Comeback Win Sends Lions To District Final

6/2/2022

Lion Keeper Barbara Toth reaches to stop the shot

Story and photos by Tara Hefferan

Newaygo Lions soccer is advancing to the District 47 Championship following a 3-2 win over the Oakridge Eagles on Wednesday night. In a competitive match, the Lions had to battle back from a one goal deficit twice in order to secure the win. As Lion sophomore forward Natalie Richardson commented, “It was very difficult. They wanted to win as well, so they pushed us to our limit. They gave us a lot of competition.”

Newaygo’s Chloe Bush heads the ball away from Bri Benson

In the seventh minute of the match, Oakridge’s Saidee Raap won the first goal, dancing past the Lion defense to pass the ball into the back of the net. Moments later, Grace Painter evened the score, with an assist from Connelly Hefferan Nordlund. Within a two minute span, the game went from zeroes to 1-1. The tie lasted barely a minute, however, before Amaya Anderson scored for Oakridge, putting the Lions down one goal again. The Lions and Eagles battled back and forth, until the fifteenth minute, when Hefferan Nordlund sent the ball to Natalie Richardson, who dribbled past the Oakridge defense to net the first goal of her high school career. Richardson said of her goal, “Yes, it’s so great! It feels amazing, especially because I dribbled it in, so that was even better. I’m so excited!” Newaygo shot another ten times before the half, while Oakridge sent six balls toward goal. The score was 2-2 at halftime.

Jaxi Long brings the ball toward goal, despite pressure from Cara Morse

The second half started with more back and forth, as both teams possessed the ball and fired off some shots. The momentum shifted, however, when with thirty minutes left, Jaxi Long found Painter, who fired in her second goal of the night. The Lions were ahead for the first time and would keep the lead for the remainder of the match. The Lions shot the ball another eleven times compared to Oakridge’s five shots. The match ended in a 3-2 victory for Newaygo.

Grace Painter sends in a corner kick

In post-game analysis, Lion Keeper Barbara Toth said “I think Oakridge came out stronger, but we pulled away in the second half around possession. We played well in the second half. It was a hard game because most of our exchange students left, so we had very few subs. Some of our girls had to play through that and some of our girls got injured tonight, and so they also had to play through that. Overall, I think we played really well. We came out on top, and I’m very proud of the girls.”

Newaygo plays Orchard View in the District 47 Championship this Friday at 5:00 PM in Montague.