BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — The Tri County Area High School girls varsity soccer team faced off against Big Rapids in the CSAA tournament title game, but for one senior, the match carried even more significance.
Savanah Thompson recently broke the Michigan High School Athletic Association record for most career goals scored, surpassing the previous mark of 228. The center midfielder achieved the milestone Monday.
“[I was] at 231 the night that I broke it. I'm not sure what it is at now, but the state record before was 228,” Thompson said.
With 14 years of playing experience, Thompson’s passion for the sport has been lifelong.
“I've been playing it my whole life,” she said. “I kind of fell in love with it, to be honest. I love the competitiveness of it. I love the ability to score, yeah, everything.”
Thompson credits her success to the people around her.
“I'm thankful to have a team that supports me the other way to do, and my community as well. Definitely wouldn't have been able to accomplish this without them,” she said. "You can't score without assists, so I'm just very thankful that my team is able to give me the ball like they do."
Tri County girls varsity soccer coach Macey Matulis praised Thompson’s adaptability and dedication.
“I'm just super happy to be a part of it. I'm super proud of her, and how much dedication and work she puts into it. She's really taken the time to adapt to us as a new coaching staff,” Matulis said. “I think that's hard when you are trying to break records to have three new people walk in and change your entire soccer career.”
Matulis also described Thompson as a strong leader.
“She also is a confident leader, where she will even, when the girls are having a bad day, help them just be more confident and ready to play,” Matulis said.
Breaking records is nothing new for Thompson. As a junior, she set her school’s single-season record with 67 goals, following a 65-goal sophomore year. This season, she has already scored 62.
Once, she netted seven goals in a single game.
Thompson’s talents have earned her both athletic and academic scholarships to play at the collegiate level.
“I'm going to Saginaw Valley State University, where I'm gonna play soccer there, and then kind of pursue nursing. I want to be a nurse practitioner,” she said. "I just have been hearing really good things about Saginaw Valley. I love the coaching staff, I love the girls that I'll be rooming with and playing with. So, yeah, I'm really excited."
Now, with graduation approaching, Thompson reflected on her final days as a Tri County student.
“Definitely sad, it was my last day of school yesterday. I loved every minute of it. Loved playing soccer. I played basketball this year also, which is really fun. So, yeah, it was great senior year,” she said.
Following Friday night’s game, Tri County sits at 13-5-2 on the season.
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