conference title for Petoskey (6-1-1 BNC). With three games remaining, the Northmen hold a three-point lead in the standings over Traverse City West, the opponent they’ll see up next on Tuesday, May 14 at Northmen Stadium.

Games against Alpena and TC Central will then follow to wrap up the season and conference before district play.

Within the district, Petoskey will await the winner of the Alpena vs. Sault Ste. Marie match, while on the bottom of the bracket, Gaylord will host Marquette.

For Harbor Springs on Saturday, the day came with a 5-2 loss against Clarkston and 3-1 loss to Flint Powers Catholic, before ending on the high note of a 4-0 win over Bay City John Glenn.

The Rams moved to 5-10-2 and next meet Traverse City St. Francis at home on Wednesday, May 15. They’ll also wrap the season at Charlevoix on Monday, May 20.

Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey soccer earns No. 1 district seed in Saturday invite