PETOSKEY ― Gaylord girls soccer entered the week with one goal in mind: Win the Big North Conference. Simple enough, but there was a lot of pressure building behind a seemingly simple task.
With an unblemished league record heading into a game against Traverse City West on Tuesday, May 19, a second win over the Titans this season would’ve locked up an outright league title with one game to spare. However, facing an improved TC West team on a windy, rainy afternoon, it was the Titans who came away with a pivotal 3-0 victory, sending GHS home with one last chance to earn a title.
Pressure added.
Two days later, Gaylord had another chance to claim a share of its BNC title in 24 years, scheduled to take on their rivals, Petoskey. Somehow, the bus meant to take Gaylord to Petoskey never showed up. The pivotal, final regular-season game would end up being delayed as GHS figured out how to get its team to the Click Road Soccer Fields.
Pressure added.
The pressure has been building for the Blue Devils (14-2-1, 10-1 BNC) all season, but its been the way they’ve responded to that added weight that has been what pushed them into the position they were (eventually) in on Thursday, May 21, needing a win over the Northmen (8-6-1, 7-5 BNC) to earn a share of its first conference title since 2002.
And, as the goals started to pile up, you could almost feel that pressure starting to release as GHS felt that championship feeling. Eighty minutes later, and it was all smiles and laughter on the Gaylord sideline as they celebrated a 4-0 victory and the program’s first league title since 2002.
“Pressure makes diamonds,” said coach Chris Adams. “(Senior) Emma Horsell-Sehl shared before the game, ‘Pressure is a privilege’. We thrive in pressure, and the girls really turned up today and executed flawlessly.”
Sophomore Khloe VanOosten scored two first-half goals, starting the scoring with a goal early on before beating the keeper again for Gaylord’s third goal in the first 40 minutes. Junior Molly Hicks scored goal No. 2, helping GHS take a 3-0 lead into the half.
Junior Ella Cherwinksi put the finishing touches on the win, taking advantage of a loose ball in the box for Gaylord’s only goal of the second half, finishing off a 4-0, championship-clinching victory.
The BNC schedule did not go Gaylord’s way in 2025, finishing fourth of six teams with a 4-4-2 record. As a sophomore, Cherwisnki and the team took their lumps; that made this year’s run to a BNC title even sweeter.
“It feels very, very good,” Cherwinski said. “I mean, it is expected because of all the hard work we put in. It was all worth it in the end, though. It feels awesome because we have a good team, and we deserve it.”
Gaylord and TC West share the BNC Title this year, each with one loss in BNC play. It’s only the second time GHS has won the Big North, and the first under coach Chris Adams. The Blue Devils now shift their focus to the postseason, awaiting the winner of the Alpena vs. Sault Ste Marie game on Wednesday, May 27. The winner of that game will face either Petoskey or Marquette on Saturday, May 30.
“We are fortunate enough to have already played every single team in the postseason,” said coach Adams. “We’re excited for whoever gets through, and then we have to do our job.”
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord girls soccer thrives in pressure, wins first BNC title since 2002
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
