The Boys Varsity Soccer team brought the momentum of a semifinal victory over top-ranked Gull Lake into the State Championship match on Saturday against Bloomfield Brother Rice at Comstock Park. The Eagles took the field in front of a huge fan section with hope of capturing the first State Championship since 2001.  When the whistle blew, the Eagle withstood some initial attacks from Brother Rice before grabbing hold of the game. The Eagles worked their way into a possession advantage while frustrating the Warriors from Brother Rice with tough defense all over the field. 13 mintues into the match, senior Hans Pruis took advantage of a sloppy touch from the Warriors goalkeeper, stealing the ball from his foot and tucking it away for the first goal of the match. About 14 minutes later, senior Grant Hassenrik dribbled the ball directly through the heart of the Warriors defense before slotting it in front of the goal where senior Ben Kuiper hit it first time into the Brother Rice net to double the margin to 2-0. The Eagles continued to press and create opportunities, but were unable to convert again before halftime.  The Warriors came out into the 2nd half with a higher pressure defense in hopes of closing the gap. The Eagles defense, anchored by goalkeepr Xander Scofield and defenders Eli Leegwater, Grant Bishop and Carter Goodyke dominated a largely ariel attack from Brother Rice, but conceded a goal on a free kick with a little over 20-minutes remaining in the match. The Eagles Defense showed their determination and commitment, thrwarting every Brother Rice attempt while the Eagles attack created several goal scoring opportunities on the counter-attack. With minutes remaining in the match, the Eagles control of the match and managed the game to completion.  When the clock hit 0:00, the Eagles celebrated their amazing run to the Championship by running to the student section to share the joy of the moment and celebrate the accomplshment of a dedicated and commited team. The Eagles captured their 3rd championship in school history with a 17-7-2 record and a run the forced them to defeat the #9, #8 and #1 ranked teams in the state to reach the championship match.  Thank you to all the Eagles fans for the support we received this year. Everytime we play is a blessing and it's magnified by having the opportunity to share this with family, friends and fans.  Video Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2GKA7B Fox 17 Story: https://www.fox17online.com/sports/blitz/grand-rapids-christian-wins-1st-boys-soccer-state-title-in-20-years MHSAA report: https://secondhalf.mhsaa.com/topics/boys-soccer/grand-rapids-christian-completes-late-season-surge-3rd-finals-title MLive report: https://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/2021/11/see-pictures-of-grand-rapids-christians-soccer-victory-over-bloomfield-hills-brother-rice.html

The Boys Varsity Soccer team brought the momentum of a semifinal victory over top-ranked Gull Lake into the State Championship match on Saturday against Bloomfield Brother Rice at Comstock Park. The Eagles took the field in front of a huge fan section with hope of capturing the first State Championship since 2001.  When the whistle blew, the Eagle withstood some initial attacks from Brother Rice before grabbing hold of the game. The Eagles worked their way into a possession advantage while frustrating the Warriors from Brother Rice with tough defense all over the field. 13 minutes into the match, senior Hans Pruis took advantage of a sloppy touch from the Warriors goalkeeper, stealing the ball from his foot and tucking it away for the first goal of the match. About 14 minutes later, senior Grant Hassenrik dribbled the ball directly through the heart of the Warriors defense before slotting it in front of the goal where senior Ben Kuiper hit it first time into the Brother Rice net to double the margin to 2-0. The Eagles continued to press and create opportunities, but were unable to convert again before halftime.  The Warriors came out into the 2nd half with a higher pressure defense in hopes of closing the gap. The Eagles defense, anchored by goalkeeper Xander Scofield and defenders Eli Leegwater, Grant Bishop and Carter Goodyke dominated a largely airborne attack from Brother Rice, but conceded a goal on a free kick with a little over 20-minutes remaining in the match. The Eagles Defense showed their determination and commitment, thwarting every Brother Rice attempt while the Eagles attack created several goal scoring opportunities on the counter-attack. With minutes remaining in the match, the Eagles control of the match and managed the game to completion.  When the clock hit 0:00, the Eagles celebrated their amazing run to the Championship by running to the student section to share the joy of the moment and celebrate the accomplishment of a dedicated and committed team. The Eagles captured their 3rd championship in school history with a 17-7-2 record and a run the forced them to defeat the #9, #8 and #1 ranked teams in the state to reach the championship match.  Thank you to all the Eagles fans for the support we received this year. Every time we play is a blessing and it's magnified by having the opportunity to share this with family, friends and fans.  Video Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2GKA7B Fox 17 Story: https://www.fox17online.com/sports/blitz/grand-rapids-christian-wins-1st-boys-soccer-state-title-in-20-years MHSAA report: https://secondhalf.mhsaa.com/topics/boys-soccer/grand-rapids-christian-completes-late-season-surge-3rd-finals-title MLive report: https://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/2021/11/see-pictures-of-grand-rapids-christians-soccer-victory-over-bloomfield-hills-brother-rice.html

The Boys Varsity Soccer team brought the momentum of a semifinal victory over top-ranked Gull Lake into the State Championship match on Saturday against Bloomfield Brother Rice at Comstock Park. The Eagles took the field in front of a huge fan section with hope of capturing the first State Championship since 2001.  When the whistle blew, the Eagle withstood some initial attacks from Brother Rice before grabbing hold of the game. The Eagles worked their way into a possession advantage while frustrating the Warriors from Brother Rice with tough defense all over the field. 13 minutes into the match, senior Hans Pruis took advantage of a sloppy touch from the Warriors goalkeeper, stealing the ball from his foot and tucking it away for the first goal of the match. About 14 minutes later, senior Grant Hassenrik dribbled the ball directly through the heart of the Warriors defense before slotting it in front of the goal where senior Ben Kuiper hit it first time into the Brother Rice net to double the margin to 2-0. The Eagles continued to press and create opportunities, but were unable to convert again before halftime.  The Warriors came out into the 2nd half with a higher pressure defense in hopes of closing the gap. The Eagles defense, anchored by goalkeeper Xander Scofield and defenders Eli Leegwater, Grant Bishop and Carter Goodyke dominated a largely airborne attack from Brother Rice, but conceded a goal on a free kick with a little over 20-minutes remaining in the match. The Eagles Defense showed their determination and commitment, thwarting every Brother Rice attempt while the Eagles attack created several goal scoring opportunities on the counter-attack. With minutes remaining in the match, the Eagles control of the match and managed the game to completion.  When the clock hit 0:00, the Eagles celebrated their amazing run to the Championship by running to the student section to share the joy of the moment and celebrate the accomplishment of a dedicated and committed team. The Eagles captured their 3rd championship in school history with a 17-7-2 record and a run the forced them to defeat the #9, #8 and #1 ranked teams in the state to reach the championship match.  Thank you to all the Eagles fans for the support we received this year. Every time we play is a blessing and it's magnified by having the opportunity to share this with family, friends and fans.  Video Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/v/2GKA7B Fox 17 Story: https://www.fox17online.com/sports/blitz/grand-rapids-christian-wins-1st-boys-soccer-state-title-in-20-years MHSAA report: https://secondhalf.mhsaa.com/topics/boys-soccer/grand-rapids-christian-completes-late-season-surge-3rd-finals-title MLive report: https://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/2021/11/see-pictures-of-grand-rapids-christians-soccer-victory-over-bloomfield-hills-brother-rice.html

The Boy's varsity Eagles soccer team faced top-ranked Richmond Gull Lake in the Division 2 state semifinal on Wednesday evening at Byron Center. The game was a rematch of an early season showdown in which Gull Lake defeated the Eagles 4-0 and the winner of the match would earn a spot in the state championsihp final.  The Eagles came out strong in the first half of play, scoring an early goal less than 2-minutes into the match. After working the ball up the field, Junior Ian Velzen-Haner crossed a ball into the box where a streaking Hans Pruis hit it first-time over the keeper and into the net. This early lead stood for most of the first half as the Eagles mounted several dangerous attacks and Gull Lake threatened on several corner kick attempts. Gull Lake knotted the game at 1-1 with 7-minutes left in the half as they broke through the Eagles Defense, leaving the score at 1-1 at the half. The second half saw a change in tactics as Gull Lake tried to press the Eagles defenders, but the Eagles were able to break through the pressure and mount several dangerous attacks. 14 minutes into the 2nd half, senior Nick Cassiday was fouled by a Gull Lake defender just outside the Gull Lake penalty area. Cassiday stepped up and sent a curling shot around the Gull Lake defensive wall on the free kick, giving the Eagles a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish. Although Gull Lake pressed to find the equalizer, the Eagles Defense and goalkeeper Xander Scofield successfully defended the Eagles net for the remaining 26 minutes of the match.  The Eagles victory propels them into the State Championship game at Comstock Park HS on Saturday (12:00 noon kickoff). 

The Boys Varsity Eagles soccer team returned to Cedar Springs Thursday evening to face a tough Petoskey team in the Regional Finals. The Northmen of Petoskey came out strong in hopes of pressuring the Eagles defense, but the Eagles defense held strong as they began gaining control of the possession battle throughout the first half. With the both teams creating chances in the first half, neither team was able to get the ball into the net, leaving the result hanging in the balance for the final 40-minute period.  The Eagles continued to build on their first half momentum as the 2nd half started. With the pressure mounting on the Petoskey defense, the Eagles struck midway through the half when senior Nick Cassiday was able to shake several defenders on a corner kick play and slot the ball through traffic into the Petoskey net. Just a minute after notching the first goal, the Eagles retook possession and worked the ball forward to senior Hans Pruis who was able to get the ball near the endline and slot a cross back for senior Ben Kuiper who nodded in the 2nd goal of them match, doubling the Eagles margin.  The final minutes of the match saw Petoskey pressing forward trying to get a goal back while the Eagles defended stoutly and countered, creating more chances as the clock ticked down to 0:00.  The 2-0 victory sealed the Regional Championshp for the Eagles and earned a spot in the State Semifinals next Wednesday evening (7:00 kickoff at Byron Center soccer complex). 

The Eagles Varsity Boys Soccer team traveled to Cedar Springs, host of the Regional tournament, to face a tough Spring Lake side on Tuesday evening in the first semi-final match of the night. The Eagles came to play and jumped out to an early lead on a goal by senior Grant Hassenrik in the 3rd minute of the game on a ball flicked on by senior Ben Kuiper. The two seniors reversed roles in the 31st minute as Hassenrik took the ball endline and slotted a pass back across the goal where Kuiper was able to tuck it away to double the Eagles' advantage. The Eagles went into halftime carrying a 2-0 lead.  After narrowly missing a scoring attempt early in the 2nd half, the Eagles conceded a goal as Spring Lake finally broke through the Eagles defense. With the lead narrowed to 2-1, the Eagles fought to regain control of the flow of the match, taking back the possession battle with about 20 minutest to play. With just under 10-minutes remaining, the Eagles broke through with a torrent of goals. In the 71st minutes, senior Ben Klein played a ball through to senior Nick Cassiday who was able to beat a defender and tuck the ball into the corner of the Lakers' net. Just 5 minutes later, Cassiday struck again, this time as senior Hans Pruis stole the ball from a Lakers' defender at midfield, dribbling toward the goal until the Lakers' goalkeeper committed himself, then slotting the ball across to a streaking Cassiday for the finish. One minute after upping the scoreline to 4-1, senior Drew deBoer played a long ball to Cassiday who beat two Laker defenders and the goalkeeper with some skillful dribbling before tucking away the Eagle's 5th goal of the match to seal the 5-1 victory. The win propels the Eagles to the Regional Final at Cedar Springs on Thursday evening at 6:00 pm where they will face Petoskey who defeated Forest HIlls Central in a shootout in the other semifinal match. 

The Varsity Eagles Soccer Team hosted East Grand Rapids in the District Championship match at Eagle Stadium on Thursday night. With both teams coming off of semi-final victories, this game was a rematch of a 4-4 draw earlier in the season.  The game started with a high pace of play as both teams brought the energy of the evening to the field. The Eagles created some early chances and got on the board 13-minutes into the match when a shot from senior Grant Hassenrik was deflected and bounced off the crossbar of the EGR goal where fellow senior Hans Pruis was in position to pound it into the net to take an early lead. The Eagles continued to create chances, but were unable to convert, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime.  The Eagles struck again early in the 2nd half as senior Ben Kuiper intercepted a loose ball and floated it to the far post where junior Ian Velzen-Haner ran in to volley the ball into the EGR net, doubling the Eagles lead to 2-0. Both the Eagle and East battled to control the midfield with the Eagles creating more attacking opportunities as the game progressed.  With the 2-0 win, the Eagles were able to lift the District Championship trophy in front of their fans in the last home match of the year. The Eagles no progress to the Regional semi-final against Spring Lake on Tuesday night (5:00 pm) at Cedar Springs HS.   

The Varsity Eagle Boys Soccer team hosted the District semi-finals on Tuesday evening at Eagle Stadium. In the first semi-final, East Grand Rapids defeated Godwin Heights 1-0 to reach the finals. In the second match of the night, the Varsity Eagles took the field against Wyoming Kelloggsville for their shot at the District Finals. The Eagles came out strong on the attack and scored early to take the lead. Senior Nick Cassiday slotted home the first goal of the match on a through pass from senior Hans Pruis in the 3rd minute. The Eagles doubled their tally just three minutes later when senior Ben Kuiper punched home a ball flicked on by junior Ian Velzen-Haner. With control of the match, the Eagles kept moving the ball and creating chances. Cassiday converted a free kick at the 24 minute mark, bending the ball around the wall of defenders into the far post. Just six minutes after this score, Pruis netted his first of the game on a pass from senior Ben Klein to up the margin to 4-0. Then with just 3-minutes remaining in the half, senior Ben Kuiper got his second of the night on an assist from sophomore Jackson Mindling, giving the Eagles a commanding 5-0 lead at the half. Wyoming Kelloggsville came out battling in the 2nd half and scored on their only shot of the match, bending a ball into the upper corner of the Eagles net. The Eagles responded minutes later when Pruis neatly tucked away a cross from junior Aidan Knoester to bring the scoreline to 6-1. Pruis completed his hat-trick on the night in the 60th minute when Kuiper played a through ball in that put Pruis 1 vs 1 against the goalkeeper. The Eagles continued to control the ball throughout the remaining minutes of the match and earned a free kick with 4 minutes remaining. Senior Grant Hassenrik played a ball over the defensive wall that senior Grant Bishop flicked past the goalkeeper to score his first of the year and notch the final tally of the night.  The 8-1 win puts the Eagles into the District Finals against East Grand Rapids on Thursday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm at Eagle Stadium.

The Varsity Eagles soccer team took to the field at Gainey on Wednesday afternoon, hosting a first-round District match-up against Kenowa Hills High School. The Eagles jumped out to an early lead on a goal by senior Nick Cassiday as he beat 3 KH defenders before slotting home a shot at the 1-minute mark of the game. The Eagles struck again in the 7th minute as senior Ben Klein served a corner kick to the head of senior Drew deBoer on a who pounded it past the KH goalkeeper in the 7th minute of the match. At the 14th minute, senior Grant Bishop played a ball throuch to a wide open deBoer who coolly notched his 2nd of the match to take a 3-0 lead. The first half scoring continued in the 20th minute as senior Ben Kuiper slammed home a ball into the upper corner of the KH net after being knocked down by a defender on a corner kick. The Eagles took the 4-0 lead into halftime. With control of the play well in hand, senior Grant Hassenrik played an early ball through to Cassiday who notched his 2nd goal of the game just 10-minutes into the 2nd half. Just 7 minutes later, Kuiper struck again, picking up a misplayed clearance in the KH penalty area and slotting it home to up the Eagle lead to 6-0 with 24 minutes to play. The Eagles converted their final goal of the match when Klein threaded a pass through the KH defense to a streaking Xavier Wright who finished the play with a goal.  With the win, the Eagles advance to the District semifinals on Tuesday, October 19th against Wyoming Kelloggsville. at 7:30 pm at Eagle Stadium.

The Forest Hills Northern Huskies came to Eagle Stadium on Wednesday evening to face the varsity Eagles soccer team in the OK White semi-finals. The Huskies were eager to avenge an earlier loss to the Eagles and struck early, gaining a 3-0 advantage before the Eagles were able to get on the board on an individual effort from senior Nick Cassiday. Just as the Eagles looked to be mounting a comeback, the Huskies struck again, putting the Eagles in a 4-1 deficit prior at the half.  The Eagles fought and scrapped in the 2nd half before conceding a penalty kick goal to raise the deficit to 5-1 in the 2nd half. Senior Drew deBoer struck back with a shot to the upper corner of the Huskies net in the closing minutes of the match to close the gap to 5-2, but the Eagles would not be able to make it any closer.  The Eagles will play an important match on Monday night at Eagle Stadium for 3rd place in the conference tournament before beginning their district play next Wednesday. 

The OK White soccer tournament opened up with Greenville visiting Eagle Stadium on Monday evening in a first-round matchup. The Eagles celebrated senior night before the game, honoring 11 seniors on the 2021 squad and brought that energy into the match. The Eagles recorded their quickest goal of the year on the kickoff as the ball was played back to senior Alex Terry who struck a long pass over the Greenville defenders that fellow senior Ben Kuiper headed deftly over the Greenville goalkeeper to get on the board just 11 seconds into the game. Exactly 1-minute later, senior Nick Cassiday served up a corner kick to classmate Drew deBoer who nodded home the 2nd goal of the match, giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead with just 1:13 off the clock. The first half continued as Kuiper played a beautifly ball through the Greenville defensive line to a streaking Hans Pruis whose first shot was saved, but was able to clean up his own rebound to up the score to 3-0. Cassiday struck again a minute later after beating several defenders on the dribble for his first goal of the match. At the 15:00 mark, Pruis notched his 2nd of the game on an assist from senior Xavier Wright with Cassiday adding to the tally again another minute later. With play leaning heavily in the Eagles favor, Pruis completed his hat-trick on a pass from sophomore Grayson Montpetit in the 32nd minute of the match. With time coming to a close in the first half, senior Eli Leegwater connected on his first goal of the season to finish the scoring at 8-0.  The Eagles host Forest Hills Northern at Eagle Stadium on Wednesday evening for a conference tournament semi-final match with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 pm. 

In their 3rd match in 4 days, the varsity Eagles traveled to face a highly-ranked Holland Christian team on Thursday night. The game saw two determined sides battle it out from end to end. Holland Christian netted the only goal of the match on a first half corner kick. The Eagles were unable to convert on their chances and ended the night with a 1-0 loss.  The Eagles begin their OK White Conference tournament play on Monday evening at Eagle Stadium with a 7:30 kickoff against Greenville. 

What happens when you mix two rival programs who are currently 1st and 2nd in the conference standings together on a perfect night by Reeds lake? One of the most excieing soccer matches you could hope to witnes.  The Eagles traveled to Meheny field at EGR on Tuesday night for their second game in 2 days to face the second place Pioneers in the final match of the OK White regular season. The Eagles came in 6-0 in the conference while the Pioneers entered the match 4-0-2. Both undefeated teams treated the capacity crowd to a thrilling 80-minutes of soccer.  The Pioneers scored early on a free kick that found the corner of the net early in the game. The gritty Eagles team fought back in minutes with senior Ben Kuiper scoring off a thrown in from senior Drew deBoer to level the game. The Eagles then jumped in front beofre half-time when senior Nick Cassiday scored, making it 2-1.  As the second half started, so did the scoring fireworks. EGR leveled the game on a scramble in the box, then took a 3-2 lead over the Eagles, converting on a corner kick with about 15 minutes to go. The Eagles struck back when junior Jonah Knoester made an overlapping run and crossed a ball in front of the EGR net that caused confusion and ended in an own-goal, making the score 3-3. The lead changed again in favor of the Eagles when senior Hans Pruis flicked a pass up and over an EGR defender at midfield before playing the ball into Cassiday who converted for his 2nd goal of the match, putting the Eagles up 4-3 with less than 10 minutes to play. The Eagles conceded a corner kick with less than 5 minutes left that a dangerous EGR team converted again, leveling the score at 4-4. Neither team was able to break through in the final moments, resulting in a tie.  This back and forth match included 4 lead changes and a total of 5 goals in the final 40 minutes. The Eagles enter the OK White conference tournament as the #1 seed and EGR enters as the #2 seed, setting up a potential rematch in the confernce tournament finals.  The Eagles wrap-up their regular season with a trip to Holland Christian on Thursday evening (7:15 kick-off) before beginning conference tournament play next Monday at Eagle Stadium (7:30 pm kick-off)

The varsity Eagle soccer team hosted Unity Christian on Monday evening at Eagle Stadium. The visiting Crusaders jumped out to an early lead after the Eagles conceded a corner kick in the first minute of the match. The Crusaders capitalized on the opportunity, putting the home side fighting at a disadvantage early. The Crusaders doubled their advantage in later in the half when an Eagle turnover near midfield was converted into a long-range shot, leaving the Eagles facing a 2-0 deficit at the half. The Eagles team showed the perseverance they have demonstrated all year, fighting their way back into the match when senior Nick Cassiday notched his first goal of the match after beating several Unity players in the 68th minute. As the Eagles pushed forward, Unity scored their third of the game minutes later on a breakaway, making the score 3-1 with 10 minutes to play. In the final 5 minutes of the match, the Eagles continued to press forward, eventually earning a free kick. Cassiday played the ball to a crowded box where it was deflected many times until junior Aidan Knoester played the ball back out to a waiting Cassiday who rifled a shot home from 30-yards out to close the gap to 3-2. While the Eagles pressed, the visitors were able to hold off the charging Eagles, breaking an 8-game Eagles winning streak.  The Eagle have a quick turnaround as they travel to face OK White rival East Grand Rapids on Tuesday evening (6:45 kick-off at Meheny field in EGR) to complete the conference regular season. 

After postponing the match by 1-day due to field conditions, the varsity Eagles played host to OK W/hite soccer rival, Forest Hills Northern Friday evening. The game started at a frenetic pace as both teams applied pressure hoping to get on the board first. The Eagles were the first to break through when senior Hans Pruis received a long pass over the Huskies' defense and played the ball around the charging goalkeeper before tucking away the first goal of the match 13-minutes into the first half. The Eagles controlled possession throughout the half while the Huskies played challenging long balls and pressed high against the Eagles defenders, but the score remained 1-0 at the half-time buzzer. The second half found the Eagles controlling th ball well, but were caught on a counter after an turnover at midfleld where the Huskies were able to find an open player in front of the Eagles goal, tying the match 1-1. This goal midway through the half opened up a flurry of scoring. The Eagles came back and scored on the foot of senior Nick Cassiday just minutes after conceding, going ahead again 2-1. The Huskies weren't done, responding with a goal of their own on a long throw-in that the Eagles were unable to clear - leveling the score 2-2 just moments after going down a goal for the 2nd time. But the Eagles weren't done. with less than 15 minutes remaining, Cassiday was able to receive the ball and take on several Huskies to get into the box berore slotting home the game winning goal.  The Eagles defense stayed strong in the final minutes of the match in front of goalkeeper Alexander Scofield who made severl point-blank saves throughout the match, finishing with a 3-2 victory. The home win brings the Eagle to 6-0 in the conference with just one game remianing (@ EGR on Tuesday night - 6:45 kickoff). This record locks the Eagles into 1st place for the regularal seson and the #1 seed going into the OK White conference tournament.  The Eagles face a tough week ahead of the conference tournament with 3 matches: Monday  vs. Unity (7:30 kickoff at Eagle Stadium) Tuesday @ EGR (6:45 kickorr at Meheny field in EGR) Thursday @ Holland Christian (7:00 kickoff at HC)  

The Varsity Eagle soccer team hosted the first of two OK White matches on Tuesday afternoon at Gainey Athletic Complex. The Eagles showed up ready to play and found the net early and often. The scoring opened up when senior Nick Cassiday received a beautifully played through ball from classmate Hans Pruis in just the 3rd minute of the match. Cassiday struck again in the 5th minute, beating several Greenville players to score unassisted. In the 9th minute, Pruis notched his 2nd assist, playing a ball across the mouth of the Greenville goal that was finished off neatly by Xavier Wright. The Eagles struck again quickly on a corner kick in the 10th minute when Cassiday served up corner kick to senior Drew deBoer who headed home the 4th goal of the match. The Eagles continued their barrage when senior Ben Kuiper netted a shot after collecting a rebound in front of the Greenville net in the 26th minute. Six minutes later, Cassiday struck for his third of the day, bending a free kick around the Greenville wall and into the side netting. Almost immediately, Cassiday scored his fourth after laying a ball off to a teammate who took a shot, the ball landed back on Cassiday's foot in front of the net. With just 13 seconds left in the half, Junior Parker Noesen took a shot from distance that beat the Greenville goalkeeper to finish the match.  The Eagles are hosting a Forest Hills Northern at 4:30 pm on Thursday at Gainey Athletic Complex in a showdown of OK White rivals. Eagles Fans are welcome to come out ot support the Eagles in this big match. 

The Varsity Eagle Soccer team hosted the Jenison Wildcats for a midday match on Saturday at Eagle Stadium. The Eagles jumped out early, getting on the board when senior Nick Cassiday took a short corner kick and dribbled past several Wildcats before slotting the ball neatly into the far post of the goal after just 3-minutes of play. The Eagles controlled the tempo of the match with their crisp passing and found the net aagain as senior Grant Hassenrik made a hard run to the endline with the ball and flipped it back to sophomore Jackson Mindling for a shot that senior Xavier Wright ultimately flicked past the Jenison goalkeeper to raise the halftime lead to 2-0.  The second half picked-up where the first left off with the Eagle controlling the play and creating shots on the Wildcats goal. 67-minutes into the match, Cassiday found the net for a second time off a neat pass from fellow senior Ben Kuiper. Just 5-minutes later, the Eagles doubled their halftime tally when Mindling was on the receiving end of a Cassiday through ball and was able to put it away past a sprawling Wildcat goalkeeper.  The Eagles are home for two key OK-White matches this week, hosting Greenville on Tuesday and Forest Hills Northern on Thursday. Both matches will be held at 4:30 pm at Gainey Athletic Complex.  (Click here for video highlights of the Jenison Match)

The Varsity Eagles soccer team took to the road Thursday evening to take on OK White opponent, Byron Center. The Eagles brought their passing game to the match and showed patience, contolling the ball and the pace of play from the kickoff. The Eagles got on the board early as junior Ian Velzen-Haner received the ball on the wing and crossed it in front of the Bulldogs' goal where senior Drew deBoer nodded it in emphatically with a beautiful header. The Eagles continued to work the ball around throughout the second half, but were unable to find the net a second time while the Eagles defensive unit was able to shut down the Bulldog counterattacks.  The second half picked up where the first half left off with the Eagles showing offensive patience until the 65th minute when Velzen-Haner found senior Ben Kuiper in the box for a tidy finish into the low corner making the score 2-0. Just three minutes later, senior Nick Cassiday found Kuiper again in front of the net to up the score to 3-0 with 12 minutes remaining in the match. With 5 minutes remaining, Cassiday received a pass from sophomore Jackson Mindling over the defense and tucked the shot away on the first touch to raise the tally on the night to 4-0. The defense remained strong throughout the night with goalkeepers Christian Dershem and Alexander Scofield sharing the shutout.  The Eagles return to action on Saturday as they host non-conference opponent, Jenison at Eagle Stadium at 11:30 AM. 

The varsity Eagles soccer team took to the field at Eagle Stadium on Tuesday night, hosting OK White opponent, the Forest Hills Central Rangers. Both teams created scoring opportunities in the early minutes before settling into the match. Although the Eagles were on the front foot, the Rangers got on the board first as a looping ball beat the Eagles goalkeeper about midway through the first half. The Eagles responded quickly as junior Ian Velzen-Haner drew the defense and slotted a ball into space where senior Ben Kuiper was able to blast it into the Rangers' net to level the score. The teams entered half-time deadlocked 1-1.  The 2nd half picked-up with the Eagles controlling possession, but the Rangers again capitalized on an Eagle missed clearance and took a shot the deflected into the upper corner of the Eagles net. Just a minute later, the Eagles looked to even the score up when they won a penalty kick, but were unable to convert. The Eagles resilience showed as they kept working their attack to find gaps and create opportunities. The Eagles finally leveled the game again about 7 minutes after going down a goal with the same Velzen-Haner to Kuiper combination, leveling the score at 2-2. The Eagles offense then broke out in the 60th minute as junior Johnny Clarkin slotted a perfect pass from the left wing across the Rangers penalty box where senior Nick Cassiday was tucked it away neatly to give the Eagles their first lead of the match. Cassiday struck again 4-minutes later when a drop-kick from sophomore goalkeeper, Christian Dershem, bounced past the Rangers defenders where Cassiday was able to finish the shot (4-2). Only 1-minute later, the Eagles earned a free kick near the Rangers' goal. Cassiday's free kick was saved by the Rangers' goalkeeper, but senior Grant Hassenrik showed hustle by poking the rebound home for a 5-2 lead. Three minutes after this goal, Cassiday received the ball near the top of the Rangers' penalty area and neatly tucked away the shot to for his third goal of the game, wrapping up the scoring for a 6-2 Eagle advantage. The Eagles continue their OK White campaign against Byron Center on Thursday evening (6:45 kickoff @ Byron Center) and return home to Eagle Stadium on Saturday monrning (11:30 am kickoff) to host non-conference opponent, Jenison. 

The Eagles Varsity soccer team traveled to OK White opponent, Northview on Saturday morning to take on the Wildcats. The late morning kickoff under sunny skies found both teams energized and ready to play. The Wildcats tried to pressure the Eagles, but the Eagles were able to control the ball and work through the Wildcats pressure throughout the first half. After creating many chances on goal, Senior Nick Cassiday broke the 0-0 deadlock by taking on several Wildcats defenders before poking a shot past their goalkeeper in the 28th minute of the match. The Eagles turned up the pressure when junior Ian Velzen-Haner came off the bench to provide some additional energy to the attack and ended up connecting on a pass from Ben Kuiper to get behind the Wildcat defense to double the Eagles' tally 2-0 before the half.  The second half saw the Eagles in control, earning a penalty kick when Senior Grant Hassenrik made an strong overlapping run into the box and was played the ball by Cassiday. As Hassenrik was cutting to goal, a Wildcat defender took him down, resulting in a penalty that Cassiday neatly tucked away to raise the score to 3-0.  The final 15 minutes of the match found the the Eagles playing down a man. With the score 3-0, the Eagles were called for a foul just outside the penalty area and the Wildcats striker was able to tuck a free kick into the corner of the goal, resulting in a 3-1 scoreline.  The Eagles are preparing for a big week with three matches. Tuesday night (09/14), the Eagles return home to host Forest Hills Central (7:00 pm kickoff). Thursday (09/16), the Eagles travel to Byron Center (6:45 kickoff) and Saturday (09/18), the Eagles host non-conference opponent, Jenison at Eagle Stadium (11:45 kickoff) to finish a 3-game week. 

The varsity Eagles soccer team found the net early and often against visitng Lowell in the opening match of OK White Conference play on Tuesday night. Eagles scoring began when Johnny Clarkin slotted a ball through to Nick Cassiday who beat the Lowell goalkeeper in the lower corner of the net just 4 minutes into the match. At the 16 minute mark, Cassiday beat 2 lowell defenders to the endline and slotted a ball back to Ben Kuiper who netted the Eagles 2nd goal of the half.  The Eagles came out flying in the 2nd half as Clarkin again found Cassiday who took a first time shot from 22-yards out, playing the bending ball into the upper corner of the Lowell net to make the score 3-0 just 4 minutes into the half. Cassiday was involved again when he got endline and slotted a ball across to Hans Pruis only 4-minutes later, making the Eagles tally 4-0.  The Eagles continued to control the game with 60% of the possession and ended the match with a 4-0 victory. The Eagles face off against Northview on Saturday monring (11:30 am @ Northview) and return home to Eagle Stadium on Tuesday night (7 pm kickoff) when they host Forest Hills Central.

The varsity Eagles returned home after a tough slate of road games to host the FHE Hawks on a sunny Thursday evening at Eagle Stadium. The Eagles started out strong, controlling possession and the pace of the game from the kickoff, stringing long passing sequences together and creating chances right from the kickoff. The Eagles got on the board first when senior Nick Cassiday played a ball through to fellow senior, Ben Kuiper to slot away his first goal of the season past the Hawk's goalkeeper.  As the first half progressed, the Hawks began playing a more direct style and, after a missed tackle by the Eagles defense, found themselves with an open shot in the Eagles penalty area to score and even the tally 1-1. The Eagles maintained good composure and continued to work the ball around until senior Hans Pruis connected with Cassiday to slot home a far post shot and take the 2-1 lead at the half.  The Hawks came out pressing hard in the 2nd half, looking for the equalizer, but the Eagles showed their teamwork, moving the ball and creating chances at goal while the Hawks looked to counter quickly whenever they got possession. Sophomore goalkeeper, Christian Dershem was called upon to make a diving save midway through the second half while the Eagles center backs, Jackson Mindling, Ethan Lenters and Eli Leegwater consistently thwarted the long ball from the Hawks. With less than 10-minutes left in the match, the Eagles pressure on the Hawks defense resulted in an Eagles' penalty kick which Nick Cassiday put away cleanly to raise the tally to 3-1 in favor of the home side. With the game seemingly under control, the Eagles created two more scoring opportunities in the final minutes of the match, only to put the ball just wide of the goal on both attempts.   The Eagles begin their OK White campaign on Tuesday evening at Gainey Athletic Complex when they host Lowell at 6:15 pm. 

The Eagles traveled to Division 1 contender, Portage Central on Tuesday and came out flying. The Eagles found themselves working the ball through the PC defense with a strong edge in possession (57%). This possession advantage led to a 2:1 advantage in shots as well, but the score remained 0-0 at the half as neither team could breach their opponent's goal.  Early in the 2nd half, Portage Central were able to split two Eagle defenders and put away a shot into the lower corner of the net, making the score 0-1 with nearly 30-minutes remaining in the match. The Eagles turned up the heat, controlling the ball and the tempo of the game, but were turned away by the Portage Central Goalkeeper on numerous occasions, leaving the Eagles unable to get on the board.  The Eagles return home to face a final non-conference foe (Forest Hills Eastern) on Thursday @ 6:00 pm before beginning the OK-White Conference schedule next week

The Varsity Eagles struggled to get their offense going against two top opponents in back-to-back games on Saturday morning. The Eagles found themselves on the back-foot early against both Holland and Gull Lake, conceding early goals and chasing the game. The back-to-back format left the Eagles out of gas in the 2nd game and resulted in a 0-5 loss to Holland and an 0-4 loss to Gull Lake.  The Eagles travel to Portage Central on Tuesday with hopes of rebounding against a strong Division 1 team and return home to Eagle Stadium on Thursday to face off against Forest Hills Eastern at 6:00 pm.

The Varsity Eagles traveled to South Christian for a heated match-up against the Sailors. The Eagles got out of the gate quickly with Senior Hans Pruis netting the first goal of the Game off a rebound just 6 minutes into the match. The Eagles worked to control the tempo, but the Sailors equalized about 25-minutes into the half against the run of play, leaving the half-time score 1-1.  The Eagles were asserting control of the ball in the 2nd half when the direct style of the Sailors put a dangerous cross into the box that the Eagles defense wasn't able to handle, resulting in a 2-1 Sailors lead. After a miscommunication with the officials, the Sailors capitalized on a quick restart just 3-yards from the Eagles goal to take a 3-1 lead. The Eagles responded within minutes of the Sailors goal when Senior Drew Deboard volleyed home a goal to get the Eagles within a goal (2-3). The Eagles showed the resilience that marks this team, regaining control of the ball and creating multiple attempts on the Sailors net with Senior Nick Cassiday beating multiple Sailor defenders to slot home the tying goal with just over 6-minutes on the clock. Both teams pushed to create opportunities in the final minutes. With 10-seconds left on the clock, the Sailors used their long throw-in to put the ball right in front of the goal in a crowd of players. Eagles goalkeeper, Alexander Scofield rose up through the crowd and punched the ball away as the clock ticked to 0:00, resulting in a draw. (Click here for video highlights) The Eagles continue their tough non-conference schedule on Saturday when they take on Holland High School and Gull Lake High School at Holland (games at 10:00 & 11:30) before traveling to Portage Central next Tuesday. 

The Varsity Eagles opened their 2021 campaign Saturday evening under the lights of Eagle Stadium against Grand Rapids Catholic Central (Cougars). The Eagles showed some first match nerves in the opening minutes of the game as the Cougars pressed high against the Eagles defenders in an attempt to force a mistake. The Eagles defense stayed stout, however, allowing the Eagles attack to settle into the pace of the game. The Eagles broke through and scored with less than 10-minutes to go in the first half as a Cougar defender blocked a Nick Cassiday shot, but Junior Ian Velzen-Haner was in the right spot to cooly tuck it into the net for the 1-0 lead.  The Eagles continued to assert themselves in the 2nd half with possession that broke through the Cougars defense. A quick outlet pass from Junior Ethan Lenters to Hans Pruis on the wing started a break. Pruis found fellow senior Grant Hassenrik on a cross - who laid the ball back to Cassiday for a shot from distance that resulted in the 2nd goal for the Eagles. Just minutes later, Cassiday beat a defender around the outside and found Senior Ben Klein who neatly tucked in the 3rd goal of the night for the Eagles.  The Eagles continued to move the ball and create scoring opportunities throughout the final 30-minutes of the match, but couldn't find the back of the net, ending the match with a 3-0 scoreline for the home Eagles. The 1-0 Eagles travel to face off against South Christian on Wednesday night at 6:45 pm. Click here for video highlights of the match.