The Magnificent 7

Lions dominate All Conference Team

Photos by Tara Hefferan and Alexis Mercer
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N3 Sports- We asked Newaygo Lion Soccer Coach Matt Painter to give us a few words about his  7 All Conference players as well as the 8th Lion who was given Honorable Mention. 

Newaygo Girls Soccer finished another very successful season, thanks to the excellent play of our All Conference players.  These girls led the way to an 18-1-1 record, a Conference Title, winning the Conference Tournament, and securing the school’s second ever District Championship winning two in a row!  

Grace Painter, Senior Captain. Grace played primarily forward but also played center midfield at times also. Grace had 42 goals and 25 assists on the season, netting 8 hat tricks this year!  Grace is committed to play for Trinity Christian College in the fall and has been a invaluable part of Newaygo soccer’s success the past 3 years. ​

Sofia Briggs, Senior Captain. Sofia has been our starting center back her entire career. She is arguably one of the best defenders in the area. She was the primary reason we only allowed 13 goals on the season and recorded 14 shutouts. Sofia is a quiet but fierce player!

Connelly Hefferan- Nordlund, Senior Captain. Connelly played as a center midfielder the majority of the season and also served as our back up goalkeeper. Connelly had 18 goals and 29 assists on the season. Connelly has good vision on the field and most of our plays go through her. 

Lynnea Briones, Senior. Lynnea played as a central midfielder for most of the season but she also filled in as a defender as needed also. Lynnea had 6 goals and 12 assists and is a scrappy player who never gives up. Although Lynnea’s stats aren’t super impressive, her ability to disrupt plays and win balls allowed us to start our own offensive attacks over and over again. 

Barbara Toth, Senior. Barbara has been our starting goalkeeper her entire career. She has developed into a excellent keeper with quick reflexes and good instincts. She ended the year with 65 saves and 14 clean sheets. 

​McCaiden Reinstra, Senior. After taking last year off, McCaiden returned this year and was an important part of our success. Her speed as a forward allowed her to get into open space to meet the passes from Connelly and Grace, finding the back of the net 22 times this season. McCaiden also had 7 assists. She injured an ankle in our district semifinal and we certainly missed her for the final!

Maddie Couch, Sophomore. Maddie is a fearless defender who has been learning from one of the best!  She reads angles well and is willing to take on any forwards she comes up against. Maddie was also a big part of our ability to keep teams off the scoreboard this year. 

Natalie Richardson, Junior. Natalie earned honorable mention honors this year for her excellent defensive efforts. Along with Sofia and Maddie, Natalie locked down the back line making it very difficult for teams to get good looks at goal.