Leland soccer (16-1-1) woke up Tuesday morning as the new No. 1-ranked soccer team in MHSAA Div. 4 rankings.
The Comets then handled business on senior night against Benzie 7-0 that same day.
“This is probably the most complete team I’ve ever coached there. There’s no drop off as you go down the bench and anyone can sub in and play.” Leland coach Rob Sirrine said.
Leland honored seniors Liam Waskiewicz, Landon Allen, Jael Gutierez, Colby Connor, Trey Roman and Max Waldrup playing in their last regular season home game.
Leland goalkeeper Howie Kropp earned the shutout in net with two saves.
“Those seniors play a big role in it. I don’t even know who the leading scorer is right now because it’s just really evenly distributed. We’ve got guys scoring goals, we’ve got guys playing outstanding defense and midfield play. Those guys played a big part in it all season,” Sirrine said.
Liam Waskiewicz scored a hat trick (3) with an assist.
Other scorers include Colby Connor 1 goal, 1 assist; Jael Gutierez 1 goal; Landon Allen 1 goal, 3 assists; Adrian Spencer 1 assist; Talen Graham 1 assist; Nano Creamer 1 assist.
The Comets know they have a target on their back and coach Sirrine believes they will have to go out every game and prove it.
“The top five or six teams, any of them could be number one, there’s not a lot of difference there, but we’ll take it for now,” Sirrine said.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 Leland dominated Buckley 8-0.
Goals were scored by Brian Mosqueda 2 goals, 2 assists; Spencer 2 goals; Weston Burda 2 goals; Creamer goal; Colby Connor goal; Waskiewicz assist; Evan Keen assist.
Sirrine is happy about the two dominant offensive performances, but he is ecstatic about the Comets defense earning two shutouts.
Leland’s last tune-up before the district tournament next week will be against TC St. Francis today and Glen Lake Monday.
“We are trying to take it one game at a time and see where we need to improve in preparation for the playoffs,” Sirrine said.
The Comets will host a district playoff game next Friday, Oct. 9 against the winner of Benzie and Suttons Bay on Wednesday.
Suttons Bay defeats GL 4-0 It’s the whirlwind time of the year for local soccer teams with districts beginning Wednesday.
Suttons Bay will battle Benzie under the lights at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the first round. This will be the first night game of the season for Suttons Bay which adds another layer of excitement for the players.
The Norsemen have been gaining momentum after beating Glen Lake 4-0 Thursday.
“It was great for us because we’ve tended to be slower in our setup … this was just taking advantage of space,” Suttons Bay coach Len Mankowski said.
Suttons Bay were led by Isaac Martin with two goals. Jacob Davis recorded four saves on the shutout. Conner Sahs led the team defensively with a combined eight steals/intercepts and two blocked shots.
The Norsemen hope to improve their time of possession to finish the regular season strong and compete for a district championship. Suttons Bay finished the season against Buckley, TC St. Francis, and Benzie to finish the regular season.
“Our mantra every year is we want to be playing our best soccer in October … I think we’re getting there with room for growth,” Mankowski said.
The win over Glen Lake was an inspired win after losing to them earlier in the season 4-0. This rivalry is begging for a rubber match, perhaps in districts.
GL bounces back
On a beautiful Monday evening, Glen Lake took care of business against Benzie 4-2.
Hunter Cox assisted on three goals that were not free kicks, and drew the foul that led to the free kick goal. Sawyer Homa scored twice while Ezra Belanger scored a goal along with Ollie O’Neal finding the back of the net. Anthony Forton had two saves in net. The Lakers are sitting at 8-8 (4-2 NWC). Glen Lake heads to Benzie on Wednesday and Manistee Friday before beginning the district tournament.
The Lakers will host Leland for parents night on Monday.
Glen Lake dominated the first 40 minutes of the game.
Cox returned to play after an injury left him sidelined. He proved pivotal in the win.
“It was really nice to get him back, see him healthy. He provided a spark for us,” Boynton said.
