GAYLORD ― Before Gaylord soccer’s matchup with Peotskey on Thursday, May 21, senior captain Emma Horsell-Sehl shared a quote with her teammates. It was just something she found on Pinterest, but it was uniquely fitting for the Blue Devils in that moment.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Horsell-Sehl read to her teammates, and it’s something they’ve embraced since that moment.
Gaylord (15-2-1, 10-1 Big North) left Click Rd. in Petoskey that day with a 4-0 win over the Northmen, clinching a share of the program’s first Big North Conference title since 2002. Now, following Wednesday’s 8-0 victory over Alpena, they face yet another pressure situation this weekend, hoping to become the first team in GHS history to secure both a league and district title in the same season.
To get there? It’ll take a third win over their rivals from Petoskey. Another pressure situation, another privilege for Gaylord to be in it.
“Our next game is such a privilege, and it’s honestly a gift that we are able to play it,” said Horsell-Sehl.
Alepna (2-16-3, 1-10 BNC) held its own through the first 20 minutes, making Gaylord work hard to get opportunities at the net and clouding up the lanes to the goal. Once the Blue Devils broke through, however, it felt like a seal had been broken, and the goals started coming quickly.
Sophomore Josie Bensinger scored the Blue Devils first goal, quickly followed by another goal from fellow sophomore Khloe VanOosten and a third from junior Ella Cherwinski before the half. Alfter halftime, Gaylord stayed aggresive ― sophomore Raygen Drzewiecki, two goals from senior Callie English and back-to-back goals from VanOosten and Cherwinski.
“Alpena came here with a great game plan to hold as deep as they can and hold on, and for 20 to 30 minutes there, it really did work what they were doing,” said coach Chris Adams. “But the girls were patient, we had high quality and as soon as we got a couple of goals, we continued to push hard to get more.”
The win was Gaylord’s fifth 8-0 victory of the season and third win over Alpena, now sporting an 83-14 goal differential in their 18 matches this season. It was also the ninth home victory, now 9-0-1 in matches at Gaylord Community Field. Come Saturday, they’ll have a chance to finish the year with an undefeated home record and add some more hardware to their trophy case.
However, it’ll take a third win over Petoskey to do so, a team they’ve had plenty of history with in this round.
Gaylord won its first district in 18 years by defeating Petoskey in penalty kicks in 2024, while the Northmen got revenge with a 1-0 victory in last season’s district title game.
This year, Gaylord is embracing every part of that pressure matchup.
“We know Petoskey is a strong team. However, we are also a strong team. We’ve gotten this far, and we want to continue even further,” said Horsell-Sehl.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord girls soccer beats Alpena, faces rematch with Petoskey
