Story and photos by Tara Hefferan As a young team, Newaygo Girls Soccer has had a rocky start to the 2024 season. Their fortunes changed Friday night in Muskegon, as the Lions won their first game of the year, outscoring the Big Reds 8-1. Luella Hilden kicked off the evening’s scoring bonanza, finding the back of the net in the early minutes, off a long ball sent forward by Captain Natalie Richardson. Shortly after, Captain Aby Lauryssens made a quick shot into the net, off a nicely placed pass from Rachel Larsen. This was Larsen’s first assist of the season, and she said, “It felt great to be able to help another teammate score a goal. It always does!” Next, Richardson sent a high flying, curving ball into goal from outside the 18-yard line. While the Big Reds keeper saw the ball heading toward her, it curled just out of reach of her outstretched hands. Finally, with a short tap pass from Serena Jeong, Landry Hefferan Nordlund sent a low ball into the left corner, bringing the Lions to 4-0 at the half. The Lions had 17 shots in the first half, with 10 of those on goal. The Big Reds had zero shots at halftime. Shuffling several players into new positions after the break, the Lions continued to dominate possession. Scoring began early, with Richardson making a run up the right side of the field and into the box, where she drew a foul. Taking the resulting penalty kick, Hefferan Nordlund faced up against the Muskegon keeper, sending the ball into the back of the net to open the second half scoring. The next goal came after Hefferan Nordlund passed the ball to Evalyn Foster, who kicked it toward goal. The ball deflected off the defense, earning Newaygo the point but crediting it as an own goal by the Reds. The scoring bonanza continued on, this time with Larsen earning the goal. Following a corner kick into the box, a free-for-all in front of net ensued. Larsen made space to pounce at just the right time, muscling the ball into the back of the net. Said Larsen, “It feels really amazing to get my first goal of the season! I’m really happy I scored, and I was able to contribute to my team’s success. I just remember thinking about how I finally scored after other missed attempts.” The final goal of the night came off a free kick issued following another Big Reds foul. Hefferan Nordlund sent a curving ball into the bottom right corner, bringing her to three goals for the night. “I didn’t realize I scored a hat-trick until after the game,” said Hefferan Nordlund. “It felt amazing! I’m really proud of how we played as a team tonight.” In the second half, Newaygo had 16 shots, with 3 on goal. The Reds had just two shots, one of which slipped by Keeper Ella Soules following a bit of mayhem in front of goal. At the buzzer, Newaygo had won their first game of the season, with a score of 8-1, and with five different Lions slotting in points. Said Coach Painter, “Getting our first win was important. Even with a big win, some of the girls were upset that we gave up the one goal. That goal is on me due to trying something new with the line up! Sometimes changes work, other times they don’t! That being said, I believe there are lessons learned and experiences gained from every single match. Sometimes we gain soccer-related knowledge in terms of playing our positions better or operating better as a team. Sometimes there are life lessons learned. This match offered the chance for both types of learning. Tonight several of our girls faced physical and verbal interactions in a way that was unexpected for them. They had to learn to push through all of the associated emotions in order to focus on the actual game. Once they were able to do this, we saw improvements in our game performance, and they were able to enjoy their first win of the season! I am hopeful that we can build on the experiences from tonight’s game as we head into more conference play next week.”
The Lions next play on Monday, April 22 at 6:00 PM. They will head to Remus Chippewa Hills for a league match against the Warriors.
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