Monday night found Northview High School visiting Eagle Stadium for the last game of the JV Boys soccer season. With the cool air of fall finally arriving, it was a perfect night for a game of soccer. The Eagles showed up ready to take care of business right away, dominating possession. Every 50/50 ball was challenged and the boys worked hard to create combinations with teammates through quick passing and give and go's. Gerrit Boer and Alberto Aliaga found themselves in the thick of the action on the left side of the field with a quick 1-2 pass creating space for Alberto to get the ball to the baseline. He picked his head up and found Will Bush in the middle of the box for an easy finish to go up 1-0. Alberto then got on the score sheet 10 minutes later, sending an absolute rocket of a free kick straight into the Northview net. Central defenders Graham de Jonge, Oscar Tholen, andTyler Wolters cleaned up anything that came their way, while Eli Wise, Jacob Brink, Alex Nelson, and Mergen Shinetulga provided outlets for playing the ball up the sidelines. One more goal came right before half-time with Sasha Neykov sending a ball out wide to Becket Nieuwenhuis who one timed it across the face of goal for Will Bush to send it home for a 3-0 halftime lead. Continuing their excellent play, Gerrit got another assist to Will Bush very quickly. The ball was switched across the field into Gerrit' path. Showing beautiful control, Gerrit brought the ball into his path and slotted a perfect ball into Will's path for a finish into the bottom corner. The Eagle's showed great composure the rest of the half with midfielders Will VandenBerg, Caden Hoving, Max Rodwell, and Will Gruennert always keeping a tempo with the ball moving to finish out the game with 4-0 scoreline! Congratulations to all the boys on an excellent season and all their hard work to learn and improve. Go Eagles! The second half continued the Eagles excellent play

In a primetime Thursday night showdown, the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles got the opportunity to play under the lights at South Christian for the second game in two days. Despite playing a game the night before, the Eagles came out of the gate with a high intensity style of play that immediately put the Sailors under pressure. Midfielders Caden Hoving, Sasha Neykov, and Alberto Aliaga moved the ball extremely nicely through the middle of the park, looking to set the tempo and find feet. As usual, the outlets on the wings of Nate Evenhouse, Gerrit Boer, Arie Nol, and Andrew Brink allowed GRC to stretch the Sailor's defense. The best opportunites came through switch the ball side to side which produced the first goal of the game. Switching the ball from right to left found Gerrit settling the ball off of his chest to cut in before slotting Will Bush in on goal where he expertly finished to cap off a dominate first half, 1-0. Knowing South Christian would try and adjust, the challenge for the second half was to keep the intensity from the first half. The Eagles continued to dominate the ball, but struggled more to keep possession after South Christian's changes. Will Gruennert and Max Rodwell showed good determination to get the ball in promising positions before Alberto nearly capped off a fine combination with the deftest of chips that a defender cleared off the line. With the game winding down, South Christian attempted to get chances through set pieces. As a ball came across the Eagle's box, a 50/50 ball that the referee deemed an impingement resulted in a Sailor penalty. They dispatched the PK for a 1-1 score line to end the game. The Eagle's have on last game next week Monday against Northview!

For the second time this season, the Eagle's of GRC found themselves up against the Hornets of Greenville. With the sun setting and warm temperatures, the boys kicked off the game at 6PM. Things got off to a fast start when Will VandenBerg sent a free kick in from the half over the heads of Greenville's high defensive line. Will Bush raced onto the ball and was able to send it home for a quick score. In a very similar manner 3 minutes later, Will VB took another free kick over the heads of Greenville's defense and Will Bush was able to race onto it once more. This time, however, he slotted the ball to the middle of the box for Alberto Aliaga to send home for the second goal. Will Bush was in the mix of it again, finding himself on the left side of the field and competing with his defender to win the ball and send it across the field into the onrushing run of Nate Evenhouse. Nate kept his composure and finished the play for a 3-0 halftime lead. After a sluggish first half in possession, the Eagles showed more desire for the second. Attempting to connect to teammates and create combinations, they were able to get more chances on goal. Switching the ball from side to side proved to be effective with Nate making a run up the right before sending the ball into Alberto at the top of the box. He found Gerrit Boer on the left who chopped inside to beat his defender before sending the ball into the back of the net on the nifty play. Each team continued to battle throughout the half when right at the end, Nate provided once again with a cross that Bush was able to flick home for  the 5-0 scoreline. Alex Nelson kept the clean sheet in the second half with defenders Jacob Brink, Graham de Jonge, Tyler Wolters, and Mergen Shinetulga pitching in to keep Greenville out. The Eagle's follow up yesterday's game with one today against the Sailors of South Christian!

For the second time in a week, the Eagles faced off against the Red Arrows of Lowell. Knowing that Lowell would come out seeking retribution for last week's game, the boys of GRC knew that they would have to stay focused in order to see out a result. The Eagle's showed good discipline in possession, attempting to keep the ball in our possession and create chances. Often the ball would be moved to the wings with Gerrit Boer easily able to get past his defender and either serve up a cross or get a shot off. Nate Evenhouse showed his pace on the right side, frequently leaving his defender behind to get the ball in the box. Good link up play found Will Bush with the ball at his feet where he was able to turn and split Lowell's defenders for Nate to race onto the ball and finish low into the corner, putting the Eagle's 1-0 up at halftime. The battle continued into the second half as Lowell showed their scrappiness to try and disrupt and patterns of play. However, with Andrew Brink and Gerrit on the wings, it was too much for the Red Arrows. The ball progressed up the field on the right side before a switch of fields once again found Will Bush at the top of the box. He played the ball into Gerrit's feet who neatly beat his defender before cutting in and ripping a shot into the net. The Eagles continued to threaten the goal with Ty Erickson bouncing shots off of the crossbar and the defense holding stout by winning headers through Tyler Wolters and Graham de Jonge for Josh Dykema to keep yet another clean sheet and a 2-0 win! The Eagles continue the season on Wednesday at Eagle Stadium!

Thursday night brought the Crusaders of Unity Christian out to Eagle Stadium for a non-conference match that was sure to be a gritty game. The Eagles knew they were going to have to work hard in this match as Unity showed that they could maintain possession and create chances through their attacking line. More than ready for the challenge, the Eagles were able to create chances of their own, challenging for possession through the middle of the pitch. Will VandenBerg and Sasha Neykov were able to spread the ball to the wide areas for Nate Evenhouse and Gerrit Boer to challenge their defenders with pace and skill. Discipline in transitions proved to be critical as the back line stymied any movement from the Crusaders. A breakthrough came 20 minutes into the match through Andrew Brink showing a nice piece of skill to leave his defender scrambling and resorting to a foul in the box. Graham de Jonge stepped up to dispatch the penalty confidently for a 1-0 halftime lead. Knowing that Unity would fight to get one back, remaining disciplined in transitions proved to be extremely important in the second half. The Eagles continued to fight for the 50/50 balls as possession between teams became more sporadic. Becket Nieuwenhuis showed good skill to leave his defender in a heap on the ground and play a ball into the run of Ty Erickson who showed nice composure to skip past his defender, get the ball to the baseline, and get his head up for a smooth pass into the path of Alberto Aliaga. The shot went into the keeper, but showed the boys the chances they can make. For the final 15 minutes, the Eagles continued to clean up the ball and keep Unity out for the 1-0 win! The Eagle's season continues with a match at Eagle Stadium on Monday against the Red Arrows of Lowell!

With a little bit of a chill and some rain in the air, the Eagles traveled east out to Lowell for the last conference game of the season. Right out of the gate, the Eagles showed they came to play with a dominant display in the midfield from Alberto Aliaga, Sasha Neykov, and Will VandenBerg. They continually outplayed the Red Arrow midfield by moving the ball quickly to the wide areas of the field. Nate Evenhouse continually outpaced his defender to get multiple crosses into the box with just the finishing touch missing. However, the breakthrough came in the 18th minute after winning a corner. Alberto served the ball up to the near post and Will Bush sent a bullet of a header into the net. Just 4 minutes later, the roles reversed, with Will Bush sending Alberto through on goal after splitting the defenders. Alberto finished the play with a nifty outside the boot flick for a 2-0 halftime lead. The boys kept the pressure on in the second half with Will Greunnert putting pressure on the Lowell back line to steal the ball back. Showing great composure, he beat the keeper by rounding him and slotting the ball home. The scoreline didn't last long with Will Bush and Will VandenBerg connecting on a nice give-and-go at the top of the box for Will VB to send the ball into the side netting. The second half defensive line of Mergen Shinetulga, Alex Nelson, Oscar Tholen, and Owen VanderWerf held stout to keep the ball out of Josh Dykema's net. The Eagles move into the next matchup on Thursday at Eagle Stadium against Unity Christian!

In the third game of the week, the Eagles had a home match-up on Saturday morning against the Jenison Wildcats. The first half played out with both teams attempting to gain control of the game, but each struggled to possess the ball for long periods of time. It took the Eagles about 15 minutes to get into the game after a slow start with the team attempting to execute a style of play. With no goals from either side, the half ended 0-0. The second half proved much better as the Eagles began to get comfortable and create more chances. The efforts paid off with Nate Evenhouse setting up Will Bush 15 minutes into the half to get the go-ahead goal. Dominating the half, the Eagles created many more chances, but just couldn't get the finishing touch on them. The defense held out with goal keeper Josh Dykema keeping the clean sheet in the 1-0 win. Another road game is in store for the boys as they head out to Lowell on Tuesday for the next match!

In the first home game for the Eagles in nearly 3 weeks, the boys looked to bounce back after Tuesday's game against East Grand Rapids. The Eagles put a big effort in controlling the game by connecting passes to teammates and executing the fundamentals to the best of their ability. It took a little bit to get the rhythm of the game down, but the Eagles were able to provide options for each other through quick play with the ball moving between players at speed. The breakthrough came after 13 minutes when Will VandenBerg sent a free kick into the Hornets box and Caden Hoving was able to control the ball with his first touch before sending the ball into the net. 3 minutes later Will Bush got on the score sheet with a fine corner from freshman Gerrit Boer. Sophomore Nate Evenhouse added to the tally after a good split pass from Will Greunnert after working the ball through the midfield. Greenville got one back with some confusion from the back line providing them an opportunity. However, Will Greunnert and Max Rodwell had a nifty give and go at the top of the box for Will to finish and add back on to the lead for a 4-1 halftime score. The second half picked up right away with the Eagles continuing to connect their passes to teammates and move the ball quickly. The boys won a corner, with Gerrit serving it up and this time Alberto Aliaga connected with a header to put the ball into the net. Just a couple minutes later, Will Bush battled for the ball in the Hornets box and got the ball baseline before getting his head up for a nice slotted ball to Sasha Neykov to dispatch into the corner. The roles then reversed with Sasha playing Will for another tally shortly after. In the 22nd minute, Tyler was able to get on the end of a nice pass from Max Rodwell to get his goal. Josh Dykema nearly scored a 35 yard belter that ricocheted off the post when he was given some space from the Hornets defense. And finally, Becket Nieuwenhuis provided a nice assist to Andrew Brink to smash home to wrap up the scoring. Eli Wise, Graham de Jong, and Mergen Shinetulga worked hard to protect keeper Alex Nelson for a second half clean sheet. The Eagles wrap up the week with a 10am home game to Jenison on Saturday!

Tuesday's match didnt' take the Eagles too far away for a cross town rivalry with the Pioneers of East Grand Rapids. The boys started the game extremely positive, creating a handful of shots against EGR's keeper. Between Will Bush, Alberto Gimeno, Nate Evenhouse and Gerrit Boer, the Eagles kept knocking on the door to try and put that first goal in. However, after 20 minutes, the Pioneers caught the defense on the break and were able to poke home a goal. In a push to try and equalize before the half, the game turned a bit frantic with both teams struggling to maintain possession and keep the ball. The second half found the Eagles pushing to gain control. East Grand Rapids kept their positional discipline very well making it difficult for the forward line to set each other up for success once the ball got into the attacking third. The midfield worked extremely hard with Caden Hoving, Sasha Neykov, Max Rodwell and Will Gruennert trying to keep the ball fed to the attackers. It looked like an equalizer might materialize with Ty Erickson receiving the ball at the top of the box, but East's defense converged to get the block in. The fight continued to the last whistle, but this time the Pioneers get the bragging rights with an 0-1 loss. The Eagles look to bounce back for the first home game in 3 weeks against Greenville on Thursday!

Thursday's second game of the week for the Eagles brought them out to Northview High School for yet another away conference matchup. Anticipating another tough game, the goal of the match was to create chances through connecting with teammates. It did not take long for them to make the connections work out with a nice up, back and through pattern played through to Will Bush to finish off with the assist from Alberto Gimeno just one minute into the game. The next goal came just 6 minutes later, this time with Alberto finishing off a nice play that came from the width this time. Gerrit Boer received his ball on the right side before passing the ball to the top of the box for Alberto. Will Bush got his second goal of the match after a lung busting run from Graham de Jonge up the right side of the field for a slot into the box. To finish off the half, Will VandenBerg delivered a free kick straight into the goal after some good play by Owen VanderWerf to win the foul and send the Eagles into the half with a 4-0 lead. The second half started where the first left off, with Will Bush completing his hattrick off a corner from Gerrit just a minute in. Their connection popped up once again 9 minutes into the half, with Gerrit receiving the ball and beating his defender to slot Bush in for his 4th goal of the game and Gerrit's hattrick of assist's. Gerrit was able to get on the scoresheet himself by winning a PK and sending it into the net. Northview got a goal back after a ball was cleared by Alex Nelson, but a Northview player one timed it into the empty net. The match was completed after a slotted ball found Nate Evenhouse's feet for him to slot home nicely. Overall, a great performance by the Eagles and good preparation for the rivalry game next week against East Grand Rapids!

The away game marathon continued for the Eagles on Tuesday night in another conference matchup against Forest Hills Northern. The trend of starting slowly continued for the Grand Rapids Christian boys in this game as well. Forest Hills Northern played a pressing style of soccer that did not allow much time on the ball for anyone. As a result, the Eagles struggled to connect passes and build the attack. Neither team created many chances to score and often found themselves clearing the ball long to relieve pressure. The best chance of the half came through some nifty passing from midfielders Max Rodwell and Alberto Gimeno to send the ball wide for Arie Nol to get a nice cross in, but the half ended 0-0. The second half started much better as the Eagles fought to win 50/50 balls and get some opportunities through the channels. 13 minutes into the half, Max won the ball in the midfield and found a nice pass over the heads of Forest Hills' defense. Will Bush used his athleticism to out run his mark and slot the ball home. The defense held resolutely with Tyler Wolters putting in an hard shift tracking defenders and cleaning up the ball. With 7 minutes to go Forest Hills Northern found themselves in the box and Tyler moved to clean up the play. The result was judged by the ref to be a penalty that Northern was able to send home. This left a bit of frantic play in the last 5 minutes as the Eagles pushed for a goal, however, the game finished with a 1-1 tie. The Eagles continue their road trip against Northview on Thursday!  

This weeks second game brought the Eagles down to Byron Center High School for a Thursday night match-up against the Bulldogs. As expected, the Bulldogs provided a difficult matchup for the Eagles in their home stadium. It was essential to use all the space provided on the field in order to break through the midfield. However, the adjustment took a while in the first half with the boys struggling to connect. Alberto Gimeno had a shot stopped by an excellent save from Byron Center's keeper to keep the score at 0-0 into half time. It took a couple of minutes into the second half for the Eagles to find their rhythm. Eventually they were able to connect passes a little better, but still found it difficult to take hold of the game. The diligence paid off with 13 minutes left in the game. Gerrit Boer received the ball wide on the right before taking on his defender. With quick feet, he split the outside back to find an overlapping Will Gruennert who slotted the ball into the middle of the box for Caden Hoving to send it home. The Eagles locked it in for the last 10 minutes before Alberto sent a long ball up the field where Will Bush out-muscled his defender to put a second goal in with 2 minutes to go! The Eagles fought for the game and will continue with the season next Tuesday.

The JV Eagles traveled out to Forest Hills Central on yet another warm Wednesday night to hit the field against the Rangers. The didn't stop either team from coming out strong to try and get an early lead. Both teams traded attacking sequences, but could not find any end product. The Ranges tried to play the ball through the middle of the field to their two strikers and create combinations. The center back duo of Graham de Jonge and Tyler Wolters did a great job of putting pressure on them to ensure the Rangers had limited opportunities. The big battle was in the midfield, with Caden Hoving, Alberto Gimeno and Max Rodwell trying to find pockets of space. 26 minutes into the first half, the determination paid off with Will VandenBerg finding space right in front of the defence before sending a long diagonal ball up the field. Will Bush easily outpaced his defender and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner for a 1-0 halftime lead. The heat began to wear on the boys in the second half as fatigue began to show. The first twenty minutes were flat and lacked energy. The only opportunity came with Will Gruennert showing some quick feet in the offensive half. Forest Hills Central tied up the score with some gritty play up the right side of the field. That kicked the Eagles into gear and they found an extra level of energy. This ended up with a ball being played up the right side through Nate Evenhouse who was able to get a cross to the back post. Alberto got his head on it, but it hit the crossbar. Will Bush was ready and nodded the ball back home to take the 2-1 lead with 7 minutes to go in the game. The boys held out with some gritty defending from Alex Nelson and Mergen Shinetulga and goalkeeper Josh Dykema keeping the ball out of the net. A gritty team performance to end and will be needed for the next game against Byron Center on Thursday night!

On Saturday evening, the JV Eagles faced the visiting Trojans of East Lansing High School for another historically tough game.  Both teams struggled to create a rhythm with possession of the ball consistently being traded. Initially, the Eagles struggled to win the 50/50 balls and were constantly having to work to gain it back after free kicks. There was some good one touch team play from Gerrit Boer and Max Rodwell to move the ball up the field on the wings, but East Lansing struck before half after a free kick bounced in the 6 yard box a Trojan forward was able to poke it into the net for a 0-1 halftime score. The second half was positive, with midfielders Caden Hoving and Will VandenBerg finding the forwards feet to create space. Despite the effort, the boys could not find the equalizer taking a tough 0-1 loss. The team is back at the stadium on Thursday at 4pm for a matchup with Potter's House.

Game cancelled due to heat.

The JV Eagles headed out to Holland for an annual invitational with Holland High School and Gull Lake. Historically, these teams provide a tough test for the boys at the beginning of the season. The game against Holland started at 10AM with the team showing good organization out of the gate. The game was physical right away with fouls being won across the field. With the team defensively solid, Graham de Jonge and Tyler Wolters kept the team organized as the ball transitioned from offense to defense.  The second half provided some good chances to get a goal, but was just missing the end product. Excellent midfield play from Will VandenBerg, Caden Hoving, and Max Rodwell continued to set up the forwards and wingers with chances. In the end, the game finished 0-0 but with some good signs from the Eagles.

The JV Eagles had back to back games on Saturday with the second one against Gull Lake. With legs starting to get more tired, this game was always going to be a challenge. However, the boys started extremely positive with balls being played to the games wingers of Arie Nol and Ty Erickson. A ball out to Arie 7 minutes into the game proved a catalyst. He beat his defender before playing the ball into Alberto Gimeno who was able to control nicely before spotting the run of Will Bush. The slotted ball was set up perfectly for Will to poke it into Gull Lakes goal for a 1-0 lead. The Eagles continued to dominate possession and chances throughout the game with great work from wingers Gerrit Boer, Nate Evenhouse, Andrew Brink and Becket Nieuwenhuis constantly threatening Gull Lakes defenders. The defense held stout as well, with Jacob Brink, Eli Wise, and Mergen Shinetulga shutting down the opponents offense. Overall, a great day for the Eagles!

Welcome to the 2023 season! The JV Eagles had the privilege to open their season on Wednesday night at Eagle Stadium. After a couple of weeks of tryouts and practice, the boys were ready to put their abilities to the test in a game. A positive start saw the Eagles move the ball around the field with purpose. With a focus on trying to get the ball into the box, they guys worked hard to get the first shot. It didn't take long, with Sasha Neykov winning the ball in the midfield fromthe opponents goal kick. He played the ball forward into the path of Alberto Gimeno who was able to control the bouncing ball and slot it in the corner for the first goal in the 7th minute. 12 minutes later, Caden Hoving controlled the ball at the top of the box, before sending a curling shot into the bottom corner for a 2 goal lead at half time. The second half started just as positive with the boys showing good energy to win the ball high up the field. Ty Erickson won the ball on the right side of the field, playing the ball to Will Bush. Will took the ball up the field before slotting the ball back for Ty who coolly put the ball in the net. Four minutes later, Will VandenBerg took control of the ball in the middle of the field and was able to play a nice slotted ball into the path of Will Bush. Controlling nicely under pressure, Will was able to send the ball into the net.  Fatigue set in as the game went on, but there was still some good one touch passing and movement to keep the ball in our possession. Josh Dykema and the defense kept the clean sheet and the game ended 4-0 for a great start to the season! The Eagles are back on the field for an invitational in Holland on Saturday. Go Eagles!