Story and photos by Tara Hefferan Newaygo 3 vs. Shelby 2 Friday night soccer was rough and tumble, as host Newaygo Lions battled the visiting Shelby Tigers to a 3-2 win. While the Lions dominated possession, stringing together pass after pass to get the ball up the field, Shelby’s defense was effective at limiting shots on goal. The first half ended scoreless, with neither team finding success in the back of the net. After the halftime break, the Lions made some position adjustments, which bore fruit when Grace Painter, assisted by a line splitting pass from Sofia Briggs, blasted the ball past the Shelby keeper. The Lions were up 1-0 seven minutes into the second half. Less than a minute later, however, Shelby was awarded a penalty kick for a foul in the box. The Tigers were able to capitalize on the opportunity, slotting the ball by Newaygo Keeper Barbara Toth to bring the game level at 1-1. The next goal came five minutes later, when the referees called a handball against Newaygo, awarding the Tigers a free kick. The Tigers used that advantage to advance the ball up field, scoring their second goal to put the Tigers up 2-1 with 26 minutes of play remaining. The reenergized Lions answered soon after, as Grace Painter weaved her way through the Shelby defense to score her second goal of the match, earning a brace. The final goal came with six minutes left in game, when McCaiden Rienstra shut down a Shelby attack to reverse the ball back up field to Lynnea Briones, who then sent it into the box for Connelly Hefferan Nordlund, who buried it. The game ended with Lions 3 goals and Shelby 2 goals. Reflecting post-game, Coach Matt Painter said, “Facing Tri County on Wednesday and then Shelby tonight has been challenging for us, as we fill in for our injured starting Center Back. Trying people out in different positions has been a work in progress to find out what works best against the opponent’s formation. Tonight, we battled through the first half to a 0-0 tie. After making some adjustments at half time, our girls started to find their stride, stringing some passes together and finding ways to get quality shots on goal. I was proud of how our girls never gave up. Even when we were down 2-1, they kept their heads in the game, and it was clear that they believed that they would find a way to get the win. One of our values is ‘The team comes first…’ I appreciate how our girls live into this value, whether they are playing a non-preferred position or even cheering from the bench. Like we say before and after each game ‘ONE WIN: We Only Need Everyone to Commit to What’s Important Now.'" The Lions record now stands at 4 wins, 0 losses, 1 tie. Their next game will be at home versus Chippewa Hills on Monday, April 24 at 4:30 PM.
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