Photos by Kara Raeth | CatchMark
It’s been a decade since Hart’s boys soccer team has competed for a district championship.
The Pirates will do just that on Wednesday, when they host West Michigan Conference foe Manistee in Division 3 action.
Hart and Manistee punched their district finals tickets with victories over conference opponents on Monday. Hart defeated Montague, 2-0, in a match moved to the artificial turf at Holton. Manistee edged Shelby, 1-0, at Manistee.
In a Division 2 play at Coopersville, Ludington saw its special season end with a 3-0 district semifinal loss to Reeths-Puffer.
DIVISION 2
REETHS-PUFFER 3, LUDINGTON 0: Reeths-Puffer scored goals early in the first and second halves, then tacked on an insurance tally with six minutes remaining to knock off top-seeded Ludington in a Division 2 district semifinal at Coopersville.
R-P outshot Ludington, 12-6. Connor Rudzki made nine saves for the Orioles.
Ludington ends a special season with an 18-2-1 overall record. The Orioles were riding a 12-game winning streak entering Monday’s match against Reeths-Puffer (10-8-2), which advances to face Spring Lake in Thursday’s district finals at 6 p.m.
DIVISION 3
HART 2, MONTAGUE 0: The Pirates got on the board with nine minutes left in the first half when Chico Salgado pressed the Wildcats’ backline and pickpocketed a defender for a one-on-one opportunity with the goalie, which he cashed in on.
Nine minutes into the second half, Hart’s Adan Cruz broke down the right-hand side and fired a cross into the box, which deflected off a Montague defender into the net.
Hart improves to 13-6-2 with one of its highest season win totals in program history. Montague ends its season with an 8-13-2 record.
Hart is scheduled to host the district final game against Manistee at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, although Monday’s match vs. Montague was moved to Holton because of field conditions.
MANISTEE 1, SHELBY 0: Jacob Scharp’s goal assisted by Luke Smith with 25 seconds remaining proved the difference in this hard-fought district semifinal at Manistee.
The Chippewas (15-3-0), who were runners-up to Ludington in the West Michigan Conference standings, advance to Wednesday’s district final against league opponent Hart.
Shelby finishes the season with a 12-10-0 record.
DISTRICT SCORES AND SCHEDULES FOR WEST MICHIGAN CONFERENCE TEAMS
DIVISION 2 AT COOPERSVILLE
First-round scores:
Reeths-Puffer 3, Allendale 0
Spring Lake 2, Fruitport 0
Coopersville 5, Muskegon 2
Semifinals:
Reeths-Puffer 3, Ludington 0
Spring Lake 4, Coopersville 1
Finals:
Reeths-Puffer vs. Spring Lake, 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20
DIVISION 3 AT HART
First-round scores:
Montague 2, Whitehall 1
Hart 8, Newaygo 0
Shelby 3, Fremont 2
Semifinals:
Hart 2, Montague 0
Manistee 1, Shelby 0
Finals:
Hart vs. Manistee, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday (scheduled to be hosted by Hart)
DIVISION 3 AT ORCHARD VIEW
First-round scores:
Orchard View 5, Belding 1
Grand Rapids West Catholic 3, Kent City 0
Grant 7, Comstock Park 5
Semifinals:
Orchard View vs. Oakridge, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19
Grant at Grand Rapids West Catholic, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19
Finals:
Semifinal winners, 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22
DIVISION 4 AT WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN
First-round scores:
North Muskegon 3, Muskegon Catholic Central 0
Ravenna 7, Grand Rapids Wellspring 1
Semifinals:
North Muskegon vs. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18
Ravenna vs. Western Michigan Christian, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18
Finals:
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21
