Story and photos by Tara Hefferan In their first home game of the season, the Newaygo Lions won 6-0 against the Greenville Yellow Jackets. The Lions started off strong, with Grace Painter netting two goals within the first eleven minutes. The first was assisted by McCaiden Rienstra and the second by Connelly Hefferan Nordlund. The Lions tallied their third goal ten minutes later, when Rienstra brought the ball in front of net, forcing a Yellow Jacket error that resulted in an own goal. The Lions were up 3-0 at halftime. The Yellow Jackets returned from the break energized. Despite putting some pressure on Newaygo’s defense, the Jackets were not able to break open the game. Center backs Sofia Briggs and Maddie Couch are finding their rhythm with outside backs Natalie Richardson, Landry Hefferan Nordlund, and Rachel Larsen, and together the backline was able to stop most plays from advancing. In the end, Newaygo goalkeeper Barbara Toth faced 9 shots from Greenville, with 5 of them on target. Newaygo fired in 15 shots, with 6 finding the back of the Jackets’ net. The second half goals were scored by Grace Painter, McCaiden, Rienstra, and Connelly Hefferan Nordlund. Rienstra and Hefferan Nordlund also each had an assist in the second half. The game was well attended, with both home and visitor fan sections energized. The fans saw the full team in action, as everyone on the roster got playing time. There were a number of dramatic moments, as well, with injuries, free kicks, and a near goal by midfielder Lynnea Briones in the final seconds of the game. Reflecting on the match, Coach Matt Painter said, “It was nice to be back on our home field tonight in front of our fans. We are still early in the season and the girls are learning to grow into new roles and positions. For me there were a few highlights from the game last night. Obviously, goals and assists always stand out, but for me, the times where we maintained our formation shape resulting in several passes strung together was the best part of the night! We plan to continue to build on this success throughout this next week. We were also banged up a bit as a team tonight and may be relying on girls to fill unfamiliar roles for a couple games. I know our girls will rise to the challenge! We have an extended stretch of home games, which will be great for all of us!”
The Newaygo Lions are back at home on Monday, April 17 at 4:30 vs. Muskegon. Their record now stands at 2 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie.
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