Photos by Jonah Kelley | CatchMark
Shelby entered Wednesday’s big West Michigan Conference match playing some solid soccer of late.
Ludington looked the part of a champion, however, and that’s the type of effort the Orioles delivered en route to a 3-0 win that locked up the conference title.
In their first season as WMC members, the Orioles finish with a 10-0 league record. They’re on quite a roll, extending their winning streak to 12 games and boasting an 18-1-1 record.
Shelby is 11-9-0 overall and finished 7-3 in the conference.
Here are notables and more details on the match and the teams:
- Ludington led 2-0 at halftime. The Orioles got on the board with 29:12 left in the half on a goal by Parker Wendt assisted by Spencer Holmes. They scored again with 10 minutes remaining in the half when Holmes tallied on an assist by Connor Wendt.
- Ludington added its final goal with 38:30 remaining in the contest, when Steven Stidham scored on an assist by Nathan Wagner.
- Ludington’s lone loss was a 1-0 decision against Petoskey on Aug. 30. The Orioles tied Cedar Springs on Aug. 27. They’ve outscored opponents by a combined 91-10 margin this season.
- Ludington was ranked No. 13 in Division 2 in the latest Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association poll.
- Shelby was riding an eight-game winning streak entering Wednesday’s match. During that stretch, the Tigers had outscored opponents by a combined 41-3 margin.
- Ludington is the No. 1 seed in the Division 2 district at Coopersville. The Orioles will face the winner of Allendale and Reeths-Puffer.
- Shelby will head to Fremont for a Division 3 first-round district match next Thursday. The winner will face top-seeded Manistee in that district, which is hosted by Hart.
