Photos and Story by Tara Hefferan Newaygo Lions women’s soccer hosted the Oakridge Eagles Friday afternoon. Though the Lions dominated possession and put several shots on frame, the first half was scoreless. The Lions started the second half with intensity and crisp passing, leading to several more shots against the Eagles. At the same time, the Lion defense, anchored by centerback Sofia Briggs and defensive midfielder Lynnea Briones, with outside backs Bella Welch and Madi Couch, worked to contain the Eagles, preventing many shots from reaching keeper Barbara Toth. Eventually, Connelly Hefferan Nordlund found the top corner of the net, off an assist from Grace Painter. This energized the Lions but frustrated the Eagles, who shortly after fouled Hefferan Nordlund. Taking the resulting free kick, Jaxi Long sent the ball into the box, finding Hefferan Nordlund, who bodied the ball in for a second goal. With continued offensive pressure, the Lions earned a corner kick. Taking the corner, Laura Haavisto launched the ball into play. After ping ponging around the box, the ball was seized by Jaxi Long, who fired the third and final goal past the Eagles keeper. Coach Painter: “Oakridge showed us a defensive we had not seen yet this year, which offered us an opportunity to test our passing and possession. Our girls were up to the challenge and controlled much of the possession for both halves. Connelly turned in her best performance of the season with great passing and 2 goals. And getting Lynnea back from injury really helped connect our back line with our mids! We are looking forward to our conference games this coming week!”
This win puts the Newaygo Lions overall record at 7-1. They return to action away at Fremont next Monday.
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