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Posted on Thu, Jun 6, 2013 : 11 p.m.

Manchester soccer's magical season ends in regional final loss to Kalamazoo Christian

By MLive Media Group

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Kalamazoo Christian's Alyson Katje, left, collides with Manchester's Kate Dorman during their game in the MHSAA Regional Girls Soccer Tournament.

Erik Holladay | MLive Media Group

By Scott Decamp

KALAMAZOO, MI - Winning a regional championship is not foreign to the tradition-rich Kalamazoo Christian girls soccer program, but it's new to this group of Comets players.

Everything about the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Division 4 state tournament was new to Manchester. The Flying Dutch were only in their second year as a girls high school soccer program, and first season as an MHSAA-sanctioned squad.

Pedigree may or may not have mattered in Thursday's Division 4 regional championship match at Kalamazoo College's MacKenzie Field, but Kalamazoo Christian's Josie Nieboer sure did.

The junior forward notched her first hat trick of the season and added an assist to lead the third-ranked Comets to a 5-1 victory and the program's first regional title since 2008.

More coverage: Photo Gallery | Boxscore | Tournament

"It's the first regional (title for this group). We have made it to regionals every single year, freshman and sophomore year, and to finally win it is really nice," said Nieboer, whose teams the past two years lost in the regional finals - 7-2 to eventual state champion Grandville Calvin Christian in 2012, and 2-0 to eventual state runner-up Lansing Christian in 2011.

"This team is really well-connected. All the girls really like each other and I think that's really helped and all those girls are working hard right now."

Kalamazoo Christian (17-4-0) may get a rematch with Calvin Christian. The Comets advance to next Wednesday's 6 p.m. state semifinals at East Kentwood, where they'll face the winner of Friday's regional final between the second-ranked Squires and Muskegon Western Michigan Christian.

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Manchester's Taylor Manders kicks the ball away from a charging Kalamazoo Christian's Brooke Petro during their game in the MHSAA Regional Girls Soccer Tournament.

Erik Holladay | MLive Media Group

Manchester, whose roster features only one senior in Taylor Manders, closes the season with a 19-2-1 record.

Manders and her sophomore sister, Jessie, were both starters on the Dutch basketball team that captured the Class C state championship in March. Manchester's volleyball team this school year advanced to regionals as well, losing to eventual state champ Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central.

"Taylor's leadership, I don't think it's replaceable," Manchester soccer coach Mark Davis said. "If it's not for Taylor, they don't make it to regionals for volleyball. If not for her in basketball, they don't win a state title. Without her, we would not be where we are today. She's that kind of leader. It's not necessarily what she does during the game, it's the practices and things like that. She just really brings everybody together. She's a natural leader."

Manders assisted on Manchester's lone goal Thursday, a tally by sophomore Sydney Ahrens. The score came with only 10:30 remaining, however, and the Dutch trailing Kalamazoo Christian, 5-0.

The Comets took control of the match early. They first scored with 33:33 left in the opening half, courtesy of junior Abby Visser. Kalamazoo Christian made it 2-0 less than 5 minutes later when Nieboer netted the first of her three goals.

The Comets took the two-goal lead into halftime. They wasted even less time in the second half, tallying with 37:17 left on a goal by freshman Alyson Katje.

Like it did in the first half, Christian scored with 33:33 showing on the clock in the second frame as well, this time from Nieboer. She completed the hat trick with 19:31 left to give her team a 5-0 lead.

"They're a great team ... it's hard to stop them," Taylor Manders said about the Comets.

Visser and Katje each had one goal and one assist for the Comets, and sophomore Britney Laaksonen registered a pair of assists. Senior goalkeeper Allison Snowden made two saves for Christian, which outshot Manchester, 29-8, including 15-2 in shots on goal. Dutch junior keeper Kendra Beasley made 11 saves.

Familiarity and proximity could not have hurt Kalamazoo Christian. Thursday marked the fourth straight match in which the Comets have played at Kalamazoo College's sparkling new facility, which is practically across the street from their high school.

"It was nice being that close for the last four games and K-College is absolutely beautiful -- great of them to offer to us this beautiful facility. It'll get us ready for Wednesday. East Kentwood has turf also," said Kalamazoo Christian veteran coach Ron Smilanich, who guided the Comets to D-4 state titles in 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008.

When asked which opponent Kalamazoo Christian would prefer to see in the semifinals, both Smilanich and Nieboer said they've like another shot at Calvin Christian.

"I really want to play Calvin Christian knowing that they've lost nine seniors (from last year's state title team) and I think our girls have really worked hard," Nieboer said. "I think we can beat them in the end."

The head coaches for both Kalamazoo Christian and Manchester believe that the Dutch will be heard from again in the coming seasons.

"We do have the talent. We have 250 kids in the youth program in a city of 4,000," Davis said. "We're not drawing from Kalamazoo County. We're drawing from Farmville ... we're drawing from Podunk. But we have girls that don't quit. We have girls that are pretty good athletes. We'll be back. We will be back."

Said Taylor Manders: "Only losing me this year and being that we're in the regional finals and this is our first year in the tournament, (the returnees) have a bright future ahead of them. I can't wait to come watch them next year. I think with this year of experience under their belt, we'll be even better. In two years, I hope to see them in the state championship."

Email Scott DeCamp at sdecamp1@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ScottDeCamp.