Williamston soccer's quest for repeat title ends in regional final loss
Williamston's girls soccer team was on a mission to repeat as Division 3 state champion and looked like a contender in its regional semifinal drubbing of Quincy.
The Hornets had a more difficult time dealing with Grosse Ile on Thursday with a spot in the state semifinals on the line. And despite dominating possession for the majority of the second half, Williamston was unable to overcome a two-goal deficit and saw its quest for a repeat title halted in a 2-1 defeat.
"They didn't give up, and they were all in, all the time. We had a lot of possession, but it just didn't go in," Williamston coach Erin Richards said. "Give credit to Grosse Ile and their effort and ability to finish their opportunities. It's disappointing, but the growth we had throughout this season is credit to what our seniors did leadership-wise as a team."
Grosse Ile opened the scoring in the first half and took a 1-0 lead into halftime. It then doubled the lead early in the second half on a long shot from forward Natalee Kirk that got past the Williamston keeper.
Williamston finally broke through with just over 10 minutes remaining, as a strike from freshman forward Kailean Mercado found the back of the net. Williamston had numerous chances to tie it late, primarily from senior forward Ella Kleiver, but couldn't find the equalizer.
"Making it this far was amazing and I feel really lucky to play with these girls, but it sucks that we didn't get the outcome we wanted," Kleiver said. "At halftime we knew we weren't playing our game and we relaxed in the second half, but we missed some opportunities that we couldn't get done."
Williamston's six seniors leave the program with a state title, a state semifinal berth and a regional final appearance after winning three straight district titles.
"It's a family culture here. They play for each other, and it goes down all the way to the youth level," Richards said. "This senior class will go down as one of the best in Williamston history in what they did for us on the field and off the field."
Williamston's season ends with a 13-6-1 record while Grosse Ile (16-2-4) will face Flint Powers Catholic in a Division 3 state semifinal on Tuesday at Howell High School.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Williamston soccer's quest for repeat title ends in regional final loss
