Holland
Christian played in the Regional Finals on Thursday night against the
top-ranked Mason Bulldogs. The game was scoreless until Mason found
the back of the net with just under two minutes remaining in the
first half of regulation. Mason took a 1-0 lead and a lot of momentum
into the second half.
In
the second half, the Maroons countered that momentum by scoring a
goal of their own. With the ball placed along the sideline 20 yards
from the goal, Bryce Eggers found Brandt VanHeest, who headed the
ball off the crossbar and into the back of the net. With 27 minutes
left in the game, a Mason player earned a red card, giving the
Maroons a man advantage for the remainder of the game. After the
second half of regulation, the scoreboard said 1-1, forcing two
10-minute overtime halves.
Mason
scored on a breakaway with 5:12 remaining in the first half of
overtime. The Holland Christian fans, student section, and players
did not give up, however. In the final minutes of the second half of
overtime, Jake Kammeraad used his left foot to set up Andrew Keizer's
strike that found its way past the keeper. 100 minutes of play didn't
determine the winners of this game. The teams headed into the
five-round shootout.
Jake
Kammeraad, Mitch DePree, and Bryce Eggers scored for the Maroons as
the first, fourth, and fifth shooters, respectively. Mason missed the
first two shots, but made the next three. In the sixth round of the
shootout, Mason put away the game winner.
The
Holland Christian boys soccer team finished the 2014 season with a
19-4-1 overall record, a 12-1-1 home record, and a district
championship.