For two best friends at South Christian High School in Grand Rapids, Mich., winning a girls’ soccer state title had been a dream since they were 10 years old.
South Christian High School claims the girls’ soccer state title.
“We’ve been working so hard all these years, and we have wanted it ever since we were little girls,” said Cassidy Bosselaar, who played varsity soccer at the school for four years.
Their dream became a reality when Bosselaar, Kayla Diemer, and their teammates won the Division 3 girls’ soccer state championship game.
Diemer, a member of Hillside Community Christian Reformed Church in Cutlerville, Mich., scored the game’s only goal in the second half.
“I remember passing the ball to Cierra Buist. Cierra passed it to Kayla [Diemer], Kayla dribbled around two of the Notre Dame Prep players, and it was a perfect shot right into the corner,” recalled Bosselaar.
The Sailors also ousted Unity Christian High School in the regional finals, defeating the school that had won seven of the last eight state titles.
“The whole four years I’ve been [at South Christian], we’ve never beaten Unity,” explained Diemer. “We were beating big teams, so I knew it’d be a good season.”
For many of the girls, who had playing on club teams together since middle school, fellow players were more than just teammates.
“When I was a freshman, the seniors motivated me to be the best player I could be,” said Diemer. “I wanted to be like the seniors when I was a freshman; I wanted to be a leader to the freshmen and show them the role model that I had.”
As for the future, another dream is coming true for Bosselaar and Diemer.
“Kayla [Diemer] and I have been best friends since like second grade, and it was our dream to play college soccer together,” said Bosselaar.
Both Diemer and Bosselaar will play soccer together next year at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill.
About the Author
Ryan Struyk was a former Banner news correspondent for classes Grand Rapids South and Thornapple Valley.