2022 Southfield Christian Boys Middle School Soccer Season Summary
GAME 1 VS PLYMOUTH CHRISTIAN
On Thursday the Eagles took the field away at Plymouth Christian for the first outing of the season. PCA scored four goals in the first half as SCS shook off some miscommunications and early jitters. They added three more goals in a better-contested second half for a final score of 7-0.
Goalie Trevor Groh made numerous impressive saves in his debut as goalie. Kenyan Baker had several dangerous runs at the net but couldn’t capitalize. Jude Anderson had a prime opportunity near the post that nearly resulted in a goal for the Eagles. Trey Ehlen did well controlling the middle and came close to notching several assists. The rest of the team put in a good effort with positive attitudes as all 21 players who dressed saw playing time.
The team will learn from this early setback and travels to Inter-City on Friday for a match with the perennially-challenging Chargers.
Current record: 0-1
GAME 2 VS INTER-CITY BAPTIST
On Friday, the Eagles traveled down to Inter-City, a team that had racked up 6 straight wins spanning three seasons against SCS. The team shook off the previous day's defeat and put in an energetic effort, implementing several lessons learned in their first game.
Trey Ehlen scored three goals in the first half, one assisted by Grant Reynolds. Trevor Groh made several fine saves to take the Eagles into the half up 3-0.
The second half was impressive as well, with Ronin Seals standing out on defense and making several solid clearances. Kenyan Baker put the ball in the net midway through the second half to increase the lead to 4-0. A late fourth goal by Trey finished the scoring for a solid 5-0 victory over the Chargers and the first win of the young season.
On Monday, the road swing continues as the Eagles take on Oakland Christian at their place.
Current record: 1-1
Current record: 1-1
GAME 3 VS OAKLAND CHRISTIAN
On Monday, the Eagles completed their whirlwind three-game in three school days road trip up at Oakland Christian. The Lancers had a big, talented, and experienced squad to put on the field. They got off to a quick start, and scored two goals within the first couple of minutes before SCS could even get settled into the game.
Two more first-half goals by the opponents came near the end of the first half, but they were interrupted by a powerful direct kick from a long way out by Trey Ehlen that found its way past the keeper. The score after the first half was 4-1 in favor of Oakland.
In the second half, SCS played nearly even with the Lancers for a good portion of the remaining time, making the game entertaining for everyone despite its score. A couple of late miscommunications led to unfortunate last-minute goals, soon after Trey Ehlen scored another for the visiting side on a pretty shot.
The final score of 7-2 doesn't fully reflect how well the young Eagles played for significant stretches of the afternoon against a very good team. Nearly every player contributed and played well, exerting maximum effort and staying positive.
Next up is Roeper at home on Thursday.
Current record: 1-2
Current record: 1-2
GAME 4 VS ROEPER
On Thursday afternoon, the Eagles finally got to play their first home game of the season and scored early and often in a dominant 9-1 victory over Roeper.
In their first win against the school since 2018, Trey Ehlen got the first-half hat trick. Jude Anderson, Caleb Strong, and Kenyan Baker each added goals for the 6-1 margin in favor of Southfield Christian at the break.
The scoring continued into the second half, as Caleb Strong put two more into the back of the net for a hat trick of his own, and Curtis Watson scored his first of the season for the final margin.
Michael Murry filled in as goalie in the second half, allowing keeper Trevor Groh the opportunity to play out in the field. It was a well-rounded effort by SCS, and now they await a visit from Greenhills, a team SCS middle school soccer has not faced in at least a decade, at home on Monday afternoon.
Current record: 2-2
Current record: 2-2
GAME 5 VS GREENHILLS
On Monday afternoon, the Eagles were visited by a big and experienced Greenhills squad, and, after accomplishing a similar feat against Roeper the game prior, found themselves on the wrong end of a lop-sided contest.
The Gryphons found the net early on several well-placed crosses, and capitalized often from various spots around the net in the first half. For significant stretches, SCS played evenly with their opponents, and Trey Ehlen was able to score on a beautiful long-range kick for a 5-1 halftime score.
The team did their best in the second half, but as they ran out steam they possessed the ball less and conceded some late goals for a 9-1 final margin. On Tuesday, the Eagles look to bounce back and get the season sweep in a rematch at home against Inter-City.
Current record: 2-3
GAME 6 VS INTER-CITY
Minutes later, thunder rumbled in the distance, and the game was delayed for 30 minutes to wait out the storm.The game was eventually called by the referees, and the remaining 11 minutes were not completed.
With the 2-1 loss, the Eagles fall to 2-4 for the season but can be proud of their excellent effort. The team looks to return to the win column on Thursday afternoon against Roeper at their place.
GAME 7 VS ROEPER
The Gryphons found the net early on several well-placed crosses, and capitalized often from various spots around the net in the first half. For significant stretches, SCS played evenly with their opponents, and Trey Ehlen was able to score on a beautiful long-range kick for a 5-1 halftime score.
The team did their best in the second half, but as they ran out steam they possessed the ball less and conceded some late goals for a 9-1 final margin. On Tuesday, the Eagles look to bounce back and get the season sweep in a rematch at home against Inter-City.
Current record: 2-3
GAME 6 VS INTER-CITY
On Tuesday, SCS took the field for the second match of the season against Inter-City at home. The Chargers brought along several new big, experienced and unfamiliar players that had not been part of the squad earlier in the year. It proved to make the game a thrilling one, and the boys of SCS easily played their best soccer match of the year thus far.
Midway through the first half, after just minutes earlier nearly scoring on a beautiful left-foot shot, Jackson Veldman was able to tuck one into the net off a defender for a 1-0 lead. A defensive miscommunication a while later allowed the Chargers to equalize before the end of the first half.
In the second half, both teams had numerous scoring opportunities. Goalie Trevor Groh made impressive save after impressive save, and Trey Ehlen found Kenyan Baker time after time for great scoring opportunities but came up just short. The Chargers scored midway through the second half to stake a 2-1 lead.
Minutes later, thunder rumbled in the distance, and the game was delayed for 30 minutes to wait out the storm.The game was eventually called by the referees, and the remaining 11 minutes were not completed.
With the 2-1 loss, the Eagles fall to 2-4 for the season but can be proud of their excellent effort. The team looks to return to the win column on Thursday afternoon against Roeper at their place.
Current record: 2-4
GAME 7 VS ROEPER
On Thursday afternoon, SCS boys traveled up to Roeper's home turf for a rematch against the Roughriders. The team started off sluggishly and conceded an early goal before regrouping on a Trey Ehlen equalizer a few minutes later.
Kenyan Baker scored the Eagles' second goal of the night on a blast from the left from just inside the 18. Trey Ehlen scored again late in the first half for a 3-1 halftime margin.
GAME 8 VS PLYMOUTH CHRISTIAN
GAME 9 VS PARKWAY
The entire team played well and many players got extra time on the pitch and an opportunity to try new positions. The Eagles move to 4-5 and will face Oakland at home in a rematch on next Tuesday.
Current record: 4-5
GAME 10 VS OAKLAND
Next Monday, the Southfield boys team will visit Novi Christian before finishing up the season the day after that with a home rematch home against Parkway.
Current record: 4-6
GAME 11 VS NOVI CHRISTIAN
The remainder of the first half featured chances on both sides, with the Eagles eventually conceding a goal in the waning minutes before halftime for a 1-1 count at the break.
GAME 12 VS PARKWAY CHRISTIAN
Kenyan Baker scored the Eagles' second goal of the night on a blast from the left from just inside the 18. Trey Ehlen scored again late in the first half for a 3-1 halftime margin.
For the second half, SCS took the field with a jumbled-up lineup, with Michael Murry taking the goalie jersey from Trevor Groh who headed out to midfield. A broad range of players contributed in the second half, with Teefy Mulcahy nearly finding Nate Ehlen with a beautiful cross in front of the opposing net, and Levi Bowman tapping in a goal that was immediately called back for a razor-thin offside.
Nate Ehlen eventually found the back of the net with a strong shot from the top of the penalty box, and Trey Ehlen completed the hat trick with a late goal for the Eagles. With the 5-1 victory, SCS boys move to 3-4 on the season.
Current record: 3-4
Current record: 3-4
GAME 8 VS PLYMOUTH CHRISTIAN
On Monday afternoon, Plymouth Christian traveled to SCS's home turf and got much more than they'd bargained for. After soundly defeating the Eagles in the first matchup early in the season, PCA was knocked off balance by the Eagle's energy and positivity.
Trey Ehlen struck first, staking the team to an early 1-0 lead. Sandwiched between goals by the opposition, Trey scored again late in the first half, and brought the team to a tight 2-2 halftime break. Jude Anderson got the assist on a nice move, meg and pass on the second goal.
Trey Ehlen struck first, staking the team to an early 1-0 lead. Sandwiched between goals by the opposition, Trey scored again late in the first half, and brought the team to a tight 2-2 halftime break. Jude Anderson got the assist on a nice move, meg and pass on the second goal.
Plymouth Christian was clearly frazzled, and committed several penalties as the second half got underway and they were awarded two yellow cards and penalized numerous direct kicks for their actions. The Eagles showed good sportsmanship and generally avoided matching foul for foul. After eventually falling behind 4-2 on a couple of defensive miscommunications, Kenyan Baker did what he's done all season long and broke free for an excellent breakaway goal to bring the Eagles to within one.
It felt to everyone present that momentum was swinging, but the Eagles were just not able to equalize, even though they had some good chances, and the team conceded two late goals to bring the final score to 6-3. Though a win would have been excellent, the team showed major improvements in all areas of the game and look forward to visiting Parkway Christian on Thursday afternoon.
Current record: 3-5
Current record: 3-5
GAME 9 VS PARKWAY
On Thursday, SCS traveled to Parkway Christian for an afternoon match. The Eagles played well and controlled the game from the outset, with Jude Anderson striking first about five minutes in. Trey Ehlen added two more, the second on a great assist by Jackson Veldman.
Curtis Watson pounded a goal home near the end of the first half, and Trey Ehlen added another for a first-half hat trick. With 18 goals this year, Trey has now surpassed the top single-season scoring mark since at least as far back as 2018.
Leading 5-0 at the half, the Southfield squad came out with a creative lineup for the second. Michael Murry was in goal, and he played his third full half of the season with yet another clean sheet. Early on, Nate Ehlen scored on a long kick to make the score 6-0. Goalie Trevor Groh found the back of the net soon after, and Matthew Abazi scored late to finish the match off 8-0 in favor of SCS.
The entire team played well and many players got extra time on the pitch and an opportunity to try new positions. The Eagles move to 4-5 and will face Oakland at home in a rematch on next Tuesday.
Current record: 4-5
GAME 10 VS OAKLAND
On Tuesday afternoon, the Eagles took the field in a rematch against Oakland Christian. SCS had lost to the Lancers 7-2 earlier in the season at their place. Southfield came out with energy early and controlled possession the first 15 minutes, creating several prime opportunities to score first. Trey Ehlen hit the left post, and also ripped a solid shot right at the opposing goalie that he was able to handle.
Right before halftime, the Lancers were finally able to score, and the game was 1-0 at the half. The second half started out well for the Eagles once more, and their improvement over the season showed clearly for most of the contest. They were able to manufacture additional chances, with Kenyan Baker carrying the ball up the right side and nearly scoring twice. Trey Ehlen finally found the back of the net with a great push up the middle and finish, equalizing the count at 1-1.
With a little over ten minutes left, the Lancers were able to break through the defense and score again to take the lead. Two additional goals came late as time ran out, after numerous great opportunities for the Eagles to equalize a second time fell short, and the final score at the whistle was 4-1. While not the margin the Eagles wanted or earned, the team played very well and just ran out of gas over the final few minutes against a talented opponent.
Next Monday, the Southfield boys team will visit Novi Christian before finishing up the season the day after that with a home rematch home against Parkway.
Current record: 4-6
GAME 11 VS NOVI CHRISTIAN
On Monday afternoon, the boy's soccer team headed west for their only matchup of the season against Novi Christian. The Eagles got off to a promising start, scoring in the first several minutes of a play on a nice cross from Kenyan Baker that was pushed home by Jude Anderson.
The remainder of the first half featured chances on both sides, with the Eagles eventually conceding a goal in the waning minutes before halftime for a 1-1 count at the break.
The second half was all Warriors, however, as SCS struggled to put together quality possessions and had a few defensive miscommunications, as the team allowed four goals in rapid succession before they could regain their footing. Solid efforts and a refusal to quit from Caleb Foote, Jackson Veldman, and Jayce Garrett among others were the highlights as the Eagles ended the game at a disappointing 5-1 deficit.
The season ends Tuesday with a home contest against Parkway, as the Eagles attempt to achieve a season sweep against the Eagles from across town and finish the year on a high note.
Current record: 4-7
Current record: 4-7
GAME 12 VS PARKWAY CHRISTIAN
On Tuesday afternoon, the Eagles took the field for their final game of the season at home against Parkway Christian.
All 8th graders present started the game in honor of their seasons, and the Eagles got off to a quick start with two nice solo goals from Trey Ehlen, who finished the year with an impressive individual tally of 21. Soon afterward, Bryce Graham notched his first goal of the year, followed soon after by another from Jude Anderson, assisted by Kenyan Baker.
Caleb Strong put one away before halftime for a 5-0 margin at the break. SCS came out with a creative lineup once more for the second half, with Michael Murry as keeper and Trevor Groh in the field. Ronin Seals found the back of the net to make the margin 6-0 in favor of SCS, and Trevor scored twice in the waning minutes, the second on a terrific header on a pretty corner kick by Trey, for a final margin of 8-0.
Daniel Bishop played his best game of the year anchoring the right side of the defense, with several strong clearances and passes to create additional opportunities for his teammates. Michael Murry wasn't challenged much in the second half, but maintained his impressive season-long clean sheet as backup goalie.
The Eagles finish the year with a record of 5-7 and can hold their heads high for their solid improvements in all areas of the game, as well as their 44-40 goal differential over all 12 games. The 44 goals mark the most a Southfield Christian middle school boys team has scored during a single season since records started being kept back in 2014.
Coach Bowman looks forward to having 13 current players return next season, and sincerely thanks the eight 8th-graders that are moving on for their significant contributions to the 2022 club's endeavors!
Final record: 5-7
Final record: 5-7