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.
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