MICHIGAN GIRLS SOCCER: Grand Rapids Catholic Central turning adversity into dreams realized with Final Four run
- Jonathan Turner
- Jun 9, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 11, 2025
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Sometimes plans are altered in life.
For several players that have suited up for the Grand Rapids Catholic Central girls soccer team in recent years, that has been the case.
Especially for Halina Polak. The current junior has suffered two knee injuries playing soccer since she entered high school. She had to sit out most of her freshman and sophomore years of high school soccer and good chunks of her club team seasons with the Midwest United.
“That was hard because I hurt my (left) knee my freshman year in club (soccer) and that was right before my freshman year of high school started,” recalled Kolak, a junior starting center back and part of the Cougars’ battle-tested and ever-improving back line. “Then I injured my right knee at the end of freshman year and it turned out I tore my right (ACL).”
Kolak went through many months of recovery and building up strength in both knees. Maybe she tried to come back too soon. She finally made it back near the end of her sophomore school year. And this year, she’s joined several of her friends on a nice journey into the final week of the season.
“It was really hard,” reminded Polak. “I’ve had two knee injuries. Even the coach’s daughter (sophomore midfielder Ella Sandner) had a knee injury and that just happened a couple of weeks ago.”
On Tuesday, Grand Rapids Catholic Central will play host to Allegan, honorable mention in the rankings but only about 30 miles southwest of GRCC’s campus. The seventh-ranked Cougars are making just their third-ever appearance in the Division 3 Final Four – although this is the first time any current players have advanced that far into the postseason.
“It’s been really exciting,” said Polak, a junior but one of several upperclassmen on a deep and talented roster that includes 10 seniors. “We have played so many close games this season and we’re finding ways to win.”
Senior Natalie Bleachler and senior Charlie Walker make up the two goalkeepers on the roster. Visser has been the starter and Walker has spent more time on the bench going through her own injury issues than actually playing sports. She’s made it back this season healthy and helps give the Cougars two capable goalkeepers.
“We’ve had some girls that have had injuries the past couple of years,” said coach Genevieve Sandner, who returned to the sidelines this season after a two-year hiatus. “I was part of the staff here for a long time and it seems like in the last few years we’ve had a lot of talented girls that have fought through injuries.
“I try not to get choked up but my daughter is one of those girls that went down with a knee injury this season and she was playing very well,” added Coach Sandner. “Helena has had two knee injuries, we’ve had Charlie Walker whose had injuries and a few other girls that have fought through ankle, knee injuries or other (nagging injuries).”
Now only the aforementioned Ella Sandner, who was All-Conference and All-District last season, is out while the rest of the roster is healthy and GRCC is playing some great soccer down the stretch.
“We’ve had a lot of girls that have really stepped up,” said the coach. “Whenever we’re missing someone, we’re able to slide someone over into their place and they have done a great job.”
The last two years, the Cougars’ run ended in the regional semifinals by either 2023 and 2024 D-3 state champion Hudsonville Unity Christian or by Grand Rapids South Christian. Both of those schools are up in Division 2 this season enrollment-wise with Unity Christian making another run to the Final Four this season as well. Both of those perennial powers have often been a roadblock to GRCC and a bevy of other quality programs on the state’s west side.
“We have a really good team. We’ve had a lot of really close games,” admitted Polak. “We have some great chemistry on this team.”
Entering the state semifinals, Grand Rapids Catholic Central is a deceiving 11-8-2 overall. The team only finished 4-8-0 in a loaded Ottawa Kent Conference-White Division, one of the top leagues in the state this season overall. The seven-school league featured five teams that were ranked most or all of the season in Division 2 or Division 3, and also features two teams playing in the Final Four this week.
Grand Rapids Christian made the unexpected run in Division 2 and Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Division 3 has made a run and turned some ups-and-downs of the regular season into a Final Four, battle-tested squad.
The Cougars were 7-8-2 in the regular season but were ranked in the top seven all season in the MIHSSCA Top 15 Division 3 rankings. GRCC spent the first month ranked No. 1 in D-3 before a brutally-tough schedule took over – a schedule that featured mostly Division 2 schools and even some Division 1 schools.
With 566 students in grades 9-12 this year, many of the Cougars’ opponents were double or triple the size of the school. The strength of schedule more than paid off with the run to the Final Four and potentially to Friday’s Division 3 state finals at Michigan State University.
If the Cougars can win Tuesday and advance, they will play the winner of 12th-ranked Warren Regina and honorable mention and first-time semifinalist Almont, which also play Tuesday night at Romeo High School in the other D-3 state semifinal.
So far in the tournament, GRCC has gone 4-0 with a 13-2 scoring edge and two shutouts – both coming in regionals wins over 2021 state runner-up Boyne City (4-0) and 10th-ranked Traverse City St. Francis Liberty Unified (3-0). The Cougars also defeated two respectable programs during district play with wins over Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian (4-1) and Grand Rapids West Catholic (2-1), two unranked sides but programs that were ranked as recent as last season.
Overall this season, the Cougars own a 53-25 scoring edge with nine shutouts, have been blanked five times – all by larger schools – are on a five-game win streak and have won six of seven. GRCC even owns a late regular-season win over Division 2 No. 6-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (11-5-4), a team they beat 1-0 and finished second to Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern in the OKC-White.
The Cougars have averaged 2.53 goals-per-game and posted a respectable 1.20 goals-against-average despite the challenging schedule – a schedule that has helped prepare the Cougars for the deep tournament run this year.
In terms of quality players, Grand Rapids Catholic Central has plenty of them and they will be difficult to beat down the stretch.
Polak, sophomore Alyssa Yost (CB), junior outside backs Riane Andrzerewski, Georgie Brown, who also plays forward, junior Allison Malinowski sophomore Taylor Killebrew (marking back or holding midfielder), are all part of a deep rotation of defenders along the back line.
Junior midfielder/forward Maris Klein (M/F) has 11 goals and is one of the more productive players in the attack. Senior midfielder Emma Mead (10 goals), who plays mainly on the outside and was All-State last season, senior Grace McKinney (F/M), senior Alex Soltysiak (F), senior Maurine Schneider (M, 11 goals) and junior Sophia Piccione (M/F) have all been keys to the car’s offensive engine.
“We have a lot of talented girls on this team and girls that understand their roles,” noted Sandner. “It has been a fun ride (in the tournament) even though we’ve had a lot of very close games.”
As for Polak, she’s glad to be back on the pitch – healthy – and contributing to the ride.
“I am glad to be back and hopefully we can find a way to (get to the finals),” she said. “We have a chance to get there and we’ve never been (to the state finale) before. None of us have ever been to the (state semifinals) before.”
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