By Ben Murphy
Beacon Correspondent
Perfection is pretty tough to accomplish through an entire high school soccer season. Munising Baptist was able to achieve that very feat, however, when they won two close games in the Northern Lights League tournament on Saturday.
Playing on their home field, the Bobcats earned their first conference championship in about five years and completed the season with a 16-0 record.
“It means a lot. We went into this season not even really knowing what to expect,” head coach Hunter MacArthur said. “We lost some important seniors last year, and we only gained a few young kids, so we weren’t sure what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised from the get-go, and about halfway through the year I thought we had a really good chance to go undefeated this year, which was totally unexpected.”
While the Bobcats entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, they had to survive close calls from a pair of upset-minded opponents.
In the semifinal round, the Bobcats took on Ojibwe Charter, and they won 2-1 in a shootout. Ojibwe scored the first goal of the game, and MBS got its only goal in regulation from Gabe Heyrman, who scored just before the end of the first half. Alex Frederick assisted on the goal.
“He scored, [the referee] signaled goal and blew the whistle for half,” MacArthur said.
The game remained deadlocked through the second half, sending it to a shootout. Dylan Swift and Trek netted goals to send them to the next round. Ethan Swift had four huge saves in the contest.
The Bobcats again fell behind in the championship, as Big Bay de Noc netted a goal early on. MBS responded with goals from Dylan Swift and Isaac Beaverson, with Trek earning an assist, giving the home team a 2-1 lead at the half.
Ethan Swift had 11 key saves in this one, and the Bobcats hung on for the hardware-clinching victory.
“We were able to hold on to that lead in the second half, and it was really a fun time watching the kids celebrate and getting to celebrate as a team,” MacArthur said. “It was an awesome tournament. The weather was perfect, and all the teams came ready to play their best. I’m so proud of this team and the development they have shown this year. We are losing some key seniors this year, but I’m excited to see what next season will bring.”
After going 16-0 and claiming the NLL regular-season and tournament championships, Munising Baptist will lose seniors Dylan Swift, Leighla MacArthur and Gabe Heyrman to graduation.
“I’m extremely proud of the way that they played this year. The games where they had some adversity, they were able to fight back,” MacArthur said. “It just showed throughout the year that they listened to what the coaches gave them, and I’m extremely excited to see where these young players go in the next few years. Next year is going to be a challenge, losing three seniors. It is always tough to replace them, but I’m excited for next year as well.”