CLARE - The Leland Comets are heading back to the division four state semifinals, after they defeated Harbor Springs 1-0 on Thursday night to claim a regional title.
Ignacio Creamer scored the game-winning goal midway through the second half, and goalie Jimmy Alpi was able to hold the Rams off of the scoreboard in the victory.
“Probably about halfway through the [first] half, we started putting together more passes, and building connections, and I think that we kind of got in the swing of things,” Alpi said after the game. “So, once we scored that goal, you could just tell by the energy on the field that everything was different, and that we were going to win this game.”
“In the locker room at halftime we said that this could be a 1-0 game,” Comets’ head coach Rob Sirrine said. “We should’ve probably scored a couple of headers earlier on in the first half, but we’ll take a 1-0 win.”
The win is the third regional title for the Comets in the past four seasons and sends Leland (18-4-1) up against top-ranked Muskegon Western Michigan Christian in the semifinals.
The Comets lost to the Warriors 3-0 back in early September, and they also fell 3-1 to the Warriors in the 2022 division four state semifinals. This year’s state semifinal is set for a 6:00 start at East Kentwood High School on Wednesday, Nov. 1.