“Unreal!”

5/14/2023

Lifting the CSAA Championship Plaque

For the first time in a decade, the Lions win the CSAA conference title

Story and photos by Tara Hefferan

Newaygo Lions Soccer is the 2023 Central States Athletic Association (CSAA) champion, after winning 3-2 at home against the Tri County Vikings.

The victory was nearly a month in the making, with the first 25.02 minutes of the match having been played on April 19. When that game ended early due to severe weather, the score stood 1-1, with Grace Painter having for scored for Newaygo off a free kick.

Announcer Brian Janke welcomes the crowd to “Newaygo Colosseum”

Since that day in April, both the Lions and Vikings have been on hot streaks, winning all of their respective matches and tying each other for the top spot in the CSAA standings. So, when the two teams faced off again on Friday, May 12, the stakes were high. With the regular season at a close, a conference title was on the line. Adding to the excitement, announcer Brian Janke welcomed fans to Newaygo’s “Colosseum” and introduced the players with a professional flair that whipped up the record number of fans on the sidelines.

McCaiden Rienstra pressures the Viking goal

The match opened with the remaining 14:58 minutes on the clock, 1-1 the scoreboard, and a drop ball to Tri County. Within seconds, the Lions invaded the Viking territory. Using their signature precision passing, the Lions had good ball movement as they patiently watched for their opportunity to spring. The moment came at 11:48, when after a deflection from Aby Lauryssens, Connelly Hefferan Nordlund brought the ball down, passing it to Lynnea Briones. Briones sent it back to Hefferan Nordlund, who rocketed in a shot from distance. The Lions fans erupted into wild applause, as Newaygo took the lead 2-1.

Excitement builds after the Lions get on the board first

The remainder of the truncated first half saw Newaygo continuing to control the pace of the game. In the first half, Newaygo took 16 shots, with 10 on goal and 2 in goal. Tri County was able to fire off just 3 shots, with 1 on goal.

When play resumed following half-time, the Lions continued to dominate possession, but Tri County executed several quality transition plays and created chances to advance toward net. Their efforts paid off with 19.08 on the clock, when the Vikings snuck by the Newaygo defense, sending a low ball to the left of Lion Keeper Barbara Toth. The game was tied 2-2.

Lion Keeper Barbara Toth considers her options

Amid cheers from fans and the player benches, the tied game had a renewed urgency that saw both the Lions and Vikings giving full effort. The Vikings have several skilled attackers, who like to shoot from distance. This required Newaygo’s talented defensive line of Sofia Briggs, Maddie Couch, Natalie Richardson, and Rachel Larsen to shut down attacks well before they were near the 18-yard box.

As both teams played passionately looking for advantage, Tri County fouled Newaygo with 12 minutes of game time remaining. Painter took the free kick, blasting the ball toward the left side of the net. Vikings keeper Herrington got a hand on the ball but could not control it, sending it back into play. Crashing the net, Briones pounced on the rebounded ball, driving it into the lower right side of the net. Briones’ goal brought the match to 3-2. Scoring the goal felt “unreal” said Briones. After the excitement, she said “the adrenaline hit to keep dominating and not let TC score.”

Connelly Hefferan Nordlund races into Viking territory

As the game minutes ticked down, the Vikings put full effort into scoring an equalizer, but they were unsuccessful. In one of the Vikings’ more threatening attacks, Sofia Briggs made a noteworthy and perfectly timed slide tackle to dispossess a player that had breached the backline. As the crowd went wild, Briggs sent the ball back up field and out of danger. In addition to her crucial in-goal stops, Lion Keeper Toth also made two important plays outside the box, using her feet to clear away the threats.

In the second half, the Lions had 8 shots, with 5 on goal and 1 in goal. The Vikings had 5 shots, with 2 on goal and 1 in goal. The game ended with Newaygo claiming the CSAA Conference Championship with a 3-2 win.

Grace Painter takes the shot

Lynnea Briones sends a short pass toward goal

Said Newaygo’s Coach Matt Painter, “Is there a better way to end the regular season of conference play than by having the top two teams facing off on the last possible day in a winner takes all game? I loved how our girls were ready to step up for the challenge tonight! Tri County is a solid team that plays good, aggressive soccer. The second half tonight found us going back and forth with them, and both keepers made some crucial saves! I was so proud of how our girls handled the momentum shifts tonight, and they just kept sending balls at the net, eventually finding the game winner! This is the first conference title Newaygo has won in about a decade, and our girls have worked so hard for this! Even though a coach is never satisfied, I do feel we are playing our best soccer of the season so far! We will relish this win for the weekend and then refocus again for the conference tournament next week!”