The varsity Eagles soccer team hosted crosstown rivals, the East Grand Rapids Pioneers in front of a large crowd at Eagle Stadium on Tuesday evening. The Eagles came into the game 3-2-4 on the season while EGR entered the match 6-1-1 and ranked #2 in the state. 

The Pioneers had control of the ball throughout much of the first half, maintaining possession in the midfield but were unable to break down a defiant Eagle defense. With few good scoring chances created by either team, the score remained 0-0 at the half. 

The Eagles came out of halftime with a resurgance of energy and began to connect better through the midfield, making more inroads to the Pioneer defense. Just 5-minutes into the half, the Eagles broke the deadlock as senior goalkeeper, Cooper Hutt, hit a long ball up the field that was difficult for the Pioneers' defenders to handle. Eagle sophomore, Gedion  Nzabonimpa ran down the bouncing ball and deftly touched it over the onrushing Pioneer goalkeeper to put the Eagles up 1-0. As the half wore on, the Pioneers pressed forward, but were unable to break down the Eagle defense while the Eagles created several chances working the ball through the Pioneer defense, but neither team was able to add to the scoreline after 80-minutes. The match ended with a 1-0 Eagle victory as the student fan section rushed the field to celebrate with the players. 

The Eagles finish the week with two non-conference games (hosting Lansing Sexton at 4:30 at Gainey on Thursday, then traveling to Jenison for an 11:45 am kickoff on Saturday).