RICHLAND – It took until the shootout to get the Holland Christian soccer team going offensively.
But it was good enough to earn a spot in the state semifinals.
The Maroons defeated Plainwell 1-0 in a shootout, with a 4-2 advantage in penalty kicks to win the Division 3 regional title on Thursday at Gull Lake.
It couldn’t have started any better for the Maroons in the shootout.
Lake VanderPloeg started the shootout with a goal.
Adam Bergman made a save for the Maroons, then Michael Haig buried a goal for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five shootout.
Bergman made another save, then scored himself to make it 3-0. Plainwell put a couple in, then Elliott Cook hit the clincher for the Maroons.
Both teams had their chances in regulation and the overtime periods.
Holland Christian’s JP Hogsten hit the crossbar with 22 seconds remaining in the first half.
Late in the half, Plainwell had a chance off a corner kick that bounced off a Holland Christian head and hit the post before being corralled by Maroons goalie Adam Bergman.
The second half had a few chances from each team, but headed to overtime scoreless, then into the second of two 10-minute overtime periods scoreless.
This story will be updated.
Holland Christian’s Lukas Hegg takes the ball down the field during a game against Plainwell Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at Gull Lake High Shcool.
More: Defending state champ Holland Christian soccer tops DeWitt in physical battle
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland Christian soccer needed stellar penalty kicks to reach state semifinals
