Leland and Western Michigan Christian (Muskegon) will square off in an MHSAA D4 regional final at Cadillac High School today at 6 p.m.
The No. 6-ranked Comets (16-5-1) and defending state champions face the No. 2-ranked Warriors (18-1-3), who defeated Leland in August 2-0 on a pair of late goals
Leland defeated Harbor Springs 4-0 Tuesday with a second-half barrage to advance to the regional final.
WMC won the state championship three years (2023-25) in a row before the Comets ended that run and claimed the title last season. Leland and WMC consistently battle it out in the regional or semifinals.
1st Half
Leland and WMC take the field at Cadillac under blue skies and warm temperatures (62 degrees).
Players shake hands before the start of an MHSAA D4 regional final.
With 20 minutes remaining in the first half, Leland and WMC remain tied 0-0.
The Warriors have a slight lead on the pitching shots 3-1 including one phenomenal opportunity that was stopped by Comet goalie Edgar Hernandez Mosqueda.
HALFTIME
The Comets and Warriors battled to a first half tie 0-0 in a tightly contested match that is shaping up to be a classic.
WMC leads the contest in shots 10-2 with the Warriors making several dangerous run. The Comets had their fair share of opportunities but couldn’t keep the ball on goal. turned the tables with several attacks of their own. Leland goalie Edgar Hernandez Mosqueda has had multiple big saves to keep WMC scoreless. Mosqueda stood on his head in the last two minutes as the Warriors broke through the Comets defense.
Leland’s Levi Ulbrich received the games first yellow it what has been a physical game so far on both sides.
Ulbrich, Cooper Burda and Jose Roman have led the Comets offensive attack in the first half.
2nd HALF
Leland goalie Edgar Hernandez Mosqueda stood on his head five times in the first 10 minutes of second half to keep the score tied. WMC leads in shots 15-2
Leland has its first chance of the half seven minutes in with a scoring chance as the ball whizzed by the middle and nearly found Roman .
WMC found the back of the net as senior Braeden Hoffman scored off a centering pass to take a 1-0 lead with 32 minutes remaining
With six minutes remaining, Leland continues to look for the equalizer, but opportunities are few and far between.
END OF GAME
Leland falls to WMC 1-0 as a pair of late opportunities don’t find the backing of the net for the Comets.
