GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids F.C. men's soccer team missed out on the playoffs in 2017 and said they were a little jealous of the women's team winning a national championship.
This week, both teams are in the playoffs and said they are grateful to be a part of such an amazing club.
"Obviously there's talk of them trying to get a stadium and they've added to that game day experience on the men's side, but attendance on the women's side is gradually building as well which is great," said the women's head coach James Gilpin. "So I think it's the culture of the men's and women's side playing off of each other."
The players on both teams are all friends and try to support each other at each game.
"We go to watch their games and they come to urs whenever possible so it would be good for GRFC in general if the girls and the boys can get up [in the playoffs]," first year player Cindy Lay added.
And with a number of close games to win the regular season, the men's team feels confident in their abilities to make a run in the postseason.
"We proved to ourselves that when we are on we can play and beat anybody. And we learned when we are off even for a second we can be punished for it and that's the great thing about that league," 2017 GRFC Defender of the Year Caleb Postlewait said. "Every team is quality and every team comes in ready to play and well prepared."
