Lions Nip Packers

5/3/2022

Lion keeper Barbara Toth stops the shot

Early goal by Hefferan Nordlund, Toth shutout secures conference win.

Story and photos by Tara Hefferan

Newaygo 1 Fremont 0
The Newaygo Lions did not play with their usual chemistry, but they still managed to get the win against the Fremont Packers. In a rough and tumble match, the Packs took an aggressive stance, earning four yellow cards over the course of the game. One of the more dramatic moments was a yellow card foul against Lions keeper Barbara Toth, when a Packer player made a late hit into Toth following a stopped shot.
The only goal of the match came midway through the first half, when Lynnea Briones slipped a pass to Connelly Hefferan Nordlund, who lobbed it over the Packer keeper. Fremont’s best scoring chance came late in the second half, after a shot made its way past Toth, but defender Bella Welch raced back to make an impressive goal line save.

Madi Couch boxes out the attacker

Coach Painter: "Sometimes a win in the game of soccer is not the prettiest, and that certainly describes the game last night. We had our leading scorer out with sickness and a couple other girls who were far from 100%. Despite that, our girls stepped up and found ways to pressure Fremont, get shots on goal, and do just enough to secure the win. Fremont played hard and never gave up, which forced our girls to stay focused all the way to the final whistle. Sofia Briggs turned in another excellent performance as the anchor to our back line, thwarting Fremont's attacks time and time again. We are hopeful to get a little rest before meeting Big Rapids on Wednesday!"

The Lions (4-0, 8-1) play their final regular season home game this Wednesday against Big Rapids (5-0, 8-3-1). Both teams are undefeated in conference play and the Cardinals are currently ranked 10th in D3.