First we would like to say thank you to our SportsNut, Paul Young who helped us cover the game last night!
LUDINGTON – For the better part of the last decade, North Muskegon has been the standard in West Michigan Conference girls soccer. From the old league structure through to the current alignment, the Norse had captured every conference title since 2016—a run that extended all the way to 2024.
But 2025 brought a new chapter...
Heading into Thursday’s night’s contest, both North Muskegon and Ludington were in contention for this year’s WMC crown. If you love high-stakes sports, this was the dream setup: the final conference game of the season, between two top contenders, with the title on the line.
The opening stretch was tight. Neither team found much rhythm early, and the game remained scoreless through the first 15 minutes. Once Ludington broke through though, the momentum shifted quickly.
Maddy Billings got the scoring started for the Orioles, and that spark lit the fuse. Ludington added one more before halftime and then poured in three second-half goals to seal a 5-0 victory—one that officially snapped North Muskegon’s remarkable conference title streak.
It was an uncharacteristic night for a Norse squad that had been pretty dominant all season, entering the match with a +3.4 average goal differential and several lopsided wins under their belt, including a 10-goal performance earlier in the year.
Leading the charge for Ludington was Hestyn Stowe, who scored twice in the second half—finding the net with 25 minutes remaining and again with 16 to go. She nearly tallied a hat trick but led all scorers in the game.
Here’s how the scoring played out:
Goal 1: Maddy Billings
Goal 2: Maddy Gasaway
Goal 3: Hestyn Stowe
Goal 4: Hestyn Stowe
Goal 5: Kylee Johnson
With the win, Ludington takes home its first WMC championship since the realignment back in 2022 —ending a dominant era for North Muskegon and perhaps signaling a power shift in the conference.
Both teams now gear up for district play, where they’ll look to carry their regular-season success into the postseason. Stay tuned for full bracket releases and continued coverage!
Conner Raeth began his journey at CatchMark as an intern in October 2020, while studying Internet, Network, and Security Technologies at the Muskegon Career Tech Center. His dedication and expertise led him to a full-time role as a Help Desk Technician in mid-2022, post-graduation. Today, he excels as the Digital Content Lead for CatchMark’s SportsNet platform, leveraging his technical knowledge to drive its success.
