Team posts 6th shutout of the season, Painter notches another hat trick Story and photos by Tara Hefferan After six consecutive home matches, Newaygo Lions Soccer took to the road on Saturday to battle the Whitehall Vikings. In another physical match up, the Lions emerged victorious, unleashing three goals to the Vikings’ zero. The Lions scored three minutes after the opening whistle, when Connelly Hefferan Nordlund made a forward pass to Lynnea Briones, who then made a through pass to Grace Painter. Cutting against the keeper’s momentum, Painter slammed the ball into the lower left corner of the net, just out of the keeper’s reach. The Lions continued their offensive pressure, putting six shots toward goal without success until, with just ten minutes left in the half, Landry Hefferan Nordlund put a shot on frame. The ball hit the post, ricocheting back to Maddie Couch, who laid it off to Painter to put away. The Lions ended the half up 2-0. The Vikings returned from the break energized, making some incursions into the Lions’ territory but not able to break through the robust defense of Natalie Richardson, Maddie Couch, McCaiden Rienstra, and Sofia Briggs. Within the first ten minutes of the second half, Lions Keeper Barbara Toth faced three back-to-back free kicks. Only one was on goal, and Toth was able to deflect that ball back into play for a counter-attack. Regaining possession, the Lions then had their own run of free kicks, as the Vikings were called for ten fouls and issued two yellow cards. The tenth foul was in the box, with just four minutes left in the match. Grace Painter took the penalty kick, sending it past the keeper to bring the Lions up 3-0. Coach Matt Painter commented, “Saturday games are out of the norm for us, and I felt like we were just a bit off for much of the game. Our passes and chemistry just weren’t connecting like normal today, but our hustle and energy made up for this! We were able to get a lot of pressure on goal and had several quality shots. I was most proud of how our girls kept their composure even after numerous fouls. We have a full week of games coming up which will hopefully give us a chance to continue to improve as a team.” The Lions next play in Ravenna on Monday, May 1 at 5:00 PM. Their record now stands at 7 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie. They are tied for first place in the CSAA Conference standings.
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