By Wendi Reardon Price
Clarkston News Sports Writer
Clarkston Everest Collegiate finished the season on Saturday as runner up in the MHSAA Division 4 Girls Soccer State Final at Michigan State University DeMartin Soccer Stadium against Kalamazoo Christian.
“Being the top two teams in Division 4 was really special for our girls,” said Rich Cross, head coach for the Mountaineers. “It was a first time for all of us to walk into that stadium.”
The Mountaineers lost to Kalamazoo, 5-0.
Cross added the score didn’t represent how the team played.
“Kalamazoo, congratulations to them,” he said. “They scored on the possessions they had. We didn’t. Unfortunately we made a couple of mistakes in the defensive end, but when you look at what we asked them to do – to play, to win the 50-50s, to get the ball down the line to cross it – they did everything they were asked to do. We just couldn’t finish and find the back of the net. The score doesn’t reflect how well we played, but in soccer a few breakdowns can change an outcome.”
Cross added the girls stuck to their motto – “Semper Altius” which means always higher.
“The beauty of these girls is the motto Semper Altius to the last whistle. They were hunting down the ball, trying to at least get one goal,” Cross said. “They didn’t get it. Of course there were tears and frustration, but they walked off the field winners. They walked off the field more virtuous. They walked off the field with a sisterhood and a deeper faith because we do bring our faith into our practices.”
Cross added the loss makes the players stronger.
“They understand losing makes you better,” he said, sharing words he told the players. “Remember how this feels so next year you are just as hungry and we need to pick up where we left off.”
The Mountaineers won the semifinal game against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett on June 14, 1-0. Erica Walker scored the lone goal. Lila Chow, from Academy of the Sacred Heart, was goaltender for the night.
“Going into the Liggett game, with four teams left, I told the girls we have nothing to lose,” Cross shared. “We aren’t ranked. Other teams are ranked – there is a lot on their shoulders. We have nothing to lose. We went out against Liggett. We got the goal early and we hung onto it.”
The Mountaineers, co-op with Sacred Heart, finished the season with an overall 7-8-1 record.
“We had a tough regular season,” said Cross, adding they compete in the Catholic League. “We come across teams like Shrine, Liggett and Cranbrook, Bishop Foley. It’s really a competitive league. We have had success in the league. This year was more of a struggle to find the back of the net. We started to make some changes towards the end of the season right before we got into playoffs. I kind of knew we could win a couple games in our district by knowing the talent of our girls and the work ethic. We had a couple of injuries and the girls got better. But eventually the confidence went way up. We were winning battles.

“Being a small Catholic school we ask our players to play multiple sports. If they want to be successful they have to give a lot because we don’t have depth. We don’t have a lot of student-athletes to pick from. They dig deep. We challenge them in every aspect of life – their prayer life, helping others, academically and sports. I think the confidence went way up when we were beating some teams.”
The Mountaineers won the district with a shutout against Auburn Hills Oakland Christian. They followed it with a 6-0 shutout against New Haven Merritt Academy in the regional semifinal. Then, they won the title over Saginaw Nouvel, 2-0.
“After we won that game they were in awe to the point that celebration was low,” Cross shared. “I think they were a little bit in shock of what they just accomplished. After we huddled up I said, ‘ladies you can celebrate. You have all the talent in the world to do what you want to do to be successful in soccer.’”
He added the girls just came together at the right time and challenged themselves.
“I tell the girls, often in practice, sports is another platform to help you become who you are meant to become in life,” he said. “We have been together for three months now, I told the girls it’s important to pray to sisterhood, pray to bond, and they did. The virtue really stuck with them is just joy. They never got upset with each other. They always gave their best. Always thought the best of each other. In the end, this is just a step to help them become who they are meant to be some day.”

  Everest Soccer, MHSAA State Finals, state finals