HUDSONVILLE, MI – With a 3-0 win over Grosse Ile in last year’s Division 3 girls soccer state finals, Unity Christian celebrated a 12th championship, and if the Crusaders can extend their title streak to three later this spring, it will carry some historical significance. Unity Christian and Madison Heights Bishop Foley are tied for the Michigan High School Athletic Association record with a dozen championships, so another crown would set the Crusaders apart on a statewide stage. RELATED: Unity Christian blanks Grosse Ile, ties state record with 12th girls soccer championship It would also come with some significance inside the program, as the perennial Division 3 power is embarking on its first season in Division 2 due to a growing enrollment. The move to a larger division makes Unity Christian the 13th-smallest school in Division 2 girls soccer, and it will result in a new set of playoff opponents, including potential matchups with state powers Richland Gull Lake and Bloomfield Hills Marian, but head coach Randy Heethuis can’t help but notice some familiar faces in the district draw. Unity Christian’s OK Black foes Holland, Holland Christian, Hamilton, Zeeland East and Zeeland West will all be competing in the district tournament at Holland High School this spring, as will longtime playoff rival South Christian, which is also moving up to Division 2 this year. “The district we’re in is pretty much our conference all over again, along with South Christian, who is in D2 this year, and we’ve seen them several times over the years,” Heethuis said. “So, in that respect, as far as the district is concerned, there aren’t really any new teams for us.” Beyond districts, Unity Christian will compete in a Battle Creek Harper Creek regional that could include multiple ranked teams, such as No. 3 Gull Lake, No. 6 Stevensville Lakeshore and No. 12 Otsego. RELATED: New top team in Division 4 headlines Michigan’s Week 2 girls prep soccer rankings Though the Crusaders are the Division 2 newcomer, they opened the season ranked No. 1 in the coaches’ poll, and after outscoring their first seven opponents 36-1, including a 1-0 win over defending Division 2 state champ Spring Lake, there’s no reason to think they can’t make another deep run against bigger schools. Unity Christian’s biggest game thus far takes place Friday, when the Crusaders travel to Forest Hills Central for a nonconference showdown with the state’s No. 2 team in Division 2. “These next two weeks are going to show a lot,” Heethuis said. “…We’ve got Forest Hills Central, who’s really good, on Friday, so that’s a big week. Then next week, we have both Zeelands and Holland Christian, all in conference, so we’ll know a lot more about our team two weeks from now, and you just never know exactly how things will go when you return from spring break, so it’ll be interesting.” The Crusaders looked crisp coming off vacation, scoring a 4-0 win over Division 4 No. 9 Kalamazoo Christian on Monday and a 10-0 victory over Holland on Wednesday. With 12 titles and 16 finals appearances in the last 23 years, Unity Christian has fielded some outstanding teams in Heethuis’ 36 seasons at the helm, and he called the 2025 squad “one of the deepest teams we’ve had in some time.” “We can rotate a lot of players, and there’s not a drop off there in quality or talent,” he said. “If our team can continue to buy into the fact that every player matters, and if they can understand their role and play it to the best of their ability and are willing to put the team first, I think we can have a very, very strong season.” RELATED: 30 Grand Rapids-area girls high school soccer players to watch in 2025 Headlining the group is senior forward Ava Lutke, a Michigan State signee that has led the Crusaders to three state championship games. A three-time all-stater and 2025 Miss Soccer favorite, Lutke tallied 76 goals and 52 assists during her first three seasons and might have even more opportunities this year following the graduation of last season’s top scorer and current Calvin University student-athlete Vivian Nagelkirk. “One of the really nice things about Ava is her ability to play different positions,” Heethuis said. “We played her at striker last year, and she played some more in the midfield. This year, it’s kind of been more back to striker, but we’ll see. “…Looking at her from a college standpoint, I think they’re kind of looking at her as either an outside midfielder or potentially even an outside back. She has that versatility, and she brings a very high competitive spirit to the team.” Sophomore forward Kyla Kobrzycki is another key returner coming off a 14-goal, nine-assists freshman campaign that included third team all-state honors. Defensively, Ava Steen returns to bolster a back line that held last year’s playoff opponents scoreless in six tournament games. The junior center back also contributed three goals and seven assists and was the only sophomore on the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association’s Dream Team, which recognizes the state’s top players across all four divisions. Also back in the starting lineup are junior midfielder Tessa Ponstein (9 goals, 7 assists in 2024), senior midfielder Ella Sage and junior defender Avery Dekker, while junior midfielders Addi Pell (6 goals, 5 assists), Kierstin Witte (4 goals, 4 assists) and Emma Vruggink (9 goals, 7 assists) will take on bigger roles after coming off the bench last season. At goalkeeper, senior and Spring Arbor commit Kennidee Crump, who logged four shutouts last season, will split time with junior Payton Barendsen. Add it all up, and the Crusaders appear to be well-position to make a run at a 13th state title, but Heethuis said that record-setting trophy isn’t on his team’s radar yet. “I guess I really haven’t given that any thought,” he said. “Our approach has been to try to put the best team together that we can and try to play excellent soccer and pursue excellence in everything we do and just kind of let the chips fall where they may, so to speak.”