Welcome to the Home of the 
Lady Broncos

The Lady Broncos have completed their 10th official season as a school sport. We are proud to represent our school and town on soccer fields all across Western Michigan. 

Coopersville plays in the OK Blue Division against
schools with similar enrollments.

Our philosophy is to have fun, improve our skills, teach life lessons through athletics, show sportsmanship, and win.

Click on the various buttons at the top of this page to take you to different  locations within this site.

Listed below are the dates for Summer soccer.  West Catholic and possibly others will be joining us in the Stadium.  Start time for each night will be 6:00 PM.

E-mail Coach Harig (allforgoals@aol.com) with any questions.

Wednesday June 18

  End of season awards continue to roll in, and the All-District team was selected today.  The Lady Broncos have four members on the 2008 District 29-2 team.

  The players selected from the Lady Broncos are:

Kailey Vlug

Melissa Hogan

Julie Vander Jagt

Kita Harig

  Congratulations to these girls on this accomplishment!

  The Lady Broncos hosted the opening round of the 2008 MHSAA District vs.the Rockets from Muskegon Reeths-Puffer.  The game was decided in OT with the Lady Broncos coming up short by a score of 1-0.

  Opportunities were earned, but the team couldn't convert them to goals.  The team handled themselves with class throughout a very physical game.

  The ending of the season brings reflection, and this years team will be remembered for their heart, refusal to quit, and marked improvement from the beginning of the season.

  We must say farewell to our Seniors - Cassie, Jessica, Julie, Kita, and Sarah.  They have each contributed many things to our program in the last 4 seasons.

  We also say good-bye to our Exchange Students; Elise - Norway, Franzi - Germany, and Maya - Germany.  They've all brought something special to our team this season.  We will miss them very much!

  Thanks to our parents and fans for your support; you have been great!

  Julie has been chosen to be one of 100 Superstar Seniors this year.  She has done well in her career at CHS, and this selection again proves that we have very good people in our program.

  You can read her essay by clicking on the title.

  Congratulations Jules!

  Sarah VanderKlay received the Doug Corradini Spirit Award last week.  This award is given to a senior athlete who portrays the same qualities of Doug Corradini.

  Doug was a popular athlete at CHS in the early 80's who was diagnosed with an illness during his Junior year, and passed away during his Senior year.  Doug was a talented athlete who was very spirited in everything he did.  Whether on the field or in the classroom, he excelled.  He was a mentor to younger players and was generally liked by everyone, parents and peers alike.

  This award is voted on by the Varsity coaches at CHS each year, and Sarah was deemed to be the recipient this year. 

  Because so many have asked to see the award presentation, you can view the speech given by Coach Harig and the presentation to Sarah by clicking on the link below.

  Well done Sarah!  Your teammates and the Coaching staff are all very proud of you!

  The 2008 OK-Blue All-Conference team was selected yesterday by League coaches, and Coopersville had 3 players who were named All-Conference.

Congratulations to all of you!

Receiving All-Conference honors were:

1st team  

Melissa Hogan

Kailey Vlug

Honorable mention:

Julie Vander Jagt

  For the second consecutive Wednesday, the team took a hard line and played extremely tough against a talented team.  This time it was Forest Hills Eastern, and the Lady Broncos held the lead for most of the game.

  FHE scored with 18 minutes remaining to send the game into overtime.  The Lady Broncos began the scoring just 13 minutes into the game on a free kick by Melissa that was knocked into the goal by Cassie.

  The teams played a scoreless OT and with 2 minutes left in the 2nd OT FHE scored on a shot that deflected off a defender and past Tareyn.

  Tareyn and the defense played outstanding defense, as did the entire team.  FHE outshot Coops 19-8, but the Lady Broncos kept up the intensity and again played very well.

  Keep working hard, Ladies.  District play begins Tuesday at home vs. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer.  Kick-off is at 6 PM at Coopersville.

  The record stands at 9-9 following a 3-0 win vs. Sparta.  The Lady Broncos outshot the Spartans 23-5 and led 1-0 at the half after Melissa scored with 15:41 left.  Kailey had the assist on a nice pass from the center of the field.

  The 2nd half saw the Lady Broncos score twice.  Kailey had a nice goal after receiving a pass from Laura, and Melissa scored her 2nd goal after Jessica headed the ball to her.  Kita had the shutout in goal, stopping a PK with less than 3 minutes left in the game.

  The defense and mids did well also, controlling play and limiting Sparta's advances.  The team returns to action on Wednesday at 5 PM vs. FHE.

JV's - The JV's scored first in the first 5 minutes of the game, but allowed a goal in the final seconds of each half to fall 2-1 to Sparta.  They conclude their season on Wednesday at 6:45 vs. FHE.

  The Jr. High Lady Broncos have completed their season and have a 6-0-4 record.  The are the first team in Jr. High history to complete an undefeated season in soccer.

  These girls are also getting it done in the classroom.  All of the 8th graders who play on the team are on the Principal's List at the Jr. High.  This is very impressive, and equally important.  They are ready to step into the high school next year and continue our recent success of being All-State All-Academic.

  Great Job Girls!!!  Great Season!

  In what many presumed would be a lopsided affair, the Lady Broncos came out and scored the first goal just over 10 minutes into the contest.  Melissa found Laura who found Kailey for the nice goal.

  Cedar would even things up 12 minutes later with a goal.  The tie was broken with 4:27 left in the half with the same combination as their first goal.  Melissa worked the ball to Laura, Laura sent it to Kailey, Kailey beat Cedar's keeper and rolled the ball into the goal for the 2-1 halftime lead.

  Cedar came out in the 2nd half and had more scoring opportunities, but the mids and defense did well to keep the ball out of the net until with 12 minutes remaining when Cedar scored the tying goal. 

  The first overtime was scoreless, although Cedar has a few nice attempts with the wind at their back.  The 2nd overtime saw more back and forth action, and Cedar finally scored the game winner with 8:19 remaining.

  It was a tremendous effort by the team.  They came very close to pulling off a huge victory against a talented team.  Keep working hard and giving 100% and good things will find you.

  The Lady Broncos host Sparta on Monday at 6:45 PM.

JV's - The team continues to play hard.  They fell to Cedar Springs 3-0, and will host Sparta on Monday at 5:00 PM.

  The Lady Broncos returned to league action and beat Rogers 6-0 posting their 6th shutout of the season.  The win moves their league record to 3-4, and their overall record to 8-8.

  Kita handled the keeper duties, stopping 2 shots by Rogers.  The defense did well to keep the ball away from the goal for most of the game.

  Goals were scored by Jessica, Marie, Kailey (2), and Melissa (2).  Assists were recorded by Marie (2), Melissa, and Kailey.  Many players had opportunities to score and play in different positions.  It was a total team effort.

  The team returns to action on Wednesday at 5:00 PM, hosting league leader Cedar Springs.  The game time was moved up to accomodate the Senior Athletic Banquet which is at 6:30 PM.  JV's will play at 6:45 PM.

JV's - Beat Rogers 4-0, and controlled play for much of the game.

  Forest Hills Northern came out and scored 2 goals in the first 67 seconds of the game.  They also scored a goal with 35 seconds left in the game.  Those 3 goals, added to the other pair they scored gave them 5 to the Lady Broncos 1 for the final score.

  Although FHN possessed the ball more, the team did well to defend against them and come back from the early 2 goals to score on a PK after Kailey was taken down on a break-away.  The FHN player was fortunate to only get the yellow instead of the red.  Melissa buried the shot top shelf to bring the score to 2-1 and get the Lady Broncos fired up.  FHN scored again with 3 minutes left to move to 3-1 at half-time.

  The teams went back and forth for much of the 2nd half, and the team did well to stop all of FHN's advances.  A misplayed ball by the Lady Broncos was kicked into their own goal for FHN's 4th, and FHN scored with 35 seconds left.

  The team played hard again, but those 2 minutes came back to haunt them.  The lesson has been taught; it remains to be seen if the team has learned the lesson.

  Cassie has been to the doctor and her ankle is not broken.  She'll see her family doctor on Monday for a follow-up.  We won't know her playing status until Monday.

  Rogers comes in on Monday as the Lady Broncos continue the 2nd round of league play.  The team needs to be ready to step up and play hard as we complete the last 2 weeks of the regular season.

  Playing at Wyoming Park, the team found themselves down 1-0 at the half.  A penalty called in the box resulted in a PK, and that was the difference in the half.  The teams played hard, and even.  Park had a 9-6 shot advantage for the 1st half.

  Park scored the next 2 goals in the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half, and the game appeared to be decided.  Those who know the heart and character of this team know different.

  Kailey rolled past the defense, and lofted a high shot to the far post which ratttled the back of the net with 6:39 remaining.  With 4:05 left, Melissa found Anna and she moved in with a nicely placed shot to the opposite side of the goal and suddenly the score was 3-2.

  The team managed a few more nice runs, but were unable to mount a serious scoring threat.  The Lady Broncos outshot Park 16-13 for the game. 

  It was a valiant effort by the team, again.  There is absolutely no quit in this team, and it was impressive to watch them battle until the end.

  They return to the field on Saturday at 11:45 AM against Forest Hills Northern.

JV's - Beat Park by a score of 4-1 to get back in the win column.  They play FHN at 10:00 AM on Saturday.

  A goal scored against you in the first 32 seconds of the game could be a huge let down, but the girls fought through it.  Fighting hard for the next 20 minutes and seeing another one go in could have been back-breaking, but the girls fought through it.  Having another one scored less than 10 minutes later for a 3-0 margin could have been another let down, but the girls fought through it.  Scoring a goal with 2:59 left in the half to cut the lead to 3-1 was critical to keeping the game close.  When Melissa passed the ball to Cassie and she scored, it was very uplifting and carried over to the 2nd half.

  The 2nd half saw the teams play to a 0-0 tie, and gave the Lady Broncos some momentum heading into the 2nd half of league play.

  FHE is very skilled.  They controlled possession for much of the time.  The heart of the Lady Broncos came shining through as they kept working hard, and created some quality chances. 

  The team returns to play on Wednesday at Wyoming Park.  Kick-off is at 6:45 PM.

JV's - Played hard but was unable to slow down the talented FHE JV's resulting in the loss.  They return to action on Wednesday at Wyoming Park at 5:00 PM.

  The Lady Broncos welcomed Allendale for a rematch and won, but not without noticing the improvement by the Falcons. 

  Goals were scored by Melissa (2), and Kailey (2) for the 4-1 half-time lead.  Kailey, Cassie, and Elise had the assists. 

  Allendale scored first in the 2nd half to close the gap to 4-2, but the Lady Broncos responded with goals by Cassie and Julie to seal the victory.  Melanie and Melissa had the assists.

  The win was nice, and the teams effort was H & P (Thanks Coach Mindy)... but the best highlight of the game came with just under 6 minutes remaining when Sarah VK entered the game.  It's been a long battle for Sarah, and she's not fully recovered yet, but seeing her enter the field tonight was one of the best moments our program has ever experienced.  Well done, Sarah!

  The team travels to Forest Hills Eastern on Monday to continue league play.  Kick-off is set for 6:45 PM.

JV's - The JV's battled Ravenna, but suffered a 4-1 loss.  They travel to FHE on Monday for a 5 PM start.

  As their fundraiser this season, the Lady Bronco players and coach's performed community service on Saturday April 26 in the Coopersville area from 8 AM - 1 PM.

  Work was done at the school and in Downtown Coopersville.  Jobs included cleaning the stadium, weeding the mulch beds around the entrance to the high school. Work downtown included weeding the mulch beds and cleaning up trash, as well as raking out left over materials from the winter.     

   We have begun receiving both pledges and flat donations.  We sincerely appreciate the generous support we have been given.   To date we have received close to $2500 in donations.

  Donations have already begun to be put to use.  The Athletic Department purchased head protection for the Varsity this spring, and your donations have purchased the same head protection for the JV.  Every one of our players now has head protection which they wear during practice and games.  New practice balls, bags, and practice vests have also been purchased.  More items will be coming soon.

  Sincere thanks to all who are helping us achieve this endeavor!

  Thanks again for your incredible support!

    The Lady Broncos have earned All-State All-Academic recognition for the 5th straight year.  This award is given by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association to teams that have a cumulative GPA of 3.30, and their coach is a member of the Association. 

   This years team has a cumulative GPA of 3.55, and Coach Harig has been a member of the Association for 10 seasons.

   Twelve of our seventeen team members have a GPA of over 3.30.  This is a tremendous achievement!   

   Seniors who have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher earn Individual All-State All-Academic honors.  Seniors who receive the Individual All-State All-Academic award  are Nikita (3.60), Julie (4.0), and Sarah (4.0).

2008

All-State

All-Academic

2007, 2006, 2005, 2004

Five Consecutive Seasons!

Job Well Done Ladies!

  After a sluggish 1st half, the Lady Broncos played a much better 2nd half and scored 3 times on their way to a 4-1 road victory at Sparta.  The score was tied at 1-1 after a 1st half which saw the team dominate play and possession but not finish.  Anna scored the lone goal in the half with an assist from Cassie.

  The team took the half-time talk to heart, made the necessary adjustments, and created solid scoring opportunities and then finished them with goals.  Goals were registered by Marie, Cassie, and Melissa.  Assists were earned by Melissa, Marie, and Kailey.

  The defense did a great job of limiting Sparta's runs at the goal, holding them to 3 shots in the game.  Coopersville held a 26-3 shot advantage for the game.  The win evens the league record at 2-2 and improves the overall record to 6-5.

  Allendale comes to town on Friday, ending the teams 3 game road trip.  Kick-off is set for 6:45 in the Stadium.

 JV's - after a scoreless 1st half, Sparta scored once in the 2nd half and kept the JV's off the board for a 1-0 win.  The JV's record now stands at 6-4-1.

  The Lady Broncos ran into a skilled team from Cedar Springs and struggled to gain and maintain possession.  Passing was difficult, although they did string some nice runs together and create a few chances. 

  Cedar outshot the Lady Broncos 16-3, scoring twice in each half for their 4 goals.  Kailey scored the lone goal for the Lady Broncos after receiving an assist from Melanie.

  The Lady Broncos league record is now at 1-2, their overall record is at 5-5.

  Sparta is next on the schedule in another league match-up on Wednesday.  Both games are at Sparta with the JV's playing at 5 PM followed by the Varsity.

 JV - The JV's battled for 70 minutes, but neither team could score and the teams finished deadlocked at 0-0.

  The Lady Broncos recorded their 5th shutout of the season today by beating Rogers 5-0.  The team outshot Rogers 27-3, improving their overall record to 5-4.  They are 1-1 in the league.

  Play was often in the Rogers defensive side of the field as the team kept pressure on throughout the game.  Kailey scored 3 goals and Melissa had 2 as the team ran often past Rogers.  Anna recorded the lone assist on the day. 

  The defense and mids did a nice job in front of Tareyn, who earned the shutout in goal.  Everyone contributed in this effort, and it was nice to see the girls play their normal style of soccer again.

  The team travels to Cedar Springs on Monday for a league matchup.  Kick-off is scheduled for 6:46 PM. 

JV - The team improved their record to 6-3 with a 5-0 victory at Rogers.  This team is playing well, but faces a tough task at Cedar Springs on Monday.

  A very physical game turned on the Lady Broncos as they were beaten by Wyoming Park 3-0 and suffered a loss in their league opener.  Tareyn played well in goal but 3 missed marks resulted in the 3 goals.  The Lady Broncos had several nice attempts but were unable to get one in the net.

  It was a tough game, but the girls learned some valuable lessons... ones that will benefit them later this season.  They are eager to move on and continue building.  The Lady Broncos are now 4-4 on the season.

  The team will travel to Rogers on Wednesday and will try to even their league record.

JV - The JV's pounded Wyoming Park 4-1, and it wasn't even that close.  The girls dominated play and kept possession for the majority of the game.  The win moves them to 5-3 on the season.

  The Lady Broncos came out and controlled play from the start, creating 20 shots on the keeper from Lee.  Goals were scored by Kailey (2), Melissa, Marie, Kita, Cassie, Franzi, and Tareyn.  Assists were registered by Marie (2), Cassie, Kailey, and Melissa.

  Tareyn played the 1st half in goal, Kailey finished the remaining time in the net.  This is the teams 4th shutout in 7 games, and leads into the opening of league play on Monday against Wyoming Park.

  The Lady Broncos are at Home on Monday at 6:45 PM.

JV - The JV's played strong and scored 10 times vs. Lee for their 4th win of the season.

  After battling for 61 minutes, the Lady Broncos surrendered the first goal of the game on a breakaway that made its way past Kita.  Two penalty kicks in the 71st minute put West up 3-0 with just over 9 minutes remaining.

  The Lady Broncos scored twice in the next six minutes to bring the score to 3-2.  The team tried for the equalizer but West wouldn't allow that.  Kailey had the first goal that got things going.  Anna had the assist on a nice feed.  Kailey added her second goal on an assist from Cassie. 

  Impressive ending to a well played game.  Circumstances got a little weird at the end, but the girls never quit and fought their way back to have a chance at the end.  West is a solid team, and the girls can be proud of their effort; West was just a little better tonight.

  The Lady Broncos ran past Central, posting a 8-0 victory.  Fast breaks, break-aways, and follow-ups created most of the opportunities.  Hard work, determination, and well placed shots created the goals.

  Goals were scored by Anna, Marie, Kailey, Julie, Cassie (2), and Melissa (2).  Assists were earned by Melissa, Cassie, Kailey, and Marie broke the school record for assists in a game with 4 assists.

  In goal, Kita had 2 saves in the first half and Tareyn played the 9 minutes in the second half before the game was called after the 8th goal. 

  The team travels to West Catholic on Thursday for a rematch of the Invitational Championship game.  It shouldn't take much to get the girls fired up for this one.

  Great job to the entire team on taking care of business and getting it done.

JV - Coopersville scored six times to beat the Rams of GR Central, 6-0.  Nicole played for the first time as goal keeper and recorded her first shut out.  Due to great defensive pressure she only had to face 1 shot. 

  Contributing to the six goals was Emily with 3 goals (hat trick), Laura with 1, and scoring their first goals of the season were Aubreanne and Hannah. Assisting with the six goals was Grace with 2, Alicia and Meredith each had 1. 

  We now get ready to play a good West Catholic team on Thursday.

  The Varsity keeps steadily improving with each game.  The effort vs. Allendale was outstanding, and each team member can take pride in helping the team achieve its 2nd shut-out of the young season and best group effort yet.

  Tareyn had 2 saves in goal, and the defense did a great job of limiting any Allendale threats.  Allendale's best scoring chance came as time expired in the game, but strong pressure forced the shot to go high and wide.  Sarah, Julie, Shelby, Jessica, Molly, and Maya contributed on defense in keeping the ball away from the goal.

  The Lady Broncos outshot Allendale 22-2.  The mids did a great job of winning 50/50 balls and distributing them well to teammates who put themselves in position to score. 

  Goals were scored by Kailey (2) - the first a very nice header, Melissa (2), Anna, and Marie.  Assists were made by Melissa (3) - ties the school record for assists in a game.

  Great effort by everyone, keep up the hard work and intensity.

JV - beat Allendale by a score of 4-0 to even their record at 2-2.  Great job girls!

  It was a cold, but bright March Saturday for this years Invitational.  Teams played hard, and soccer was back after a long cold winter.

  Many thanks go out to the people who helped pull this years tournament off... It was a great success!

Varsity Tournament Results

Coopersville 1  Kenowa Hills 0  

West Catholic 4  Hamilton 0

Hamilton 3  Kenowa Hills 1

Varsity Championship

West Catholic 2  Coopersville 1

JV Tournament Results

  The Lady Broncos battled Spring Lake, but defensive breakdowns in various locations of the field gave way to the Lakers scoring 4 first half goals in the season opener for both teams.  The Lady Broncos scored their lone goal in the first half on a nice cross from the right corner by Kailey that was buried into the goal by Melissa.

  The teams played the second half to a 1-1 draw as the Lady Broncos picked up play on the defensive end, limiting the Lakers to four 2nd half shots.  Kailey and Melissa combined again for the Lady Broncos 2nd half goal on a cross and slam into the net.

  Not the result that the girls were looking for, but they battled hard and watching the game film will reveal areas for improvement.  There were also some bright spots that were evident during the game, and the girls will see those as well. 

  The team will be back in action on Saturday for the Invitational at 9:00 vs Kenowa Hills.

The information from past seasons has been moved to "History".  Click on the title on top of this page to review the past seasons news.

                                            School Records* 

             2008 season changes are in BOLD letters

Individual Records:

Goals (game): 5 Sarah Bigelow (2004), 4 Lexie Nykamp (2004)(2003), Sarah Bigelow (2004)(2003), Theresa Lothschutz (2004), Jessey Depender (2005), Lorie Bennink (2006), 3 Marie Maddix (1999), Laura Oxender (2000), Salena Sherman (2000), Sarah Bigelow (2004)(2002), Lexie Nykamp (2003), Theresa Lothschutz (2005)(2004), Lorie Bennink (2006) Mary Lothschutz (2007), Cassie Curtis (2007), Amanda VanderKlay (2007), Kailey Vlug (2008)

Goals (season): 26 Sarah Bigelow (2004), 20 Kailey Vlug (2008), 19 Lexie Nykamp (2003), 18 Melissa Hogan (2008), 17 Sarah Bigelow (2003), Theresa Lothschutz (2004), 16 Lexie Nykamp (2004), 15 Lexie Nykamp (2005), 13 Lorie Bennink (2006), 11 Marie Maddix (1999), Cassie Curtis (2007)

Goals (career): 56 Lexie Nykamp (2002-2005), 51 Sarah Bigelow (2002-2004), 32 Theresa Lothschutz (2002-2005) 23 Cassie Curtis (2006-2008), 20 Kailey Vlug (2008), 19 Marie Maddix (1999-2000), 18 Melissa Hogan (2008)

Assists (game): 4 Marie VanderJagt (2008), 3 Laura Oxender (1999), Lexie Nykamp (2003)(2004)(2005), Hannah Jonio (2004), Sarah Bigelow (2004), Theresa Lothschutz (2005), Katy Childers (2005), Mary Lothschutz (2006), Melissa Hogan (2008)

   
Assists (season): 18 Lexie Nykamp (2004), 15 Sarah Bigelow (2004), 13 Melissa Hogan (2008), 10 Lexie Nykamp (2003), 9 Marie VanderJagt (2008), 8 Kailey Vlug (2008), Marie Maddix (2000), Hannah Jonio (2004), Lexie Nykamp (2005) 

Assists (career): 39 Lexie Nykamp (2002-2005), 24 Sarah Bigelow (2002-2004), 22 Theresa Lothschutz (2002-2005), 15 Brynn Laug (1999-2002)

Keeper Records:

Wins (season): 15 (2004) 11 (2005) (2003)

Wins (consecutive): 6 (2003) 4 (2002) (2004) (2006)

Goals scored (game): 11 (2005) 10 (2003)

Goals scored (season): 75 (2004) 62 (2003), 60 (2008)

Goals allowed (season): 21 (2005) 26 (2006) 31 (2003)

Shut-outs of opposing teams (season): 9 (2005), 8 (2006), 7 (2008), 6 (2003)

Games getting shut-out by opposing teams (season): 2 (2008), 3 (2003, 2004)