The Gremlins’ Sophia Blake takes control of the ball as the Redmen’s Easton Zivnoska (69) and Jack Sysko (22) move in on her during a game Saturday at Alumni Field in Houghton. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)
HOUGHTON — The Houghton High School soccer club wrapped up their games at home unfortunately with two losses on Saturday to Marquette. The Gremlins’ JV team suffered a 10-1 loss in the first match and the varsity squad went down 7-2 in the afternoon.
To put it bluntly, it has been a season of growth.
Emily Palosaari, head coach of the Gremlins, noted that this season has been quite different than the last due to experience.
They were more on the winning side last year as the varsity Gremlins have yet to win a game at 0-1-3 and the JV squad sits at 2-2.
“We had 12 seniors last year,” said Palosaari, who is in her fourth year. “This year, we just have one.
“So, we have lots of freshmen that I am having to play in our varsity games. On the bright side, these younger kids are very skilled, and talented, and are only going to get better as they grow.”
She said much growth has already occurred since the club first started practicing back in August. In fact, Palosaari noted that despite the teams’ losses to Marquette last weekend, it was some of her squad’s better play on the field this year.
“I had just implemented a new formation for the (varsity) defense in practice a week or so ago, and it forces them to communicate better,” she said. “It was good to see that some of it was taking shape as we were all working and playing together as a team on Saturday.”
The soccer club has close to 40 members, both boys and girls, and includes a handful of eighth-graders. Moving forward, Palosaari hopes that this will be the last fall for co-ed club soccer at Houghton, and she is not alone.
An online petition solicited by Brian Irizarry, founder and president of Houghton FC, a local soccer club, earlier this fall has garnished more than 200 signatures from parents and supporters who would like to see Houghton soccer as an officially recognized varsity sport as sanctioned by the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). The boys would play in the fall and the girls in the spring as it is done downstate.
It would be an Upper Peninsula first as there is currently no MHSAA soccer in the UP Teams here in the north just compete at the club level, and thus students/athletes are unable to earn a varsity letter.
“Soccer is a big deal here in Houghton,” said Irizarry. “So, let’s make it official. It is only fair to the kids. It shouldn’t be a sideshow. The (soccer) players are always seen as outsiders looking in until their own school supports them. All sports deserve equal resources from their schools.”
While that decision remains to be made, the soccer Gremlins will wrap up their 2022 campaign on Saturday, Oct. 15, with a tournament in Marquette.
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