HOLLAND – Holland Christian’s Julie Miedema launched the free kick over the wall of defenders and it soared toward the goal.
As Zeeland East goalie Sophie Reese leaped to the top corner the ball went higher than her outstretched hand but clanged off the crossbar.
But it wasn’t done.
The ball bounced off the crossbar, went straight up in the air 15 feet above the goal, came straight down and bounced a foot in front of the goal, then the spin carried the ball on a high bounce into the goal.
The nearly unbelievable goal ended up being the difference in the battle of Division 2 state-ranked teams as No. 12 Holland Christian defeated No. 7 Zeeland East 2-1 on Friday, April 17, at Holland Christian Stadium.
“I haven’t seen a play quite like that,” Holland Christian coach Elliot Slenk said. “But credit to Julie. It was a really great shot with a lot of power that gave it that backspin to ultimately put it in the back of the net.”
Holland Christian’s first goal came off of corner kick by Madison Phelps that found its way into the net by way of a header from Amelia Hanczuk as the Maroons improved to 4-3 (2-1 OK Black).
The showdown was a battle between very evenly matched teams as expected.
“It was a real battle and our girls showed a lot of grit and resilience and just found a way,” Slenk said. “Zeeland East did not back down and I was really impressed with their composure on the ball that kept us running and chasing.”
Zeeland East (5-2, 2-2 OK Black) got an equalizer early in the second half when freshman Tenley DeWitt put in a rebound to tie the score 1-1. But it ultimately wasn’t enough despite the even matchup.
“There were a lot of things Holland Christian did well against us. But we decided to fight back in the second half and that shows that we didn’t put our heads down. But there are a lot things to work on,” Zeeland East coach Emily Slagter said. “(It was a tough bounce) but I think Holland Christian outplayed us today, ultimately. They put away their set pieces and we did not.
“But there is a lot of potential in these girls to grow together.”
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland Christian’s unbelievably crazy bounce the difference in state-ranked battle with Zeeland East
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
