BOYS SOCCER: Troy Bethany Christian claims MACS-I state title
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
Dan.Stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
CLARKSTON — The goal of any high school athletics team is to peak at the end of the season. Troy Bethany Christian’s boys soccer team did just that in 2014.
The top-ranked Bruins put the finishing touches on their third state title within the Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division I state tournament Saturday, topping third-ranked Davison Faith Baptist, 4-0, in the title match at Clarkston Springfield Christian High School.
The game was the rematch of the 2010 state finals on the same field, which Bethany won 2-0. The Bruins also won the MACS-I title
back in 1985.
“We started the season kind of slow. We still have somewhat of a young team (with several freshmen and sophomores), but we came a long ways over the past few months. I thought we have been playing our best soccer here the past few weeks and
we peaked at the right time. This was probably our best all-around game of the season.”
Davison Faith Baptist (12-7-2) defeated the Bruins in the Rochester Hills Christian Eagles Cup tournament back in Mid-August, but Bethany Christian defeated the Eagles twice in league play in the FBAC Red Division.
The fourth meeting wasn’t even close.
The Bruins (22-4-2) scored a goal in the first half and tacked on three more in the second-half within a four-minute span to win their second title in five seasons.
“I think with us scoring those three goals in under four minutes, you could see that we took it out of their legs. We took the wind our of their sails really quick,” said Fougere. “Being up 4-0 in a state finals…it’s hard for anyone to come back from that.”
Zac Goldsmith scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 20th minute, slotting a left-footed shot into the net. The Bruins, playing into the wind, settled for a 1-0 advantage at the half.
In the second half, freshman Michael Green retrieved a cross from Goldsmith in the 55th minute and sent a low shot into the far post for a 2-0 cushion, which opened up the proverbial floodgates.
Goldsmith added his second tally of the game two minutes later on a 35-yard blast, catching Faith Baptist napping with his high arcing shot, while the sophomore transfer netted his 36th goal of the season when he laced a shot from just outside the 18 to cap the scoring in the 59th minute.
Goldsmith’s hat trick gave him the second-highest single-season total in school history, only two tallies off the record of 38 set by All-State standout Travis Woodham in 2010.
“He turned out to be a blessing, gave us someone who was capable of scoring in every game,” said Fougere of Goldsmith. “We’ll have him for two more years.”
With only three seniors in the regular starting lineup, Fougere is excited about his program’s prospects in 2015. The Bruins outscored the opposition 64-24 this season, with seven shutouts. Casey Smith made six saves the state finals, including five in the first half, for Bethany Christian net his third shutout in the team’s final four games.
The Bruins outscored their final three opponents 13-2.
“We’ll have eight starters back. We were still a relatively young team this year,” said Fougere. “We just kept getting better and better this season and it ended with our best game of the season and a state championship.”
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