It took the class of 2024 and their teammates their fourth straight one goal margin victory and years of heartbreak to achieve their goal of winning the school’s first girls soccer state title. That moment didn’t come without running through yet another gauntlet on the way to the finals. The Lakers survived a shoot-out over their nemesis in recent years, Forest Hills Central, in the opening round of regionals and managed to ride their gritty and battle-tested efforts to a 3-2 win over Midland, 1-0 win over Holland Christian and a 1-0 win over Bloomfield Hills Marian in the championship round.

The Lakers have had quite the run the past several seasons with a 2-0 loss to eventual runner-up East Grand Rapids (lost in state finals shootout) in the 2023 Regional Championship, 3-0 loss to eventual State Champ FHC in the 2022 Regional Championship and a 3-0 loss to Bloomfield Hills Marian in the 2021 State Championship.

The question was if the clock would strike midnight on this stellar senior class before they could complete their quest for a state title. To put it into perspective how long the Lakers have been a contender, outside of the canceled Covid-19 season, there has not been a Regional Championship game without Spring Lake since the Spring of 2015, marking one of the greatest 9 year runs in the state for any program.

But despite that prolonged success the ultimate prize had been beyond their reach. So, with an opening round regional rematch of their 2022 defeat and the prospects of facing off against the team that stifled their 2021 aspirations, the class of 2024 was striving to realize the dream for nearly a decade of Spring Lake soccer players.

That brings us to the DeMartin Stadium in 2024.

From the outset, Spring Lake asserted their dominance with a high-tempo attack that kept BH Marian on their toes. The pressure paid off midway through the first half when Ella Andree’s precision through ball found Aveya Patino, who slotted it past BH Marian’s goalkeeper Dani Mertz.

Andree recounted the moment.

“Honestly, I just remember trying to do anything in my power to keep the ball in our final third. I remember that I won the ball between two defenders and saw another two girls coming in to crash. Some people think my ball was supposed to be a shot, but truly it was supposed to be a cross. I remember just trying to get the ball across because I knew one of my teammates would finish it.”

The goal gave Spring Lake the confidence they needed, knowing they had the ability and experience close out yet another one goal margin this post-season.

Senior goalkeeper Jessica Stewart explained her mindset after seeing the attack notch the 1-0 lead.

“After we scored the first goal, what was going through my head was pure excitement and I was also very nervous because now I knew that since we scored, it was now going to be an even more intense game. Also, before the game on the bus, Becky (May) pulled the defenders and I up to the front of the bus and said that if we can keep Marian from scoring, we’re going to win. So, after we scored the first goal, it felt like this is it, and we got this!”

Senior standout, Clara Saunders, also mirrored much of that relief and renewed focus following the goal.

“I felt so much relief when that first goal went in. Not relief in the way that I could relax, but I realized we could just play defense the rest of the game and come out with a win. It changed our mindset to play more defensive minded and all push back, which made them think we were playing 5-back even though it was still 3-back.”

Despite falling behind early, BH Marian fought valiantly to equalize. They had their chances, with Clair Dauer and Abby Walton testing Spring Lake’s goalkeeper Jessica Stewart with well-placed shots. Stewart, however, stood tall, denying all attempts to preserve the clean sheet.

The match was also marked by intense midfield battles as both teams vied for control. Spring Lake’s defensive resilience was on display as they held firm against BH Marian’s late surge in the second half. BH Marian’s Lily Robinson attempted to level the score late in the game, but her effort was expertly parried away by Stewart.

Stewart detailed her plan in those final minutes as Marian threw everything they had at the Spring Lake back line.

“In those last few minutes, I was feeling so many different types of emotions. The clock felt like it was never ending, and the game was never going to be done. But I had faith in all of us that we were going to be able to pull this game off. I also was very focused on doing everything in my power to keep the ball out of the net. I was very aggressive with coming out and doing everything that I could, so we didn’t jeopardize our chance of winning the game.”

As the final whistle blew, Spring Lake celebrated a well-deserved victory. That victory was years in the making and while this class got to hoist the trophy, there were undoubtedly countless others that metaphorically raised it with them.

One of the best things about high school community sports is the heredity of generations influencing and inspiring those that follow. In 2018, the Lakers had already begun to establish themselves among the best soccer programs in the state but had suffered a defeat in the Regional Championship in a 4-3 shootout loss to Forest Hills Northern. In that backdrop, an unknown 6th grader named Kyle Shelton wrote a letter to her future self about what she wanted to achieve as a senior.

“I am super excited for High School and college because I’ve heard it is one of the best times of your life, so I wonder if you had fun in High School. I really hope that you played soccer and golf and won states for at least one of them and also played with Clara Saunders. Remember, don’t get into trouble because your family would not be happy with you and you will not have a good reputation to people, sports, colleges, jobs, and etc. Love, Your Sixth Grade Self.”

The innocent aspirations of a young girl wanting nothing more than to win a championship with her friend. That is high school sports at its finest and Spring Lake exemplified that in every way this season.

Shelton was able to reflect on those aspirations and offer some advice to the girl that wrote them.

“To my sixth-grade self, I would say that hard work pays off. Practice at 9 am, sprints, and all the obstacles in general are so worth it in the end. Winning states with Clara was so meaningful. I remember little Kyle and Clara playing against each other. Being able to actually play with her and win the state championship is so incredibly rewarding.”

Andree recounted the feeling of accomplishment manifested in that lone goal assist that propelled the Lakers to their first championship.

“Knowing that I was able to assist the game winning goal in the state championship is so crazy. I feel like it is a reward for all the hard work that I have put in throughout my 4 years of high school soccer and let me tell you it is a very good reward. All I wanted was to have an impact on my last ever high school soccer game, and I think I was able to do that.”

Stewart detailed what this accomplishment meant to her.

“To have finally become the state champs is an indescribable feeling. Especially being my senior year, I am so thankful that this is how I got to end my high school soccer career. This was something that we worked so hard for at practice, and it has been something that I knew all of the seniors wanted; to come back to the state finals after our freshman year. So, we definitely came out in the game knowing that we needed to win this game to prove to ourselves that we’re able to do it and have this long-lasting legacy. I am just so thankful now that Spring Lake has a state championship and people are able to look back on that for years and years to come, and I am able to say that I was one of them that made it to the state championship.”

Stewart reminisced over her stellar four-year career between the pipes for the Lakers.

“Being the goalie every game since freshman year, my goal has been to come out and try my best, support everybody on the team, and have fun. The whole reason that we are playing soccer is because we enjoy it and I never want to lose sight of why I am playing. So, every game I went out there and played with my best friends and had a lot of fun; win or lose. Soccer is a team sport so every time I went out there, I was playing for every single girl on the team, whether they were on the field or on the bench, because we win and lose as a team. I hope my legacy with Spring Lake soccer will be to encourage young girls to keep doing what they love. Soccer has been my life forever and I am so thankful that I continued playing, and I can now say that I am a state champion. So, I just hope that the legacy that my teammates and I leave behind is a team that loved each other, was respectful, and let everybody else know what it means to play soccer like Spring Lake.”

Shelton, who had not played high school soccer until her junior year, remarked about what it meant to win the ultimate prize with her friends.

“Playing club soccer from a young age with these girls was the best thing ever. I ended up switching to Midwest United, leaving behind all my teammates which was heartbreaking for my young self. Being able to come back and play with these girls again was so full circle and winning the state championship was so special and the feeling is just unexplainable. We are still speechless”

Andree mentioned how she hopes to be remembered and the legacy she leaves for the next generation of Spring Lake soccer players.

“I want my legacy at Spring Lake to show all female athletes that you can do anything your heart desires if you put in the work. I want people to remember me as a hard worker who would do anything in her power to get a team win and see a positive outcome.”

Saunders leaves behind her own legacy and recounts all that went into this final triumph.

“After fourteen years of playing soccer, to end on a win, which only a couple teams can do across the state, is indescribable. It was all I could’ve hoped for. The last four years of high school, we have always been so close but never achieved a state championship win. To do that this year was so satisfying, especially after losing to (Marian) my freshman year. We worked so hard, and it paid off.”

But while she thinks about the past and what it took to get to this moment, she also hopes to have left a legacy and a bright future for those that come next.

“I hope for the future of Spring Lake that they keep up the work ethic and determination we have had, which I know they will. I can’t wait to see what the team does in the years to come. I have no doubt they will be successful. I also hope that the team keeps feeling like a family because the chemistry is what helped to take us far this year. Lastly, I hope they always dream big, because a lot can be accomplished with hard work. I hope my legacy with Spring Lake is that I always tried my hardest. I was never the best shooter or top goal scorer, but I put forth all my effort every time I stepped out on the field, so when all was said and done, I would have nothing to regret. I also hope I’m remembered as a good teammate, because the memories that are remembered aren’t really who scored and when. They are who picked you up when you were down.

The 2024 Spring Lake Lakers picked up a decade of teammates and finally sealed the deal for one of the state’s top programs.

As the years pass, the present will become history and the magic of a title run will be relegated to a banner in a gym and a trophy in a concourse. Those accolades will forever be devoted to girls that have once again become as unknown as they once were as 6th graders as the decades pass, but to the class of 2024, the young girls being inspired to write their own future now and the totality achieved in the efforts put towards this championship by teams gone by, the luster will never fade about the team that secured the title of “Spring Lake Soccer: 2024 State Champs.”