Deep into the second half of the game, the score remained 0-0 between FHC and EGR—until senior midfielder Alex Moeller executed a stellar shot, finally setting FHC in the lead. Another goal by senior midfielder Nick Bergman made the final score 2-0 .
This district semifinal matchup was a testament to FHC’s patience, as the score was tied at 0-0 for the majority of the game. Early on, the high tensions and anticipation did not favor either side, and both teams’ defenses were holding. This pattern continued until the last fifteen minutes of the game, and head coach Paul Kramer affirms this was part of their plan.
“For the offense, our goal was just to be patient,” Kramer said. “We have a lot of talented and skilled players, and just through passing and finding the right spaces they would be able to exploit EGR and find goals.”
Even though EGR’s performance rendered FHC unable to score until the last stretch of time, the ball remained on FHC’s side more often. Senior defenseman Bennett Nieuwkoop and Moeller were influential in pressing EGR’s defense in the first half, and their efforts combined with junior midfielder Andrew Moeller’s resulted in a culmination of shots on goal. These relentless attempts with patience in mind were what Kramer had in mind.
“Based upon how we played EGR last time, we wanted to keep possession,” Kramer said. “We wanted to be very strategic with our attack, and we knew that if we were patient enough, we should be able to find goals.”
This monumental win stretches FHC’s record to 16-3-1. Their season has been nothing short of impressive, and this game marks their second win over EGR this season. Their success is led by senior captain Alex Moeller, who is committed to Western Michigan University to play Division I soccer.
“We’ve been taking practices more intensely,” Moeller said. “We’ve been practicing for situations where we go into overtime possibly, and specific tactics we would use against EGR.”
Due to EGR’s differences in field size and strategies, FHC has to take different approaches to competition.
“What they’ll normally do, or what they did against us, is that they did what’s called a low block,” Moeller said. “They just sit back with their defenders and don’t allow their forwards to crawl towards the goal. It makes it harder for us to go in and score.”
The potential difficulties warped FHC’s expectations of this game, with senior forward Bennett Nieuwkoop expecting a battle.
“We beat EGR coming into this game 3-0, but we knew they weren’t gonna be the same team,” Nieuwkoop said. “We knew we had to get ready because they were going to be a whole different team, and a lot better. We ended up playing really well.”
However, EGR does not line up among the toughest competition FHC will face. But their potential is still dangerous-especially as the season is into the playoffs. Senior forward Charlie Afman confirms this.
“When getting into the playoffs, every team really steps it up,” Afman said. “Every team wants it more, so that definitely makes it harder to win games.”
Clearly, the pressures of playoffs fell in FHC’s favor. Their overall success comes from individual efforts as well, however, especially from Nieuwkoop, the “Man of the Match.” His presence kept the EGR offense from becoming too effective, and he has shown his ability for scoring throughout the season, being one of the top scorers for the team.
“Since waking up this morning, I’ve been locked in-I had the game on my mind all day,” Nieuwkoop said. “We had to get the result we wanted. We all worked together and ended up getting what we wanted.”
Unfortunately, this game also came with a flurry of fouls and hits. Senior forward Chris Dongmo was on the receiving end of an accidental blow, and injury has been present for FHC this season, seen with senior forward Charlie Afman. After the first few games of the season, he received a hamstring injury that left him unable to play.
“I was a little nervous watching, obviously,” Afman said. “I trust my teammates, I love them. They put in the work every day and I trust them more than anything to win, even when down in the game.”
Now, FHC’s win places them in the district finals. As the end of an undoubtedly successful and memorable season approaches, senior captain Alex Moeller shares his contentment.
“The season’s been great,” Moeller said. “Hopefully this is just one step in the right direction as we still have some games to go. We’re looking forward to the future.”
