The Girls Varsity Soccer team continued to find the net as it faced off against the neighboring Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills Bengals in the District semifinal match at Eagle Stadium on Tuesday evening. The Bengals defense held strong against the Eagles' attack for the first 25-minutes of the match with the Bengal goalkeeper coming up with several saves to keep the Eagles off the board. The Eagles finally notched the first goal of the match as senior Olivia Gray played a ball into junior Bryn Bonnema to open the scoring. Junior Kailynn Grieve was able to add to the tally just before halftime (38th minute) on a pass from senior Becca Burrows giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead at the half. The Eagles came out firing in the 2nd half with Grieve slotting home a shot off Gray's 2nd assist of the night just 2 minutes into the 2nd half. Only a minute later, Grieve assisted a goal put away by junior Ava VanOtteren to double the halftime tally and make the scoreline 4-0. Sophomore Emma VanGoor created a goal by getting to the endline and rifling a pass across the goal that was deflected in by a Bengal defender (listed as an "own goal") in the 46th minute. Just 10-minutes into the 2nd half, Grieve hit a corner kick that was headed into the goal by senior Becca Burrows to raise the scoreline to 6-0. In the 62nd minute, seniore Oliva Gray was the recipient of a long through ball from Burrows that she (Gray) tucked away after beating the goalkeeper 1v1. With only 9-minutes left in the match, a Bengals handball in the box resulted in a penalty kick for the Eagles. Senior Claire Cassiday stepped up and slotted away to finish the match. The 8-0 scoreline put the Eagles through into the District Finals against OK White rival, East Grand Rapids. The game will be played on Friday evening at 6:00 at Eagle Stadium. 

The Girls Varsity Soccer Eagles hosted Kenowa Hills on Thursday night in the first round of the District tournament. The Eagles were coming off a two-game winning streak and continued their scoring ways on Thursday night. The Eagles controlled the ball early and got on the scoreboard just under 3-minutes into the game when sophomore Emma VanGoor volleyed a corner kick into the net from Kailynn Grieve. VanGoor hit the net again just 7-minutes later after poaching a rebound in front of the Kenowa Hills goal. VanGoor returned the favor to Grieve in the 10th minute of the match by getting passing the ball to an open Grieve who tucked it away neatly to make the score 3-0. Senior Oliva Gray got into the action by finding VanGoor on a cross to earn an assist while VanGoor completed her hat-trick in the 18th minute. Gray picked-up another assist just two minutes later when she found junior Bryn Bonnema who took a first-time strike from distance that beat the Kenowa Hills goalkeeper. Grieve found the net a 2nd time off a pass from junior Lauren Hart at the 27:00 minute mark as the Eagles continued to control the ball and find scoring opportunities. The final goal of the first half was netted by junior Ava VanOtteren when she put away a pass from senior Claire Cassiday, putting the half-time scoreline at 7-0 in favor of the Eagles.  The Eagles came out in the 2nd half and moved the ball against the Kenowa Defensive block until Bonnema found VanGoor for her fourth goal of the night, ending the game 8-0. (click here for video highlights) The Eagles face-off against Ottawa Hills at 4:30 pm on June 1 in the District Semifinals at Eagle Stadium and will host the 2nd semi-final at 6:15 pm that evening as EGR will face-off against Wyoming-Kelloggsville. The winners of these two matches will play for a District Championship on Friday, June 4 at Eagle Stadium. 

The Eagles hosted Lowell for the final match of the OK White Conference Tournament on Wednesday night. The game was a rematch of a 2-2 contest early in the season. The Eagles focused on possessing the ball and created several scoring opportunities right from the kickoff. The Eagles finally found the net for the first time when Paris Rodgers (junior) scored 16 minutes into the match. With ample opportunities to add to the tally, the Eagles conceded a goal late in the first half against the run or play to enter half-time 1-1.  The Eagles came out with resolve to continue creating opportunities and, just 5 minutes into the 2nd half, found the net again. This time, on bouncing ball in the box, sophomore Emma VanGoor ran through the ball and bodied it into the net to make the score 2-1. Just 4 minutes later, senior Claire Cassiday netted her 2nd goal of the season on a pass from Rodgers. Rodgers earned another assist in the 55th minute on a cross to fellow junior, Kailynn Grieve. With a comfortable margin, the Eagles continued to show their ability to build the attack, eventually getting Rodgers into the box again where she was taken down, earning the Eagles a penalty kick. Grieve stepped up and coolly netted the Penalty to put the Eagles ahead 5-1 with 10 minutes to go. With the better of the attack, the Eagles earned a corner kick in the 72nd minute of the match. Freshman Ella Wolters whipped the corner into the near post and past the Lowell goalkeeper to net her first varsity goal and make the tally 6-1.  The 6-1 final was a strong conclusion to the OK White season for the Eagles and gives the a week to prepare to host Kenowa Hills on 5/27 in the first round of Districts at Eagle Stadium.  (Click Here to see video highlights of the match)

The Eagles hosted the Greenville Yellow Jackets Monday night in the 2nd round of the OK-White tournament. The Eagles hoped to rebound from a first round loss and opened up the scoring early on a shot from Claire Cassiday in the 2nd minute of the game. 8 minutes later, Kailynn Grieve scored on a pass from Olivia Gray. Grieve scored again 4 minutes later netting her 2nd goal of the night. Emma VanGoor got on the board just 45 seconds later by beating a Yellow Jacket defender around the outside and slotting a shot home to make the score 4-0 just 15-minutes into the match.  The 1st half scoring continued when Ava VanOtteren scored on a pass from Olivia Gray (her 2nd assist of the night). That combination repeated their effort just 6 minutes later whan Gray passed to VanOtteren who cut back in and slotted home a left-footed shot into the side netting. With just a few minutes left in the 1st half, VanOttern slotted a ball across the 6-yard box that senior Erin Cawley neatly tucked away for her first goal of the year, making the halftime score 7-0 in favor of the Eagles.  The Eagles continued to control the ball throughout the 2nd half and scored the 8th and final goal of the match when VanGoor crossed a ball into senior Becca Burrows who headed the ball past the Greenville goalkeeper to finish the match.  The Eagles will host Lowell at Eagle Stadium on Wednesday night (7:15 pm) in the final match of the OK-White tournament and will begin District play at home on May 27. 

The Varsity Eagles Girls Soccer team traveled to face the Holland Christian Maroons on Wednesday night in the final regular season match. The Eagles came out strong and controlled the play by moving the ball and exploiting space in the Maroons' defense. Unfortunately, the Eagles were called for a foul just outside their own penalty area about midway through the first half and the Maroons' attacker fired a shot into the upper corner of the net to put the Eagles down 0-1 at the half. The Maroons struck quickly in the 2nd half, taking advantage of a loose ball in the Eagles penalty area to go up 2-1.  The scrappy Eagles squad doubled-down and turned-up the pressure on the Maroons, ammassing 10 shots in the 2nd half and twice hitting the Maroons goal post. Sophomore goalkeeper, Oliva May turned away a Maroon penatly kick and the game ended with the Eagles on the short-end of the result with a 0-2 loss.  The Eagles have a short turnaround as they travel to face Forest Hills Central on Thursday night in the first round of the OK White Tournament at 6:45 PM. 

The Varsity Eagles soccer team faced an undefeated Unity Christian side at Gainey Athletic Complex on Monday evening. The visitors got on the board first, converting a well placed corner kick onto the head of a Unity attacker, leaving the host Eagles in a 0-1 deficit. The Eagles fought back with Junior Paris Rodgers working her way into the Unity penalty area and poking a shot past the Unity goalkeeper to level the score at 1-1 at the half. The Eagles struck first in the 2nd half on a strong effort from Sophomore Emma VanGoor to take their first lead of match. Midway through the 2nd half, Unity was able to find a way past the Eagles' defenders to level the score 2-2. Both teams battled to the end, but finished with a 2-2 draw.  The Eagles play twice more this week, visiting Holland Christian on Wednesday night (7:15 pm) and traveling to face Forest Hills Central in the first round of the OK White conference tournament on Thursday evening (6:45 pm).  Click Here for Video Highlights of the match.

The Varsity Eagles faced the East Grand Rapids Pioneers on Wednesday afternoon at Gainey Athletic Facility for Senior Day. The Eagles and the Pioneers battled throughout the first half to a 0-0 tie with the Eagles creating 11 shots, but unable to break through. As the 2nd half commenced, the battle continued until the Pioneers broke through midway through the half, floating a shot over the Eagles goalkeeper to take the lead. The Eagles pressed forward in search of the equalizer, but a foul a the top of the penalty area with 6 minutes remaining allowed the Pioneers to capitalize on a free kick to create a 0-2 scoreline in their favor. The Eagles celebrated the teams five seniors following the match with players and parents being recognized for thier contribution to the soccer program and receiving the Senior scarves. A big thank you to Becca Burrows, Claire Cassiday, Erin Cawley, Olivia Gray and Emma Witte for their leadership.  The varsity team seeks to rebound from the loss on Monday evening when they host non-conference opponent Unity Christian at Gainey Athletic Facility.

The Eagles Varsity Soccer Team traveled to Forest Hills Northern on Monday night to face the tough Huskies side. After battling throughout the first half, the Eagles found themselves down 0-1 and just missing a goal opportunity in the final seconds of the half. The Eagles struggled to hold off the Huskies' attack in the 2nd half, conceding 5 goals resulting in a 0-6 loss.  The Eagles return home to face OK-White rival East Grand Rapids on Wednesday night (6:15 pm @ Gainey Athletic complex) where they will celebrate their Seniors. 

The Varsity Eagles Girls Soccer team traveled on Friday night take on a tough Gull Lake side. The first half of the match saw both teams battling for possession with the Eagles gaining a slight edge and creating several chances. 15 minutes into the match, Gull Lake earned a corner kick that they converted to a goal, putting the Eagles down 0-1 early in the match. The Eagles continued to play well together, combining with each other through the midfield to build their attack.  The Eagles came out in the 2nd half with ready to attack. The 2nd half saw the hosts mount only 1 attack at goal (turned away by an aggressive play from the Eagles goalkeeeper, Olivia May) while the Eagles produced 11 shots. Still down by a goal and with time running short, the determined Eagles hit both the post and the crossbar with shots in the last 2-minutes of the match, falling just short of producing a draw. Soccer can be a cruel game - the Eagles out shot Gull Lake 14-3 on the night, but came up just short. The determined play of the Eagles demonstrates the heart of this team as they enter two weeks of important matches. The Eagles return to play on Monday against Forest Hills Northern (6:45 PM @ FHN) and will be hosting EGR on Wednesday night (6:15 @ Gainey) for Senior night. 

The Eagles Varsity Girls Soccer team hosted a hot, undefeated Byron Center side on Monday at Gainey Athletic Complex. The Eagles started the game hot, putting the visitors under pressure, forcing several corner kicks and eventually converting the first goal of the match in the first 10 minutes. Byron Center responded to tie things up before forging ahead just before the half to take a 2-1 lead. After conceding a third goal, the Eagles stormed with Junior Paris Rodgers converting a cross from Emma VanGoor to bring the score line to 3-2. As the Eagles pressed forward in the final few minutes to find the equalizer, BC managed to counter-attack and score the final goal of the match, resulting in a 4-2 loss for the home Eagles. The Eagles have a few days to train and prepare to take on a non-conference opponent, Gull Lake, Friday night. 

The Varsity Eagles Girls Soccer Team traveled to Forest Hill Central on Wednesday night to face the undefeated Rangers. The Eagles came out firing, disrupting the Rangers play with strong defensive efforts across the field, challenging for 50/50 balls and creating scoring opportunities. The Eagles struck first in the 27th minute when a Ranger foul resulted in a free kick from about 25 yards away. Junior Kailynn Grieve struck the free kick over the Rangers' defensive wall and into the bottom corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.  The Rangers came out strong in the 2nd half and scored quickly, knotting the game up 1-1 with 39 minutes remaining. The Rangers turned on the pressure, but the Eagles defended well and withstood the pressure. The Rangers finally broke the deadlock with 3 minutes left on the clock on a ball crossed into the far post that was knocked in by a Rangers attacker. The Eagles showed their "never quit" attitude and found a way to get 2 more quality attacks in the final three minutes, but ultimately fell just short. The Eagles return to training today in preparation for a home match against Byron Center on Monday at Gainey (6:15 pm). 

The Varsity Eagles Girls soccer team took to the field on a chilly and windy Monday evening to face off against Northview. The Eagles came out strong creating their first shot on goal just 4 minutes into the match. The Eagles got on the board first when senior Emma Witte played a pass into space for junior Paris Rodgers that created a breakaway attempt that Rodgers tucked away just 12 minutes into the match. The Eagles continued to push forward, controlling the attack and connecting again in the 20th minute, this time Junior Kailynn Grieve opened her account by tucking away a rebound off a shot from Witte. This combination connected again in the 28th minute as a Witte shot bounced off the crossbar and Grieve cleaned-up the rebound for her 2nd goal of the game. With 3-minutes remaining in the half, Witte played a ball through to Grieve at the top of the penalty area which Grieve tucked away nicely into the corner to complete her 1st half hat-trick and put the Eagles on top 4-0 at the half. Northview struck back on a corner kick early in the 2nd half to make the scoreline 4-1. The Eagles continued to get press forward, generating 7 goal scoring opportunities in the 2nd half and out shooting Northview 14-6 on the night.  The result puts the 2021 Eagles 2-3-2 on the young season as they head to Forest Hills Central on Wednesday evening to take on the Rangers at 6:30 pm.  Click here for video highlights

The Varsity Eagles Girls soccer team took to the field on a chilly and windy Monday evening to face off against Northview. The Eagles came out strong creating their first shot on goal just 4 minutes into the match. The Eagles got on the board first when senior Emma Witte played a pass into space for junior Paris Rodgers that created a breakaway attempt that Rodgers tucked away just 12 minutes into the match. The Eagles continued to push forward, controlling the attack and connecting again in the 20th minute, this time Junior Kailynn Grieve opened her account by tucking away a rebound off a shot from Witte. This combination connected again in the 28th minute as a Witte shot bounced off the crossbar and Grieve cleaned-up the rebound for her 2nd goal of the game. With 3-minutes remaining in the half, Witte played a ball through to Grieve at the top of the penalty area which Grieve tucked away nicely into the corner to complete her 1st half hat-trick and put the Eagles on top 4-0 at the half. Northview struck back on a corner kick early in the 2nd half to make the scoreline 4-1. The Eagles continued to get press forward, generating 7 goal scoring opportunities in the 2nd half and out shooting Northview 14-6 on the night.  The result puts the 2021 Eagles 2-3-2 on the young season as they head to Forest Hills Central on Wednesday evening to take on the Rangers at 6:30 pm.  Click here for video highlights

The Varsity Eagles Girls soccer team took to the field on a chilly and windy Monday evening to face off against Northview. The Eagles came out strong creating their first shot on goal just 4 minutes into the match. The Eagles got on the board first when senior Emma Witte played a pass into space for junior Paris Rodgers that created a breakaway attempt that Rodgers tucked away just 12 minutes into the match. The Eagles continued to push forward, controlling the attack and connecting again in the 20th minute, this time Junior Kailynn Grieve opened her account by tucking away a rebound off a shot from Witte. This combination connected again in the 28th minute as a Witte shot bounced off the crossbar and Grieve cleaned-up the rebound for her 2nd goal of the game. With 3-minutes remaining in the half, Witte played a ball through to Grieve at the top of the penalty area which Grieve tucked away nicely into the corner to complete her 1st half hat-trick and put the Eagles on top 4-0 at the half. Northview struck back on a corner kick early in the 2nd half to make the scoreline 4-1. The Eagles continued to get press forward, generating 7 goal scoring opportunities in the 2nd half and out shooting Northview 14-6 on the night.  The result puts the 2021 Eagles 2-3-2 on the young season as they head to Forest Hills Central on Wednesday evening to take on the Rangers at 6:30 pm.  Click here for video highlights

The Varsity Soccer Team traveled to Portage Central on Saturday to take on the host team and Plainwell in an invitational tournament. The Eagles opened up their day facing off against the an organized Portage Cetral team that took advantage of their opportunities to open up a 2-0 lead at the half. The Eagles adjusted and came out strong in the second half with Senior Olivia Gray lacing a first-time shot into the net off a cross from Sophomore Emma VanGoor to bring the Eagles within a goal. As the Eagles pressed to find the game tying goal, Portage Central was able to find the net for a third time from distance, leaving the Eagles on the short end of a 3-1 scoreline.  Click Here for the Highlight Video The Eagles responded well in the 2nd game of the day against a strong Plainwell side. The Eagles took control of the ball immediately and started creating chances on goal. Plainwell jumped out to the lead on their first shot of the game from distance, beating the Eagles goalkeeper. Senior Emma Witte brought the game level with a left footed shot that bent into the far post to level the score before halftime. The Eagles created more opportunities immediately off the 2nd half kick-off and continued to press to find the go ahead goal. This came with just under 10 minutes left in the game when Junior Paris Rodgers laced a shot from an angle that just found its way inside the far post. The Eagles maintained over 60% possession in the game and grabbed their first win of the young season with a 2-1 result. Click here for the Highlight Video

The Varsity Eagles Soccer team resumed their campaign after spring break by visiting Lowell on Wednesday evening. The Eagles conceded an early goal (15-minutes) as they were trying to get their legs under them and find rhythm in their play. The Eagles responded well in the first half, turning the run of play in their favor creating several chances on goal that were thrwarted by the Lowell goalkeeper and went into the half facing a 0-1 defecit.  The Eagles came out strong in the 2nd half, continuing to turn up the pressure and eventually broke through in the 50th minute when Junior Kailynn Grieve converted a penalty kick to level the score. The run of play continued in favor of the Eagles as they struck again, just two minutes later when Senior Becca Burrows poked in a corner kick from Grieve to take a 2-1 lead. The chances continued for the Eagles, but Lowell was able to strike back from distance in the 59th minute, leveling the game at 2-2. The Eagles turned on the pressure and created several shots in the final minutes of the match that ended in a draw.  The Eagles continue their season at Portage Central on Saturday as they face two opponents, Portage Central and Plainwell. 

The Varsity Eagles hosted Middleville Thornapple-Kelloggsville (TK) on Wednesday night for the team's third match in six days. TK got on the board early in the first half as the Eagles were adjusting to some new positions and led the match 3-0 at the half. The Eagles conceded two more goals to TK in the first 15 minutes of the second half and faced a 5-0 deficit. The stubborn Eagles continued to press and find ways to create chances on goal, finally opening up scoring for the home side on a shot from junior Bryn Bonnema (66th minute) from outside that beat the TK keeper. The perseverance of the Eagles paid off when Emma VanGoor turned the corner on the TK defender and slotted home a shot just inside the far post with just 2 minutes left on the clock. The Eagles weren't done, however. Junior Kailynn Grieve dribbled the ball into the box and was fouled with 30 seconds left to earn a penalty kick which she converted to bring the Eagles within 2 goals in the waning seconds of the match.  Click here to see the game highlights. When the final horn went off, the Eagles fell short with a 3-5 deficit on the board, but showed the resilience and GRIT to respond from behind. The Eagles will be off until after Spring Break and resume play on 4/14 against Lowell.

On a windy Monday evening, the Eagles Girls Varsity Soccer team hosted the Cougars of Grand Rapids Catholic Central. The Eagles started the first half playing into a stiff wind. The Eagles kept the ball moving on the ground and found several good attacks from their wing players, the Cougars struck on an unfortunate ball played in the wind that deflected off an Eagles' defender and past Eagles goalkeeper, Olivia May. The Eagles mounted several additional attacks and created goal scoring chances in the remainder of the half, but a foul called against the Eagles resulted in a free kick for the Cougars. The Cougars used the wind on their free kick and lofted a shot into the upper corner of the Eagles goal putting the home side down 2-0 at the half.  Although the Eagles had the wind at their backs in the 2nd half, the physical Cougar defense held the Eagles to just a handful of good chances in the 2nd half while the Eagles defense stood firm and shut down the cougars attack, resulting in a final result of 0-2 in favor of the visiting Cougars.  The Eagles take to the field again Wednesday night for their last match before Spring Break as they host Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Eagle Stadium.

The Varsity Eagles soccer team took the field for the first time on Friday night (March 26) to face a tough South Christian side. The young Eagles withstood an initial flurry from the Sailors and gained some control of the ball. Although the Sailors struck first on a breakaway against the Eagles defense, the Eagles' Paris Rodgers responded wth a goal to tie the game 1-1 on scramble in front of the goal. The Eagles conceded again in the 1st half, but responded with another Rodgers goal in the 28th minute leaving the score 2-2 at halftime.  Both the Eagles and the Sailors created multiple scoring chances in the 2nd half, but neither team was able to break the tie. After 80 minutes of end-to-end soccer, the match ended in a 2-2 draw.  The Eagles return to action on Monday evening at Eagle Stadium as they host the Grand Rapids Catholic Central at 7:30 pm.