East Grand Rapids High School

EGR Varsity Field Hockey v. Spring Lake Lakers- 9.12.24 Last night, the Lady Pioneers traveled west to take on a feisty Spring Lake in a spirited contest. This was EGR's 3rd OK Conference Field Hockey tilt and it proved to take a big effort to overcome the hard-nosed play of the Lady Lakers. It took a half, but the EGR squad lowered their shoulders, laced up the boots a little tighter and got to business in finishing off a victory with a 1-0 result. The good play of the Spring Lake goalie kept the Lady Pioneers off the board until the 4th quarter, despite numerous point blank attempts and an overwhelming number of penalty corner opportunities. The Lady Pioneers finished with 15 penalty corners. However, ultimately, the EGR team had its Seniors step up and make the difference. Senior co-captain Kellan Hudson ('25) made sure to stretch the Spring Lake defense by being able to pick balls out of a scramble and play wide for the offense to put consistent pressure on the defenders. Henny Maher ('25) continued her consistent and smooth control in the midfield and in the midst of a scramble in front of the net with 7:30 minutes remaining resulted in her slotting in her first ever goal. Addie Behler ('25) was able to be a steady force ont eh right, periodically pushing forward with the ball to force the defense to pack into their own end of the field an never allowing them the opportunity to use their breakout speed. The few times they did, the steady play of Isla Westra ('25), Kelly McMahon ('26) and Senior co-captain Addie Gessner ('25) kept the Lady Pioneer defensive end locked down. Overall, the Lady Pioneers did what was necessary to take home an unconventional win, their third in the OK Conference and putting them atop the table with five more contests to bring them home to a potential title. With continued improvement and teamwork, this team is looking forward to their next games- this weekend on the East side of the state against Grosse Point North and South, and next week at home, back in OK Conference play, against Hudsonville and Forest Hills United.