SHELBY – Facing the No. 8 team in Division 3 is always a test for any team. That test became even more daunting for a Shelby boys soccer team that hadn’t won in eight straight contests.
The Tigers weren’t able to break that string Monday, Sept. 23, falling on their home field to North Muskegon, 5-0.
Those familiar with the Norsemen know just how successful the boys soccer team has been in recent years. North Muskegon finished third in the West Michigan Conference (WMC) in 2023, finishing the season with a District Finals loss to eventual state champions, Western Michigan Christian.
Shelby and first year Head Coach Damian Gonzalez were aware of the challenges that faced them, but that didn’t help stop an early scoring onslaught from North Muskegon.
“(North Muskegon) is everything we want to be in the future,” Gonzalez said. “Their speed of play is great, they’re looking to make space, they move the ball and they’re talking. (We) realize that’s where we want to be and we need to work and train hard everyday.”
In the first five minutes of play, North Muskegon snagged a 2-0 lead over the Tigers. Just 2:38 into the game, an ill-advised decision in their own box saw Shelby hand their opponent a penalty kick opportunity. Freshman keeper Josh Vega did his best to stop a low ball that was placed in the bottom right corner, but the ball traveled just out of his reach to give the Norse their first goal of the night.
North Muskegon capitalized again just minutes later, taking that 2-0 lead with 35:13 remaining in the first half.
The Tigers played the first 15 minutes of that game on their heels for the most part. The defense was the saving grace for the team as senior Nathan Miller and sophomore Cael Omness spent a good amount of time clearing balls and making up for lost battles in the midfield.
“This was probably one of our best games defensively, even though the scoreboard doesn’t show it,” Gonzalez said. “Nathan is always a critical component for us. Lately we’ve had trouble scoring the ball, so he’s been playing up top, trying to score some goals. Knowing our opponent today, we needed him on the back.”
It wasn’t until after the Norsemen found their third goal of the game with 27:26 remaining in the first half that the Tigers woke up. Shelby began finding more and more space, utilizing the speed of juniors Andrew Hayes and Eli Kelley on the outside with help from senior Venancio Cadena Arvizu and junior Alex Dealmonte in the middle.
Kelley made a run down the right sideline, using a slide tackle maneuver to keep a ball inbounds before careening towards the goal. Kelley’s shot didn’t find the net, but it did force North Muskegon’s defense to shift back rather than playing close to midfield like they had to that point.
“A lot of our guys are used to playing at a slower pace on JV. This is most of their first year on varsity,” Gonzalez said. “All of our games so far have been adjusting to that pace of play.”
None of Shelby’s attempts to break onto the scoreboard were fruitful in the first half, allowing North Muskegon to take control again. The Norsemen found a fourth goal in the final minutes of the half, giving them a 4-0 lead through 40 minutes.
The second half was another strong showing for Shelby’s defense. The Tigers’ back line held North Muskegon to just one goal, opening the door for their own offense to get going. Kelley was inserted in net for the second half and the junior flashed his ability to track and stop shots, making a number of impressive saves.
Unfortunately, there were no goals to be had for the Tigers, spelling a 5-0 shutout loss to one of the WMC’s – and state’s – best teams.
“We’ll take what we can from this one,” Gonzalez said. “A lot of the teams in our conference have all let in more goals to North Muskegon than that. We had chances, especially in the first half.”
Shelby (1-10-2, 0-6-1 WMC) has now dropped four straight games and have lost nine of the last 10. The Tigers will prepare for a home meeting with rival Hart (7-6, 4-4 WMC), Monday, Sept. 30.
