Rockford High School girls soccer captured its first state championship in program history on June 12, 2026. The Rams defeated Troy 2-0 in the MHSAA Division 1 final at DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing.

The victory ended a season that saw Rockford go 22-2, according to the Detroit News. It was the program's first appearance in an MHSAA state final.

A Choice Between Sisterhood and Sisterhood

Sydney DeKuiper, a senior captain on the Rockford team, faced a personal conflict before the game. Her sister Sammie DeKuiper was getting married on the same day as the championship match. Sydney was scheduled to serve as maid of honor.

"Luckily my family is the best and they support me so much and we've always been a sports family," DeKuiper said. "It wasn't exactly a hard decision; it just hurt my heart."

Sydney chose to play. She assisted on the game-sealing goal with 2:07 remaining in the match.

"It's a true sisterhood, and I would die on this field for them if I could," DeKuiper said, according to Coltswire USA Today. "It's my last time on the field with them and so I left everything out on the field for them."

The Game That Decided the Title

The first half was scoreless. Troy created seven scoring chances compared to Rockford's two, according to Coltswire. The Colts relied heavily on junior Kaylee Worrell, who accounted for three of Troy's opportunities.

Rockford coach Stu Quackenbush said Troy's physical style caught his team off guard early.

"I think what happened was [Troy] played physical as well. They were a fantastic team just being strong on the ball, 50-50s. Then I think it knocked us back a little at first," Quackenbush said. "It was something that we haven't seen, a team take it to us like that in the first half in a while."

The seniors changed the tone at halftime. Rockford had 16 seniors on the roster. Troy had nine, according to the MHSAA.

"Our word this year is relentless. We're so proud of them. Troy was well coached and organized. They played a formation that we didn't see very much," Quackenbush said. "Troy won the first half and the girls were frustrated, but at halftime, the seniors stepped up. They said the right things."

Second Half Breakthrough

Isla Brown, a senior forward, scored the opening goal with 17:29 left in the game. Sawyer Lenon provided the centering pass, according to the MHSAA.

"This means so much to me. We've been working hard for the past four years to bring a state championship home," Brown said.

Rockford held the 1-0 lead until the final minutes. DeKuiper found junior Amelia Chapin with a pass over the top. Chapin finished to make it 2-0 with 2:07 remaining.

Quackenbush said DeKuiper ignored his instruction to run down the clock and instead made the smart play.

"I'm yelling for Sydney to take it in the corner in order to bleed more clock. [She] ignores me because she's intelligent and passes a brilliant ball over and finishes to get us that second goal, which was a buffer that we really needed," Quackenbush said.

Goalkeeper Stepped Up When It Mattered

Senior goalkeeper Kaia Slanger made several key saves to preserve the shutout. Quackenbush called it the best game of her career.

"(Slanger) played the best game of her life. It's a great time to choose to do that at the state championship. I couldn't be more proud of the kid. We had some question marks going into the year at goalkeeper," Quackenbush said. "(Slanger) is the player we needed today, and she was confident, she was brave, and the girls are so proud of her."

Slanger echoed the team's bond.

"It feels really awesome to win a state championship. This shows that all of our hard work led up to this, and we deserved it. I love every single one of those girls. We've been playing together for so long, and we are a family. It's gonna be hard to leave this," Slanger said.

What It Means for Rockford

Rockford Principal Ricky Clark connected the team's success to the community's identity. He noted that many players on the team grew up playing rec soccer together.

"[Troy] at any point, had us against the ropes and they could have delivered us a blow and the way [our girls] worked together in the same way they worked together in our halls and on the team all the way down from when they were playing rec soccer," Clark said.

Troy coach Tony Casali called it a heavyweight battle. It was his first year coaching at Troy. The Colts reached their first state final since 2013.

"Sometimes that's the cruel reality of the game. The ball doesn't always bounce your way. Rockford had a good game plan. They knew what they were getting themselves into," Casali said. "We knew what we were getting ourselves into, and we knew it was just going to be a heavyweight battle."

DeKuiper said the community carried her through the moment.

"All the fans are my supporters. I have the best community, and they have supported me so much," DeKuiper said.