By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Risers had just about everything you want in a season finale.
They had 10 different players find the back of the net, held their opponent scoreless and they even had a goalie score a goal from the other side of the field.
Yes, they had a shutout win and a goalie score a goal.
The Risers closed out the 2024-25 season in fashion with a dominating 18-0 win over the Wisconsin Conquerors on Friday night at Trinity Health Arena.
“Our biggest goal today was to prove that we could defend the whole way,” said Risers’ coach Michael Boogaart. “I knew we were able to score, but defending was the big key. We will be looking to get even more players with talent who want to move up and we will be looking to work with the Milwaukee Wave and continue to develop our players.”
Muskegon finished its season with a 6-6 record, which is a three-game improvement from last season.
The only disappointment was that the Risers fell short of making the playoffs in Major Arena Soccer League 2 as Muskegon finished in third place in the Northern Division.
The Risers had 10 different players find the shat sheet, led by Taylor Pill with four goals, while Elmedin Jukic added three. Aldony Mendez, Miguel Flores, and Damir Sabanoic each chipped in with two goals.
The most exciting moment was during the final remaining seconds of the third quarter, when backup goalkeeper Aidan Hanchett found the back of the net from the top of his goal box.
“It felt amazing, and it was a fun game to be a part of,” Hanchett said. “I scored last year, but it was my first time as a keeper.”
The Risers jumped out to 2-0 lead with a goal from Sabonoic and Mendez at the 2:06 and 6:19 marks of the opening quarter. Muskegon continued to pour it on with a goal from Jukic (11:46), Mendez (12:21) and Pill (14:38) to give the Risers a 5-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Risers added a pair of goals two minutes apart from Cam Will while on the power play at the 9:55 mark of the second quarter and Jai Tahlan at 11:55.
Muskegon closed out the first-half scoring with a goal from Flores at the 13:34 mark. The Risers held a commanding 8-0 lead at halftime.
Muskegon increased its advantage to 9-0 midway through the third quarter with a goal from Pill at 7:30. Pill added another goal 30 seconds later to give the Risers a 10-0 lead.
The Risers closed out the third-quarter scoring with an unbelievable goal from goalkeeper Hanchett, who scored from the opposite end of the field. Hanchett just beat the buzzer by a single second, giving Muskegon the 11-0 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Muskegon didn’t let up once the fourth quarter began. The Risers added four goals to take a 15-0 lead midway through the final frame of the game. Pill scored his fourth of the night at the 1:54 mark, Jukic scored his second of the game at 2:57, and Sabanoic added his second of the contest at 6:47.
Vincenzo Padilla added his name to the score sheet with a goal at the 7:50 mark. Jukic became the second Risers player of the night to record a three-goal hat trick with a goal at 8:06 to give Muskegon a 16-0 lead.
Flores added his second of the game at the 10:36 mark of the fourth quarter, then Fikret Hosovic joined the fun with a goal at 11:16.
Muskegon managed to keep the Conquerors off the scoreboard, earning the shutout victory to close out the season.
“It was crazy, and it was a fun night at the end of the day,” said Pill. “We put in a lot of work this season and it was fun stuff to have a result like this, and to put on a show. This shows the quality we have in Muskegon and the sky’s the limit moving forward.”
