In the last match of the season, the Eagles traveled to cross-town rivals East Grand Rapids for a rivalry game. The boys played a very energetic first half with consistent pressure on the EGR back line. With an aggressive showing, they were able to challenge and win for 50/50 balls, intercept EGR attacks, and progress the ball up the field with pace. There was consistent pressure on the East Grand Rapids goal with Max Visser belting a volley off a bouncing ball that rattled the entire goal. Eventually, all that work paid off with Visser combining with Will Bush to send the ball through up the wing. Nate Evenhouse broke free and chased it down to send the ball into the bottom corner and get the Eagles up 1-0 at half time! Knowing EGR was going to come out aggressive in the second half to tie the game, the boys had to soak up some pressure for decent periods of time. With confident and disciplined defending from all defenders, though, EGR could not find a way through. Grand Rapids Christian continued to try and move the ball up the wings and got some shots on goal through out the half. Some fancy feet by Jose Pedraza nearly resulted in an individual goal as well. The boys were able to tick off the seconds to end the season on a 1-0 win! A great season of growth and effort by the boys this year, and we look forward to seeing them progress and come back next fall!

The Eagles made their way over to Forest Hills Northern on Monday night for another rematch of a regular season game. Knowing that Forest Hills Northern (FHN) was looking for redemption against the Eagles win from earlier in the season, it was essential that the boys were mentally prepared for a battle of a match. However, the plague of sluggish starts continued for the Eagles as we struggled with low energy levels throughout the first half. The pattens of play and ideas were there to see, but the sense of urgency and execution let us down in the offensive portion of the game. The defense remained stout, though, as the back line of Abel denDulk, Will VandenBerg, Graham deJonge and U'Maree Talley held firm as well for 0-0 half time score. With 35 minutes left to play, it was up to the boys to try and take a hold of the game and make a difference. Max Visser continued to look to split the FHN back line to send the winger playing into the space. The Eagles were able to get some crosses in and some shots off through Micah Rogers and Max. With the game ticking away, a FHN received a red card to give the Eagles an advantage with 10 minutes to play. It was short lived, as FHN found the net shortly after with an unstoppable shot into the far upper corner. The boys looked to respond, but FHN kept a lot of bodies behind the ball to stymie any real chances, ending the game in an 0-1 loss. The Eagles will meet with East Grand Rapids at their home turf for the final game of the season on Monday 10/10 at 5PM.

The JV Eagles hosted Northview at Eagle Stadium on Tuesday night in a rematch from a 1-0 win earlier in the season. Trying to build off of last Friday's performance, the boys were challenged to go out and dominate the game right away. Northview proved to be an organized opponent and kept the Eagles from producing any good shots on goal. Similarly, the Eagles defense was able to shut down any threats that Northview tried to pose on us. This led to a stalemate at halftime with a scoreline of 0-0. Energy was injected into the squad for the second half, with attempts to move the ball across the field quickly and exploit the space on the wings for the Eagles to get the ball in the box. Overall, the half was dominated by Grand Rapids Christian with the wingers putting in good work up the sides through Nate Evenhouse, Arie Nol, Tate VanHaven and Josh Dykema. The end result just wasn't there for the evening, and the game ended with a 0-0 draw. The boys will be back on the field at Forest Hills Northern on Wednesday night in another rematch at 5:30PM. 

Friday afternoon took the Eagles out to Unity Christian High School for a classic match up. The Eagles came out looking ready to play quickly and dominate the ball early. Midfielders Micah Rogers and Tyler DeBoer were responsible for keeping the ball moving back and forth across the field to try and find the open space for the wingers to play into. The boys did a good job of challenging for 50/50 balls and remained responsible in possession, however, the first half didn't produce any goals for either team heading into half time. The challenge for the second half was to maintain the momentum from the first half, but to turn it into a finished product. Communication levels and tenacity were paramount in trying to get some shots on goal with U'maree Talley proving himself a menace to Unity's forward line, allowing them no chance before progressing the ball forward. Finally, with about 10 minutes in the half, a ball came to Caden Hoving at the top of the box where he was able to find Jose Pedraza. Jose used a touch to set himself up before belting a beauty low and hard into the side netting to get us the 1-0 lead. Not 2 minutes later, a chance ball up the right was diligently chased down by Nate Evenhouse who got a foot on it to roll into the net getting us up 2-0. The center back pairing of Abel den Dulk and Max Michael, with Will Bufalini behind them, shut down Unity's offense for the clean sheet!

Tuesday night brought Byron Center out to Eagle Stadium on a classic Michigan fall night with cool temperatures and a steady rain coming down. The Eagles struggled to match Byron Center's intensity and energy in the first half. Most of the duels and 50/50 balls came out with Byron Center taking control of the ball. This caused us to have to soak up the pressure for long periods and rely on long balls over the top to create chances. Eventually Byron Center was able to break the deadlock with less than 10 minutes left in the half by winning the ball near our box and rifling a shot into the bottom corner for the Eagles to go into half time down 0-1. Once again, the second half proved to be much better by the Eagles as they started to create chances. Particularly good link up play by Ty Erickson helped us move the ball across the field to find space for the wingers. This led to a great chance with the ball played up the wing to Nate Evenhouse who was able to pull off the cross to Seth Rozema who met it with his head, sending the ball just wide. Despite this, a lapse in defensive concentration resulted in another goal for Byron Center twelve minutes into the half. The boys continued to fight and showed great patience on defense. A goal was pulled back by Will Bush after a neat give and go through Max Visser and Seth, but a second goal couldn't be found to end the contest with a 1-2 loss. The last game of the regular season will find the Eagles out in Hudsonville for a 4:30 match against Unity Christian.

With the first chill of the school year in the air, the JV Eagles hosted the Rangers of Forest Hills Central (FHC) on Thursday evening at Eagle Stadium. A historically tough matchup, the Eagles had to come prepared to play and challenge for the ball against the FHC Rangers. However, the first half was a generally slow showing by the boys as energy seemed low. A couple of good chances were created by the midfielders and forwards, but a lot of the game was played back and forth in the midfield. With just about 7 minutes to go though, Micah Rogers received the ball near the opponents 18 yard line. A slick through ball to Will Bush ended with him poking the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead into half time. The Eagles looked re-energized in the second half and dominated the ball much better. Some good play between Ty Erickson, Max Visser and Nate Evenhouse nearly created a goal, but FHC held firm. Even with good play, the Eagles couldn't find the net again, ending the game with a hard fought 1-0 win. The last regular games of the season takes place next week for the Eagles.

Tuesday night brought the Red Arrows of Lowell out to Eagle Stadium for a 6PM matchup with the JV Eagles. The boys started the game well and controlled the ball through out the midfield. Midfielders Tyler DeBoer, Micah Rogers, Caden Hoving, Jose Pedraza, and Max Visser constantly cycled the ball from left to right, looking to release the wingers in the space behind Lowell's defense. Lowell played a high defensive line that caught the Eagles attacking line off-sides a couple of times. Once the winger's runs started to go diagonal, the Eagles were able to get the ball in the box to get some shots off, but couldn't find the back of the net. The half ended 0-0. The second half continued the Eagles search for a goal, but it was cut short after about 8 minutes due to lightning ending the game at 0-0. The Eagles find themselves pitted against Forest Hills Central on Thursday evening.

Saturday brought the Eagles out to Jenison in a matchup against the Wildcats of Jenison High School. The first half played out very evenly, with neither team really controlling the ball for long periods of time. The Eagles got a couple of chances to send the ball up the field with Nate Evenhouse getting a shot off at the keeper, but the half ended 0-0. Looking to get more direct in the second half, U'Maree Talley had a couple chances up the right wing, constantly beating his defender. Unfortunately, the Eagles couldn't find the back of the net on any of the chances. Caden Hoving provided another opportunity up the left side with 6 minutes to go, getting the ball in front of the empty Jenison net, however, an unfortunate bounce sent the shot straight into the crossbar to end the match even. The Eagles have two home games this week against Lowell and Forest Hills Central to continue their season.

The JV Eagles came up against the Pioneers of East Grand Rapids on Tuesday night in an eagerly awaited rivalry match up. Kick-off started with the Eagles applying steady pressure to East Grand Rapids back line. The boys fought to challenge for balls and tried to play the ball up the wings to get it into the box. A good long ball from Abel den Dulk nearly found Ty Erickson on the line to send the ball in. The first half ended an even contest at 0-0. Looking to connect more in the second half, the Eagles again began to apply pressure. Will Bush did a good job holding up the ball at the top of the box to lay it off to one of the number 10's in either Max Visser or Caden Hoving. The work eventually paid off, with a scramble in the box that Caden was able to poke into the back of the net. Stout defending from goal keeper Josh Dykema and defenders Graham de Jonge, U'Maree Talley, Oscar Tholen, and Asa Bremer-Bennett kept the Pioneers off the board for a well earned 1-0 win. The Eagles will play again on Saturday morning against Jenison High School.

The JV Eagles played the second conference game of the season Thursday night for the first time in Eagles Stadium against Northview High School. The first half was a sluggish matchup, with neither team controlling the ball or the tempo of the game making shots few and far between. The second half was much more energetic with the Eagles challenging for balls and making plays across the field. The worked hard to get the ball up the field and it finally paid off when Josh Dykema was fouled in the opponents box. Max Visser slotted the ball into the bottom left corner from the PK spot to put us up 1-0. The Eagles continued their pressure with the ball working its way to Seth Rozema at the midfield line. He drove the ball at the opponents to play a give and go with Visser before taking a shot. The Northview keeper was not able to handle the ball and it went into the the net. Will Bush kept the clean sheet in goal for the match with solid defensive work from Oscar Tholen and Graham deJonge. The Eagles are back in action next week for the rivalry match against East Grand Rapids High School at Eagle Stadium on Tuesday night.

On Tuesday night, the JV Eagles were back out on the field for the first conference match-up of the season against the Huskies of Forest Hills Northern (FHN). After a long weekend with some rest, the boys looked ready to play as the game started. The team showed good aggression and looked to challenge FHN on loose balls. However, the Eagles struggled to connect with team mates and tried pushing the balls up the wings. A good look came from Ty Erickson who got to the opponents end line and tried to slot it back. FHN ended up with a couple of chances, one of which deflected past the Eagles keeper into the net to go into halftime down 0-1. We responded well in the second half and continued to play physical to try and win balls. Tyler DeBoer and Jose Pedraza showed particularly well in winning balls. As the Eagles had more of the ball, the chances came as well, with Arie Nol putting in a shift on the left wing to win the ball back and drive it at the opponents goal. He got his head up and crossed in for Will Bush to get on the end of and tie up the game 1-1. A couple more chances came until the last 5 minutes of the game. Isaac Williams sent in a free kick from the edge of the penalty box that Micah Rogers was able to get on the end of for a looping header into the net to put the Eagles up 2-1 and end the game. A good response from the JV boys after going down a goal that will hopefully carry into Thursday's home match against Northview at Eagle Stadium.

Thursday night sent the Eagles out to East Lansing High School for the last non-conference game to start the season. Coming off of Tuesday's match, it was time to see how we could respond as individuals and a team with another challenging game. The boys started aggressively out of the gate, challenging for the ball and trying to move it up the field. Midfielders Tyler DeBoer and Micah Rogers had to work particularly hard on both sides of the ball to try and win it back and move it into the offensive half. However, a slight lapse in concentration when the Eagles tried to play the ball out of the back led to East Lansing pouncing on a loose ball to put it into the net for us to go into half-time 0-1. Again, this was an opportunity for the boys to respond and they tried to get the ball up to the wings for players Arie Nol, Tate VanHaven, and Nate Evenhouse to get the ball up the sidelines. But, just 3 minutes into the second half, East Lansing took a chance and sent a ball into the upper 90 from 25 yards out. The boys worked hard to get back into the game, but East Lansing put another on the board with 12 minutes left in the game. The Eagles responded immediately to this and worked the ball nicely up the field for Max Visser to slot through to Seth Rozema for a tidy finish and to get us on the board. After working so hard for that goal, the Eagles got caught sleeping and East Lansing chipped one in to end the game 1-4. The young Eagles have worked hard this season and we learn something from each game to improve upon. They are back in action next Tuesday for a home matchup agains Forest Hills Northern.

The JV boys soccer team had the opportunity to host Portage Central Tuesday's breezy afternoon. Portage Central is a historically good team and Tuesday proved no different. Portage was able to control the ball for most of the half as the Eagles struggled to gain traction. It proved difficult to connect with teammates and Portage Central hustled hard to win balls. After 20 minutes of action, Portage's ball control proved too much and they opened the scoring. They ended the half scoring two more goals to send us into the break 3-0 down.  The JV boy's tried hard to get back into the game in the second half, but Portages ball movement was too strong and they scored three more in the second half to end the game with a 6-0 loss. Will Bufalini came up with some big saves during the match to keep the score where it was. This is a great opportunity for growth with the JV boys to take a moment and see how we can respond as individuals and a team and look to improve.

This Saturday was the Gull Lake Invitational which proved to be a real test for the JV Boys Soccer Team. It was a double header against two very good teams in Gull Lake HS and Holland High. The boys played the first game against Gull Lake and came out looking very good. The teamwork and ball movement helped the Eagles create some chances and control the ball. However, Gull Lake was also very good in this respect. The match was even for a long time before Gull Lake broke the tie with a break away. The defensive group of Abel denDulk, Isaac Williams, U'Maree Talley, Ryan Lautenbach, and Oscar Tholen showed good resilience, but some lapses in concentration in the last five minutes created two quick goals to finish the first game with a 3-0 loss. As the heat built, the Eagles came out for the second game against Holland High School. Another very good team, the fatigue began to show for Grand Rapids Christian. It became hard to control the ball as Holland swarmed every time we had the ball and scored 15 minutes into the first half.  The second half the Eagles changed the approach to be more direct to try and get the ball into the opponents box. It was working and they created some decent chances. Again, fatigue sat in, but good showings from Arie Nol, Nate Evenhouse, and Ty Erickson created some opportunities. Holland scored again shortly later, but Isaac Williams brought one back off a free kick. The game ended with Holland winning a penalty and slotting away for a 3-1 loss. The boys will get some rest before the next match against Portage Central on Tuesday!

The JV boys soccer team found themselves back on the pitch on Wednesday night for a real test against the Sailors of South Christian. In a rivalry game like this, it's always important to attempt to start the game on the front foot and the Eagles did just that. They were able to make connections on the field and create a couple of chances. A nice break through came off of some build up play, when Max Michael took a shot from 25 yards out, only to hit the upper 90 of the woodwork. Tate VanHaven was alert and was able to slot the ball home from the rebound for the 1-0 lead.  South Christian began to build pressure and had a couple of great opportunities, only to be stymied by keeper Will Bufalini. The second half was a defensive effort by the boys as South Christian kept us in our own half for a majority of the time. Some last ditch defending and scrambling kept the Sailors off the board until about 10 minutes left in the game when the pressure became a bit too much and South Christian equalized to end the game in a 1-1 draw. The boys are back in action on Saturday for some tough matchups against Holland High and Gull Lake at the Gull Lake Invitational.

The JV Eagles were back in action for the second game of the season at Lee High School on Friday night. Building off of the momentum of the win earlier in the week, the boys started nicely and got on the board with just 5 minutes of the game played. Abel denDulk won the ball with his head off of a corner from U'Maree Talley. Just 15 minutes later, Ty Erickson beat everyone else to a header off of a cross from Micah Rogers.  Abel got another tally in the score column with a free kick from 30 yards out that the opposing keeper couldn't get a solid hand to and sent us into halftime with a 3-0 lead. The second half started just how the first half ended, with good interplay and passing between the team. Just 7 minutes in, a foul near the half line was quickly taken by Will VandenBerg to Tyler DeBoer. He was able to slot the ball through the defense for Ty to rifle into the net for his second of the game. Fatigue started to set in and play got a little sloppy, with a goal conceded in the 65th minute. However, the Eagles came out with a 4-1 win. The season continues with a tough test against South Christian at home next week!

The first game of the 2022 soccer season found the Eagles pitted up against Catholic Central. After a couple weeks of training and preparation, now was the time to see how that work paid off.  The first half was an even challenge, with Grand Rapids Christian showings spurts of life in the final third, but were unable to capitalize. The first half ended in a 0-0 tie. Going into the second half, the Eagles dominated possession and posed a constant threat to the Catholic Central defense. However, the shots just wouldn't find the back of the net. Some especially neat play by Micah Rogers almost ended in grabbing the lead. With 20 minutes left in the game, a corner was claimed by Abel denDulk to open the scoring for the season and get the lead.  There were some nervy points on defense to end the half as the ball was mostly on the opponents side of the field, but they held firm with Will Bufalini claiming a clean sheet. Great job to the boys and the season continues on Friday with a game against Lee High School!