EAST LANSING >> Film study pays off.

It helped Grand Rapids Catholic Central win its first state soccer championship Friday with a 2-0 victory against Regina in the Division 3 title game at the DeMartin Soccer Complex on the Michigan State campus.

Both Cougars goals came off restarts, something that hasn’t been typical of Catholic Central this season.

“No, it’s so random,” said coach Genevieve Sandner, who won her first state championship as a coach after winning three as a player for Bishop Foley. “We watched film and knew there were opportunities for corner kicks with them and we had to be hungry in the box.

“I’m proud the girls answered and responded the way they did. I’m glad they were hungry for the goal. You should never look back and say, ‘I wish I’d taken that shot.’ You gotta rip it. That first goal was banging off people’s shins.”

Sandner knows what she’s talking about. She scored the only goal in Bishop Foley’s 1-0 win against Richland Gull Lake in the 1994 Class B final.

“Had I not taken that shot — it deflected off a player,” Sandner said. “You never know what’s going to happen. You have to take those opportunities. You never know where it’s going to land.”

Regina had a six-game winning streak snapped, but the Saddleites were pleased with their effort.

“It was a great team. It was a great ride,” said senior Jenna Moeller, who has been one of Regina’s leading scorers down the stretch. “We never thought we’d make it here, so just the fact that we made it is something to be proud of. We didn’t win, but we tried so hard. That’s all we can ask for.”

Coach Stefano Moraccini Sr. was disappointed but pleased with the Saddleites’ first finals appearance.

“I told the girls I was proud of them,” he said. “Nobody had us here in the finals .The girls came in and battled. They played well. We conceded a goal off a corner kick and a play off a foul in the defensive third. And we didn’t quite finish in the offensive third.”

Moraccini had high praise for Moeller.

“Jenna left it all on the field,” he said. “She’s played hard for us all year. She’s scored a lot of goals. We moved her from the back line to the mid line. I feel bad for her because she’s a senior but she’ll do well at Siena Heights.”

Moeller and Lydia Gerdes are the only seniors that Regina will lose.

“It’s time for somebody else to step up,” Moraccini said. “We’re a very young team. Next year looks good. I told them to keep their heads up. It’s difficult to get to this game and you’re the first from our school to make it to the finals.

“I feel terrible for the girls. I feel terrible. But we made it here and let’s come back next year.”

Catholic Central’s first goal came in the 21st minute of the first half. Sophia Piccione took a corner kick. Maurine Schneider’s header was deflected by Regina goalkeeper Lily Hansen but Grace McKinney kicked in the loose ball.

Ten minutes into the second half, Piccione took a free kick from just outside the box. Once again, the ball was deflected by Hansen. This time it came to Schneider, who scored her team-leading 12th goal.

“I take a lot of our kicks. I guess I’ve gotten pretty good at them,” Piccione said with a smile.

Sandner said there’s a difference between reaching the finals as a player and as a coach.

“It’s bizarre,” she said. “I know the feeling of nerves when you step on the field as a player, how electric it is. On this side, I’ve got to be the one who keeps them calm.”

While she made it to the finals three of her four years as a player, it took Sandner 19 years and more than 200 wins to make it as a coach.

“It’s been a dream of mine for 19 years,” she said. “The journey has been incredible. This team knew what it wanted from the beginning of the season.”