Heading into their Friday, Sept. 1 matchup, the Grand Rapids Community College Men’s Soccer team knew the No. 9 ranked Division II NJCAA team, Schoolcraft College, was the team to beat. In a very intense game which included multiple yellow cards and a red card, the Raiders controlled the majority of the game which led to a 4-0 victory while notching their most important win yet.
GRCC head coach Damiekco Smith understood the importance of a game like this – especially with the talent on Schoolcraft’s roster
“We have a lot of respect for Schoolcraft and their program because they’ve been the team to beat within our conference,” Smith said. “This matchup will put us to the test and they have a great coaching staff so let’s not mistake their kindness for weakness.”
To start the game, both teams took the first few minutes to get settled in as there was no shot on goal until the four-minute mark, as Schoolcraft applied the pressure first.
GRCC responded to the offensive attack with multiple emphatic saves by freshman goalkeeper Brett Miller.
Each team looked to control the possession on the offensive end, and freshman winger Lucas Freriks took advantage of a slip-up within Schoolcraft’s defense, leading to the first goal of the game. The Raiders added to the lead at the 35-minute mark, as freshman midfielder Chibambo Munguakonkwa nailed a shot in the middle of the goal.
GRCC headed into halftime with a 2-0 lead along with a huge confidence boost, but the intensity of the game only increased from that point.
In the second half, three cautions led to yellow cards and one red card, which led to an ejection. GRCC had a breakaway shot opportunity around the 50-minute mark but was unable to score, which led to a tussle between Schoolcraft’s goalie and a GRCC offensive player. The goalie was immediately ejected and no GRCC players were penalized.
“The game plan did not change when the goalkeeper got the red card but my team changed it because they were getting too relaxed,” Smith said. “Schoolcraft started to dominate when their goalie went out but slowly the team was able to put the pressure back on and control the victory.”
The Raiders struggled to find any opportunity to get a shot off as Schoolcraft’s defense tightened up. Miller had multiple saves to hold the 2-0 lead and the Raiders defense stayed strong despite the bombarding of Schoolcraft’s offense.
Near the 80-minute mark, freshman striker Mohamed Tamour put the Ocelots in the coffin as he scored back-to-back goals to increase the lead to 4-0.
“For Mohamed to be playing JUCO (Junior College) right now is ridiculous,” Smith said. “Someone is going to pick him up and if they don’t do it around here, it’ll be from somewhere else. When he gets the ball, he’s dangerous and can score at any time.”
Tamour believes teamwork and dedication is the reason the team continues to see success.
“Consistency and practice every day has made the team better,” Tamour said. “We are learning from the coaches every day and we continue to get better and dominate.”
In the end, the Raiders defeated the Ocelots 4-0, improving their conference and regular season record to 4-0. All four games have been shut-outs for the Raiders and they have won by an average of 6.25 goals per game.
“This win ranks high up there for one of the biggest wins of my career,” Smith said. “I’ve had a few victories with the girls that I coach that are better all-time, but other than that, this is definitely high up there.”
GRCC travels to Aquinas on Monday, Sept. 4 at 12 p.m. and hopes to continue their undefeated streak
“We don’t care what they are ranked, especially if they are ranked very highly,” Tamour said. “As long as we show up, we are going to play the right way, and no matter who the opponent is, we are ready to play.”
