Mason Reuther tosses a gem in opener Photos by Cassie Rickert The Indians took on the Ravenna Bulldogs in game #1 of the Wooden Bat Tournament on Saturday. In the 3rd inning, KJ Strait led off the inning with a walk, followed by singles by Alex Cruzan and Mason Cruzan and an RBI walk by Christian Ringler to score the first run of the game. With bases still loaded, Reece Hewitt hit a line shot back to the pitcher who threw to 3rd base for the double play to end the threat. In the 5th inning, Ringler led the inning off with a walk, stole 2nd base, advanced to 3rd base on a ground out, and scored on an RBI groundout by Landyn McGowen, for a White Cloud 2-0 lead. Mason Ruether was on the mound for the Indians, as he limited the Bulldogs to only 2 infield hits, while striking out 9, and walking 0, to hold Ravenna off the scoreboard to secure the 2-0 win. Leading the offense for the Indians was Alex Cruzan with 2 singles, and Strait and Ringler each with 2 walks. In the Championship Game, the Indians took on the Shelby Tigers, and came out with a 17-3 win.
Christian Ringler led the team with 3 hits, 5 RBI's, and 2 runs scored, Alex Cruzan collected 2 hits, one a double, with 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI's, KJ Strait had 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs scored, Mason Ruether had a double, 2 walks, a hit by pitch and 3 runs scored. Jayson Ruether started on the hill, going 2 2/3 innings, striking out 2, walking 5 and allowing 3 runs for the win. KJ Strait came on in relief for the final 3 1/3 innings, striking out 4, walking 0, allowing 1 hit and no runs. The Indians record is now 16-8-1, and they will be back in action on Tuesday at home against Morley Stanwood.
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Title on the line Friday when TC comes to town Story and Photos by Tara Hefferan Scoring came early and often as Newaygo Lions Soccer won 10-0 against the Kent City Eagles at home on Wednesday, May 10. The game saw several Lions score their first career goals, with the full roster earning quality minutes on the pitch. The opening goal came less than 2 minutes after the whistle, when Lynnea Briones sent a ball forward to Connelly Hefferan Nordlund. Hefferan Nordlund passed the ball on the ground to Grace Painter, who faced the Kent City keeper in a one v. one. Painter beat the keeper with an easy pass into the lower left corner. The Lions were ahead 1-0. Less than a minute later, Maddie Couch sent a ball to Hefferan Nordlund, who put it through for McCaiden Rienstra. Sprinting toward goal, Rienstra took the shot from the center of the box. While the keeper was able to get a touch on it, the ball rolled over her hand and into the back of the net. The Lions were leading 2-0. The Lions found their third goal 4 minutes later, when Hefferan Nordlund sent the ball to Briones, who put the ball through for Painter. Painter beat the back line, slotting the ball to the right of the keeper. This brought the Lions to 3-0. In the 9th minute, Hefferan Nordlund passed the ball to Painter, who brought it up the right side of the field. Rienstra was positioned at the back post, anticipating the cross into the box. Receiving the ball, Rienstra made an easy pass into the lower left corner. The Lions were ahead 4-0. The Lions continued to make shots on goal. As the Eagles tried to transition to attack, Rachel Larsen made the steal, pushing the ball back up field. When the ball rebounded seconds later, Larsen pounced, burying the ball in the back of the net, for the first goal of her high school career. Reflecting on the milestone, Larsen said it was “really exciting!” As a freshman, she hopes that there will be many more goals to come. Larsen’s goal put the Lions ahead 5-0. With 27 minutes remaining in the half, the Eagles again tried to transition to the attack. However, they were stopped by Briones, who caught a deflected pass and dribbled it back toward goal. Briones fired a shot in from the left side of the 18-yard line, securing the Lions 6th goal. Two minutes later, Hefferan Nordlund intercepted the ball, sending it up to Painter. Painter laid it off to a surging Luella Hilden. From the center of the box, freshmen Hilden roofed the ball, earning her first career goal. Hilden said that scoring this momentous goal “was soooo satisfying. It was a good feeling. Refreshing even.” Hilden’s goal brought the Lions tally to 7. Seconds after celebrating Hilden’s success, the Lions found their 8th goal. Painter sent a ball to Hefferan Nordlund, who from the 18-yard line powered it into the back of the net. The Lions made several line-up changes following the 8th goal, including putting Hefferan Nordlund in goal for Lion keeper Barbara Toth. Moving into a striker role, Toth made several strong attacks on the Eagles goal. Defenders Sofia Briggs and Natalie Richardson also made deep runs to set up plays in front of the Eagles net, and Couch moved from the defense into the midfield. With twelve minutes left in the half, Painter sent in a curling ball from the right side of the field. It went into the corner, well outside the keeper’s reach, bringing the Lions to 9 goals. Ten minutes later, as the first half was nearing a close, the Lions were awarded a corner kick. Taking the kick, Painter dropped the ball into the middle of the box. Couch was ready to spring, leaping into the air in front of the defense, and using her body to steer the ball into the left side of the net. This was Couch’s first goal, as well. She said, “Scoring a goal tonight was just such a fun opportunity. It really just made the game even more enjoyable, especially since in my regular position I don’t often have that chance.” Couch scored the 10th and final goal of the match. The match ended after the first half, due to the mercy rule. The Lions sent in 23 total shots, with 6 on goal and 10 in goal. The Eagles had 2 shots, with 1 save awarded to Toth and 1 to Hefferan Nordlund. Commenting on the game, Coach Matt Painter said, “One of the things I love about this team is how they embrace our value of ‘the team comes first…’ They are willing to play new positions, they cheer each other on, they do what is best for their teammates before doing things for themselves. Tonight, we had seniors assisting freshman to get their first high school goal, and we had starters cheering on those who typically cheer on the starters. We now need to turn our focus to the Tri County game, which will potentially decide at least a share of the conference title!” The Lions will take on the Tri County Vikings at home on Friday, May 12 at 5:30 PM, in what might be considered their most significant game of the season so far. Currently, the Lions and Vikings are tied for first place in the CSAA conference. The Lions record stands at 6-0-0 in conference play and 12-0-1 overall. The Vikings are also at 6-0-0 in conference play and 9-0-1 overall.
Undefeated season continues, shutout streak ends at 6 Story and photos by Tara Hefferan As neighbors, Newaygo and Grant have a long-standing rivalry. That competitiveness spilled onto the soccer pitch Monday night, when the Lions traveled to Tigers territory, hunting for their next win. While the Lions did emerge victorious, securing a 7-1 win, the game did not unfold entirely as expected. Rather than rounding out the mercy win in the first half, as the 7-0 lead suggested they would, the Lions found themselves engaged for the full 80 minutes and held scoreless in the second half. The Lions first three goals came in rapid succession, shortly after the opening whistle. Less than a minute into the match, Connelly Hefferan Nordlund found McCaiden Rienstra breaking toward goal. Rienstra brought the ball up field, and when mayhem ensued in front of the net, she slipped the pass to Grace Painter to put away. Two minutes later, Lynnea Briones sent the ball to Hefferan Nordlund, who played a through ball to Painter, who slammed it into the back of the net. The next goal came eight minutes in, after Hefferan Nordlund sent a through ball to Rienstra to slot away. The Lions were in the lead 3-0, less than 10 minutes into the match. While Newaygo continued to dominate possession, using their precision passing to control the pace of the game, their next goal did not come until almost the 20th minute. Hefferan Nordlund sent a ball through to Rienstra, who fired off a shot. The Grant keeper got a hand on it, but the ball spun back into play. Painter was where she needed to be, immediately pouncing to put it into the back of the net. With 15 minutes left in the first half, Painter took the corner kick from the right side of the field. Painter curled the ball toward goal. The Grant keeper again was able to get her hand on it, but the ball found its way past her and into the left corner. Two minutes later, Briones sent a ball to Hefferan Nordlund, who fired it in from the 18-yard line for a goal. Then, just three minutes later, Painter sent a pass to Luella Hilden, who slipped it to Briones to put away. This was Hilden’s first career assist. At the half, Newaygo was ahead 7-0. The first half saw Newaygo dominate, as the Lions took 21 shots total, with 13 on goal. While the Lions defense of Sofia Briggs, Natalie Richardson, Maddie Couch, and Rachel Larsen faced some pressure, they effectively contained the Tigers attack. The Tigers had just 2 shots total, and only 1 on goal. Returning from halftime, the Lions struggled with both line-up changes and a reenergized Tigers attack. While the Tigers had just 4 shots total, compared to the Lions 11 shots, they secured an important goal with just five minutes of play remaining. With a flurry of activity in the left corner of the field, Grant’s Lola Cronk sent in a high-flying curling ball that sailed over Lions Keeper Barbara Toth into the upper right corner of the net. The Tigers scored against the Lions, the first time that has happened since April 21. In the second half, the Lions sent in 11 shots, 3 of which were on goal. The Tigers fired in 4 shots, 1 of which found its way into the back of the net. Coach Matt Painter said, ““The Grant game is always a bit of a rivalry, so we knew we needed come out sharp and ready to play. Our girls did just that in the first half. Our passing was accurate, and our shots found their mark. In the second half it seemed that we lost some focus. We continued to put several shots on goal, but our accuracy was off, and we struggled to string together passes. I certainly credit Grant’s 2nd half energy for some of our struggles! On the positive side for us, our entire roster was able to see good minutes on the field tonight, and we did enough to get the win. We will get some of the girls healed and healthy over the next couple days, so we are ready for Kent City!”
On Wednesday, May 10 the Lions hit the road to face Kent City. The Lions stand at 11-0-1 overall, and 5-0-0 in conference play. They are currently tied for first place in the CSAA conference. White Cloud Track Hauls in the Hardware At Saber Invite
Story and photos by Joan Ludtke White Cloud’s varsity track teams competed in the Saber Flash Invitational in Manistee on Saturday with both teams finishing in first place ahead of 10 opponents. The girls totaled 154 points ahead of second place Mason County Eastern with 104, and boys had 175.5 points with Pentawater second with 103. White Cloud’s teams were led by their outstanding throwers who placed first in each of their events. Gaby Reeve won both the shot put, 33’1” and the discus, 113’6”. On the boys side, Jace Silverthon placed first in the shot put, 49’12.75” and second in the discus, 132’5” and also won the 200 meters, 23.96, while his teammate, Lloyd Seabright-Johnson won the discus, 133’0”, finished second in the shot put, 48’1”, and Carl Brown threw 39’4.5” for third. The girls also had outstanding performances in the 100 meters with Mariah Edwards placing first, 13.94 and Caedance Traynor 2nd, 14.46 and in the long jump with 1st place Mariah Edwards, 14’6”, 3rd Annie Feldpausch 13’10.75”, and 4th Gabriella Dakin 13’3.5”. The 4X100 relay team of Caedance Traynor, Aniyah Williams, Gabriella Dakin, and Payten Bird was first with a time of 58.54. Other first place finishers for the boys were Vinny Ockert in the 100 meter, 11.65, Bryce Higman in the 110 hurdles, 18.53, and the 4X100 relay (46.42), 4X200 relay (1:27.12) and the 4x800 relay (9:18.83). The top highlight of the day was Junior Noah Robinson tying the school record with a leap of 6’5”. Story and photos by Tara Hefferan Newaygo Lions soccer traveled to Hart on Friday, May 5 to take on the Pirates. The Lions emerged victorious, with a 4-0 win. This marked the Lions 9th shut out of the season, bringing their overall record to 10-0-1. Today was a special day at Newaygo High School, because students volunteered in the community as part of “Lions United” day. The Lions painted fences and fire hydrants, cleaned up the cemetery, and participated in other community engagement activities for the first part of the day, while the second half was spent playing games on the football field. For the soccer team, this meant the school day was spent outdoors, engaged in physical activity, before game time. So, many of the players arrived on the pitch marked by sunburn and fatigue. As Barbara Toth described it, the Lions arrived in Hart already “exhausted,” and Belen Torres said “playing after being outside all day” was a challenge. Agreeing, Josie Hilden said, “Lions United had us pretty tired.” Today’s game was unusual, too, because Newaygo had scrimmaged Hart earlier in the season. Due to a scheduling error, the Lions had made the trek to Hart in April, only to find the Pirates were not expecting them, meaning no referees were present. So, the teams decided then to scrimmage instead, giving them a chance to size up one another before officially meeting today in regulation play. As Grace Painter said, “A game is very different from a scrimmage. Today, it was a lot more competitive. We had to come out and match that energy.” Sofia Briggs said, “we knew they were going to be more prepared. So, we had to step it up.” Of note too was the weather. After this past week’s games under frigid temperatures and gale force winds, tonight’s weather was a relief. As Natalie Richardson said, “It was nice to get some sunshine, and it was easier to pass the ball around the field, because it wasn’t as windy.” Under blue skies and moderate temperatures, the Lions opened scoring 9 minutes into the match when Belen Torres won the ball and passed it to Connelly Hefferan Nordlund. Hefferan Nordlund sent a long ball to Grace Painter, who sped up the right side of the field to beat the lone defender patrolling the right post. As the keeper moved to block the shot, Painter slotted it past her into the left corner. The Lions were up 1-0. The next goal came five minutes later. Aby Lauryssens made a crisp short pass to Hefferan Nordlund, who sent the ball forward to McCaiden Rienstra. Rienstra approached goal head on, powering the ball into the middle of the net, over the keeper’s head. Thirteen minutes into the match, the Lions were ahead 2-0. As the final minutes of the half dwindled down, Hart’s players made a few incursions into Lion territory, energizing the Pirate’s fans. Despite putting on a bit of pressure, however, the Pirates were unable to crack the robust defensive line of Sofia Briggs, Maddie Couch, Natalie Richardson, and Rachel Larsen. As the halftime whistle blew, the Pirates had been allowed no shots, while Lions had fired in six. The second half opened with the Lions continuing to control the game’s pace. The Lions scored just four minutes after returning to the field. Hefferan Nordlund found Painter in the center of the field. Painter drove toward goal, and while swarmed by defenders, created enough space to get a shot off into the lower left corner of the net. The Lions were up 3-0. Despite being down three goals, Hart continued to pressure the ball. As Kallyn Moore noted, “they were really aggressive.” The Pirates played hard and due to fouls, gave up several free kicks to Newaygo. The Pirate’s fans expressed displeasure with the referees’ calls, as did Hart coach Joe Gilbert. Charged with too much dissenting, Gilbert was issued a yellow card infraction with 9 minutes remaining. The final goal of the match came with just 7 minutes of play left. As the Lions transitioned to an offensive posture, Painter sent a through ball to Hefferan Nordlund, who found herself in a one vs. one with the keeper. Seeing the keeper charge out of net toward the ball, Hefferan Nordlund chipped a lob over the keeper’s head, securing the fourth goal of the game. This brought Newaygo to 4, while the Pirates stood at 0. In the second half Lions Keeper Barbara Toth faced just two shots, which she easily scooped up. Toth has recorded 9 clean sheets this season, and tonight earned her 6th consecutive shut-out. Newaygo Lions Coach Matt Painter said, “Early in the season we traveled to Hart, only to find out that our schedule was wrong! Tonight, we corrected that mistake and took to the field but without two of our starters. Thankfully, we have versatile players who are willing to play wherever we ask them! The girls spent the day outside doing community service as part of Lions United day, and I was pretty concerned that they would be overly tired for the game. After naps on the bus and slow warm-ups, they found their stride and played well enough for a solid win. We now need to turn our attention to a full week of conference games!”
The Lions play next on Monday, May 8 at 4:30 PM on the road against the Grant Tigers. The Lions are currently tied for first place in the CSAA conference standings. Sweep extends win streak to 8 Photos by Bobbie Cruzan and Cassie Rickert The White Cloud Indians hosted the Eagles of Kent City on Friday Night. In Game #1 - After holding the Eagles scoreless in their half of the 1st Inning, the Indians went to work. KJ Strait led off the inning with a single, followed by a walk to Mason Ruether, a Hit By Pitch by Alex Cruzan to load the bases, an error off the bat of Mason Cruzan scored the first run, Christian Ringler drove in the 2nd run with a sacrifice fly, and Landyn McGowen then singled to drive in the 3rd run, for a 3-0 lead at the end of the 1st inning. Kent City came storming back by scoring 8 runs in their half of the 2nd inning aided by 3 walks and a hit by pitch. White Cloud scored 2 runs in the 2nd inning when Alex Cruzan singled, followed by a single off the bat of Mason Cruzan and both runners were driven in by a double by Ringler, as Kent City now led 8-5 at the end of 2 innings. The Eagles were held scoreless in the 3rd and 4th innings. The Indians went to work again in the 4th inning as Alex Cruzan was hit by a pitch, Mason Cruzan singled and both runners scored on a long double by Landyn McGowen, as the score was now 8-7 Eagles. White Cloud scored another single run in the 5th as Mason Ruether doubled and scored on a single by Mason Cruzan. The score was now tied at 8-8. Kent City scored 2 more runs in their half of the 6th inning to take a 10-8 lead. The Flood Gates opened in the 6th inning for the Indians, as 8 runs were scored, as KJ Strait and Alex Cruzan hit doubles, and singles were hit by Mason Cruzan, Ringler, McGowen and Nolan Wawzcyk. The Score was now 16-10 with White Cloud in the lead. The Eagles scored a lone run in the 7th inning for the final score, White Cloud 16, Kent City 11. White Cloud was led on offense by Landyn McGowen with 4 hits, one a double, with 4 RBI's, Mason Cruzan also had 4 hits, 3 runs scored with 3 RBI's, KJ Strait had 3 hits, with one double, Alex Cruzan and Christian Ringler both had a single and a double. On the mound, Landyn McGowen pitched 4 innings, Mason Cruzan pitched 1 1//3 innings, and Reece Hewitt threw the final 1 2/3 innings to pick up the win. In Game #2 - Kent City took the early lead by scoring a single run in the 1st Inning. White Cloud responded with 2 runs in their half of the 1st inning, with the big hit being a single by Mason Cruzan to drive in 2 runs for a 2-1 WC lead. White Cloud scored 2 more runs in the 2nd inning on a 2 run homer by KJ Strait. Alex Cruzan blasted a long solo home run in the 3rd inning for a White Cloud lead of 5-1. The Indians continued their scoring in the 4th inning with a 2 run single by Mason Ruether, as he scored on a balk for the 3rd run of the inning for a White Cloud 8-1 lead. Christian Ringler led off the 5th inning with a single, stole 2nd base, McGowen walked, Reece Hewitt hit into a fielder's choice, then Ringler scored on a sacrifice fly by Jayden Robinson, for a White Cloud 9-1 lead. Kent City scored 2 runs in their half of the 7th inning for a final score of White 9, Kent City 3. On the hill for the Indians was Mason Ruether, as he pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing 3 hits, 6 walks, and 5 strikeouts, and 3 runs, to pick up the win. KJ Strait came on in relief to strike out the last batter of the game. White Cloud's record now stands at 14-6-1, and will travel to Newaygo next Tuesday.
Coach Mahn: “The boys played with heart and determination tonight, as they continued to play hard even when they got down early in game #1, awfully proud of the way they played tonight.” Streak reaches half dozen Photos by Bobbie Cruzan The White Cloud Indians traveled to Hart for a single game, to take on the Pirates on Thursday Night, winning by the score of 4-1. Starting on the mound for the Indians was freshman Reece Hewitt, as he pitched 2 innings, striking out 2, allowing 1 hit and no runs. In relief, Nolan Wawzcyk, pitched the next 4 innings, striking out 3, walking 2, allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run, to pick up the win. Mason Cruzan came on in the 7th inning after Wawzcyk allowed a leadoff single, to set the next 3 batters down in order, the last two by strike outs. As the score was knotted up at zero's, at the end of 4 innings, the Indians went to work in the 5th inning. After a lead off strike out, Noah Robinson got on base with an infield single, Wawzcyk bunted him to 2nd base, KJ Strait got on by an error, then Mason Ruether hit a 3 run homer that bounced off the top of the fence, for a 3-0 lead. Hart scored a single run in their half of the 5th inning to cut the score to 3-1. KJ Strait added another run for the Indians in the 6th inning with his first career home run over the left field fence, for the final score of 4-1.
The Indians record now stands at 12-6-1. White Cloud hosts rival Kent City on Friday night. Win streak stands at 5 Photos By Bobbie Cruzan The White Cloud Indians traveled to Lakeview on Wednesday night to take on the Wildcats. In Game #1, Jayson Ruether was a force on the mound, pitching the entire game, striking out 6, walking 1, allowing 3 hits and giving up no runs. The Indians offense was led by Reece Hewitt with a double and 2 walks, as Reece scored the lone run in the game, in the 7th inning on a wild pitch, for a White Cloud win of 1-0. In Game #2, White Cloud won 11-2.
The offense was led by Christian Ringler with 3 hits, 5 RBI's, and 2 runs scored, along with 2 hits being ripped by KJ Strait, Mason Ruether, Alex Cruzan, and Nolan Wawczyk. Landyn McGowen also smashed a long 2 run double. Landyn McGowen picked up the win on the mound, pitching 2 2/3 innings, giving up 5 hits, and 2 earned runs. Mason Ruether came on in relief, going the final 4 1/3 innings, striking out 8, giving up 1 hit and no runs to collect the save. White Cloud's record stands at 11-6-1, with their next game against Hart on Thursday. Defense shines again as Lions run winning streak to 9 Story and photos by Tara Hefferan Newaygo Lions Soccer played at home on Wednesday, May 3 against conference opponent Reed City. For the fifth consecutive game, the Lions posted a shut-out, winning 5-0 against the Coyotes. Playing under blue skies, the Lions executed a fine passing game that had them controlling possession for nearly the full eighty minutes. The first goal came five minutes in, when Rachel Larsen sent a ball to Lynnea Briones, who put it forward to McCaiden Rienstra. Rienstra beat the Coyotes keeper to slot the ball into the lower right corner, putting the Lions up 1-0. The Lions attack continued unabated, with shot after shot put toward the Coyote net. Success came again just six minutes after the first goal, when Connelly Hefferan Nordlund found Grace Painter surging toward the net. Receiving the pass in front of goal, Painter put the ball into the side panel, well out of the keeper’s reach. The third goal was scored fifteen minutes into the first half. Painter made a crisp pass to Rienstra, who collected it for an easy kick around the keeper and into the left corner. While the Lions continued to pressure the ball, they did not score again in the first half. They entered halftime with a 3-0 lead The Lions returned from break with the same calm confidence that characterized the first half. Continuing with their precision passing, the Lions next goal came seven minutes in, when a give-and-go between Briones and Hefferan Nordlund opened space for Hefferan Nordlund to fire in a shot from the top of the 18-yard box, pitching the ball to the left of the Coyotes keeper. An own goal by the Coyotes brought the Lions to 5 with 27 minutes of play remaining. The final goal came from a Hefferan Nordlund pass to Rienstra, who laid it off toward a ready-to-pounce Painter. Before Painter could connect, however, the Coyotes deflected the ball back into their own net, giving the Lions a 5-0 lead. Coach Matt Painter said, “The weather was just about perfect for a soccer match tonight! We have been working to improve our passing and to work the ball from the back line to the mids and then to the forwards. Our entire back line worked well together tonight stopping attacks quickly and then building our counter-attack with passes to our midfielders. I also felt that we played the ball to our outside mids better tonight, stretching the field and opening up options in the middle.” The Lions put up 32 shots total, with 13 on goal. The Coyotes had just 2 shots, with Lions Keeper Barbara Toth touching the ball for the first time 10 minutes into the second half. The Lions take to the road to play Hart on Friday, May 5 at 5:00 PM. Newaygo’s overall record stands at 9-0-1, and their CSAA conference record is 4-0-0, putting them at the top of the conference rankings.
Newaygo Blanks Ravenna 8-0 Photos and Story by Tara Hefferan It was a miserable night for soccer. Under forceful winds, rain, and 37-degree temperatures, Newaygo Lions Soccer battled the Ravenna Bulldogs, taking the win 8-0. At the 5:00 PM whistle Monday, May 1 in Ravenna, McCaiden Rienstra took the opening kick for the Lions, setting in motion a set of plays that led to the first goal less than two minutes into the match. The goal came when Connelly Hefferan Nordlund sent the ball to Grace Painter, who brought it to the end line before dropping it back to Hefferan Nordlund, who punched it into the back of the net. Maintaining possession, the Lions’ second goal came shortly thereafter. Hefferan Nordlund sent a pass to Rienstra, who dribbled the ball into the box. While swarmed by the defense, Rienstra found just enough space to slam the ball into the lower right corner, bringing the Lions to two goals. The Lions continued to pressure the goal, finding their third tally off a transition play, when Lynnea Briones sent a long ball to Rienstra, who passed it forward to Hefferan Nordlund, who found the back of the net from outside the 18-yard box. The Lions stood at three goals. The fourth Lions goal came from a counter-attack, when the Bulldogs tried to send the ball into Lion territory. Defender Maddie Couch intercepted it, sending a long ball to Painter. Painter then made a line splitting pass to Hefferan Nordlund, who dribbled in front of goal, sending it deep into the corner opposite the keeper. This brought the Lions to four goals. As the Lions continued to send shots toward goal, they earned a corner kick. Painter took the kick, dropping the ball in front of the net. Hefferan Nordlund made a perfectly timed jump to meet the ball in the air, heading it past the keeper for the Lions fifth goal. Under offensive pressure the entirety of the first half, the Bulldogs flubbed their chance to clear the ball in the 30th minute and were called for a handball in the box. Hefferan Nordlund took the resulting penalty kick, easing the ball past the goalie. At the half, the Lions were leading 6-0, with five goals coming from Hefferan Nordlund. Commenting on this personal record, Hefferan Nordlund said, “It felt good. Our team chemistry has grown a lot since the beginning of the season, and these past few games have been proof of that.” The defensive line of Natalie Richardson, Sofia Briggs, Rachel Larsen, and Couch used tenacity, speed, and good passing to break up most plays before they could advance beyond the midfield. Rounding out the half, Lions keeper Barbara Toth faced just four shots, and only two shots on goal. Returning from halftime, the Lions reconfigured their line-up, rotating their offensive and defensive lines, subbing in new players, and putting Hefferan Nordlund in goal. The second half again saw the Lions again dominate. Briggs and Painter were winning balls in the midfield, advancing toward goal several times before finding an opportunity midway through the second half. Briggs brought the ball up the right side of the field, crossing it into the box for Painter. While the keeper partially got in front of the ball, Painter’s force was too much to contain, with the ball deflecting off the goalie into left corner. To the relief of players, fans, and the officials, the eighth and final mercy goal again came minutes later from another Briggs-Painter midfield connection. Winning the ball, Briggs found Painter, sending in a line splitting pass for Painter to dribble forward and slot away. The Bulldogs were held to just five shots in the second half, with one on goal. The final score was 8-0. In all, the Lions controlled the match from beginning to end. This allowed everyone on the roster to get field time, while also getting players experience playing in new positions. As Coach Matt Painter said, “Tonight’s weather showed why soccer players are some of the toughest athletes out there. While other sports were canceling their games and moving practices inside, our girls suited up and took to the field. Despite horizontal rain that sent a tent across the field, our girls shrugged off the weather and passed the ball like it was just another fair weather game. Some of the girls played in some new positions tonight and were willing to do whatever was necessary to put the team first. As a coach, it is fabulous to have a group of girls who are willing to put aside egos for the good of the team!” The Lions next play on Wednesday, May 3 at home vs. Reed City. Their record now stands at 8-0-1.
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