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It was a season that ended sooner than hoped for, yet it was another season of incredible soccer that made friends and family proud. The Huskies played very well indeed, ending as SMAC Finalist and District Finalist . Thank you players and coaches for treating family and friends to excellent soccer all season long; thanks for the memories! Thanks also to Ed Stinson for writing game summaries after each game. Re-live the excitement by reading the game summaries below.

Facebook users please see these updates on our facebook page also: PN Facebook Page

For a Link to Varsity Game Photos Click here: Game Photo or see other links on our photo page.

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One of our assistant coaches Eric Carlson is offering Training at her new facility.

Click here to check out Erin's facility and training options: CrossFit AZO

Also one of our prestigous Alumni Anna Stinson who is attending Illinois State will be working thier Summer Resident Camp.

Please click here for details. ISU Summer Camp

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May 23, 2011 vs. BC Lakeview SMAC Semifinal Game

“DUCK”!  That is the new rally cry for the Portage Northern Head Bangers, otherwise known as the Huskies.  Players are walking around staggered like it’s the late rounds of a title fight.  The last two weeks have seen four Huskies suffer concussions, all having missed or will miss multiple games.  With the conference tournament going on and districts around the corner, it’s enough to give all involved a headache.  Tonight, many new and young players stepped up to fill some voids, and Northern prevailed in the conference semi-final over Battle Creek Lakeview, 4-1.
But it was the most experienced Huskie who got the scoring going.  Laura Glass struck a free-kick from 25 yards out with just two minutes off the clock to give Northern a 1-0 lead.  Laura was assisted on the play from three fans, which were the first soccer fans all year to come with faces painted, donning all Huskie attire.  Funny thing was they weren’t Northern students.  Lindsey Fillar and Jessica Heimonen (Portage Central… more about this school later), and Casey Lamp (Hackett), were Laura’s competition in high school golf, but now great friends.  You can have sleepovers with your rivalry competitors when the sport is golf; soccer, not so much.
At the 25 minute mark, Hannah Scafaria netted a goal off an assist by Danielle Melgar.  Then, just before the half ended, Sammy Kay fired up what could only be described as a fast ball-screwgy-knuckleball-slider to the catcher (goalie), who could not get a glove (hand) on it.  Northern led 3-0 at the half.
Northern’s youth who saw their first action on varsity this year included Lauren Bye (nice job in the midfield) and Felicia Murry (“Fee” had a few shots on goal in a fine varsity debut).  In all, six freshmen saw action in the game (others being Emily Juzwiak, Kelsey Lewis, Bailey Burchette, and Grace VanderSloot).
The Huskies scored once early in the second half, with Kay scoring her second goal of the night.  The Spartans finally countered with 20 minutes left in the game, but that was the final marker for either team. 
This game started a few minutes early as word of a possible approaching storm cut short the pregame activities.  For Senior Sydney Block, this felt like the wrong decision.  Sid has played some of her best games in rain and mud.  Her love of everything water (swimming, boating, etc.) has most likely contributed to this.  But it almost didn’t turn out that way.  When Sid was six years old, the family was enjoying a boating day on Gull Lake.  A very fast approaching storm caught the Blocks off guard, but the boat wouldn’t start.  Sid’s three year old brother Jack had confiscated the “kill switch” and shut down the boat.  With the help of a small trolling motor, the family barely got back to shore, alive.  Sid said she would never, ever go on the water again.  In this cold, rainy spring of soccer, luckily Sid enjoys the water again.
And of course, the conference finals, Tuesday, May 24 at PC.  There will be a big sleepover for both teams and fans after the game.

#19 Laura Glass Fan Club	Katie wins the Header
Morgan chases down the ball	Sydney sends the ball down field
Erin sends the ball towards the net	Karli fights the keeper for the ball
Felicia sends the ball in	Kelsey beats the defender
Lauren pushes the ball down the field	Regan charges the keeper

 

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May 20, 2011 vs EGR

Friday’s game in Grand Rapids against EGR finally saw the Huskies playing in beautiful Spring Weather. The game was set on Grand Rapids’ picturesque field located next to a lake as the Huskies took on the 2nd ranked D2 team in the state. Playing on the field deemed the “mistake by the lake” The  Huskies played a spirited contest and managed to go into the halftime trailing 2-0. The field according to EGR faithful was built too short, too narrow and 6’ out of square when the turf was placed…thus the nickname of the field . The Huskies saw Maggie Woolley see time in goal for the second half for the first time this season after nursing knee injury all year.  The Huskies behind a stingy defense and Maggie in the goal shut out EGR in the second half, but still failed to put a goal on the board and came up short 2-0…but the effort was great and the Huskies had multiple quality shots  in the second half as they  controlled most of the play. The Huskies play on as BC Lakeview comes to Husky field Wednesday to continue the conference playoffs.

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May 18, 2011 vs. St. Joe again

Groundhog Day 2.  Blake Glass drummed up the moniker for this game, as only two days ago St. Joe made the trip to Portage Northern for a Crossover matchup.  The result of that game left these two teams ironically seeded to face each other once again, in the first game of the conference tournament.  To make the Groundhog Day comparison even more legit, Northern scored its first goal at the 25 minute mark of the first half, the exact same time it scored in the game two days prior.  That was the end of the first half similarities though, and eeriness followed, as the Huskies struggled to put the ball in the net for the rest of the half (Monday they scored seven more times in the first half to end the game at halftime). 
That first goal came off the foot of Erin Prior, unassisted.  Late in the half Sam Kay smacked the crossbar and then hit a 20 yard strike that the goalie made a great diving save on, and Northern hobbled into the half with a 1-0 lead. 
For those fans fixing their seat pads, getting food, using the restroom, or texting… they missed the first goal of the second half.  Shelby Adams gathered up the opening kick of the half, and with 12 seconds elapsed in the half, put a nice shot over the head of the goalie for a 2-0 lead.  For those still in the bathroom less than two minutes later, they missed the next goal also.  Kelsey Lewis punched in a splendid cross pass from Casey Shauman.  Then, Shauman to Kay, who worked her patented “turn and gun” shot into the net.  Then (Groundhog Day 3):  Shauman to Kay again.  The sixth goal came on an Adams “shake and bake” from 35 yds out.  The final goal for Northern came with Sam Kay returning the favor to Shauman, who scored to end a great offensive day with a goal and three assists.  St. Joe scored with a minute left to make the final score 7-1.
Regan Crowell had an excellent first half for the Huskies.  The senior has had scoring success in her minutes of playing time this year, scoring five goals for the year.  It took a pretty major event for Regan to infuse an interest for soccer in her life.  Her first love was being a percussionist; she practiced often as a toddler, using spoons and stainless steel pots, perhaps to the dismay of others in the house.  Then, in July of 1999, she flew to California and watched the USA Women’s soccer team beat China in the World Cup finals at the Rose Bowl.  Regan’s great grandfather owned the company that constructed the Rose Bowl, which added a sense of pride for the event.  Regan’s goal turned to being a professional soccer player rather than a professional drummer.  Currently though, she “simply” plans to just turn her faith and awesome academic achievements into a successful life, but the World Cup will always be a great memory! 

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May 9, 2011 vs. Marshall

In the East Crossover matchup, Portage Northern traveled to Marshall to fight for seeding in the conference tournament.  Most of the action in the first half took place just beyond the soccer field, where a high school track meet was being run.  The event-filled meet created noise and excitement, while the soccer game took on a moan and groan atmosphere.  But most of this uneventful half was due in large part to the game plan of Marshall, to simply defend their end… but they were fierce and focused in making their game plan work to a scoreless halftime.
The Huskies came out in the second half, led in large part by the hustle of Shelby Adams, and created chances nearly evenly all half long.  At least four of those chances came in the form of one-on-one’s with the goalie, and like excitedly getting an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, only to have it tumble out of the cone and into the dirt, each opportunity was punched into the goalie’s midsection.
Marshall started to loosen up in the second half and had about a half dozen shots on goal, including one with two minutes left that scooted just inches outside the post.  One minute later a Casey Shauman shot hit the goalie’s hand and into the underside of the crossbar (wow, was that the net inside the crossbar moving like it was hit with the ball… with the instant replay machine down for maintenance, we may never know).
Bring on two ten minute overtimes that brought the same scoreless result, and due to the fact this was a seeding game for the conference tournament, onto a regular season shootout.  Northern goalie Jenna Long had just finished a fine, active shutout (more on Jenna later); but the Huskies trotted two goalies out for the shootout.  With visions of sticking two goalies in the net at one time, Northern fans beamed with delight.  But the two would end up alternating each shot. 
After the first round of five, the shootout was knotted at 4-4.  Laura Glass, Sammy Kay, Katie Sorensen, and Shelby Adams all found the net.  The sixth shot by each team was rejected.  Erin Prior smoked in the seventh shot with confidence.  Then Sidney Block rejected the final attempt by Marshall and the Huskies escaped with the victory.
It takes a certain kind of mindset to stake a claim in front of the net.  Senior Jenna Long did what needed to be done in this game.  The mindset works well on the soccer field, but sometimes not so well in the home.  Earlier this week, when Jenna’s dad Jack was working with a power tool in the basement, the dust caused the smoke alarm to go off.  Jenna yelled “can you turn that thing off”?  Her mother yelled back, “maybe it’s a fire”.  “Yah, but can you turn it off” Jenna countered.  But in the dust and smoke alarm, Jack nearly cut his finger off.  Bleeding, he came upstairs and determined he needed to get to the emergency room.  Jenna, more focused from the blood, was excited now:  “Cool, can I take you to hospital, I have never seen stitches put in”.   It takes a certain type of person to play goalie… but sometimes you need to leave the game face at the office.

Katie wins the ball	Danielle fights for possession
Brianne back in action.	Sammy sends the ball in
Shelby with a nice crossing pass	Laura beats the keeper with the first PK goal
Jenna stops a PK	Sydney with the winning stop

The Celebration.

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5/5/11 PN def Gull Lake 4-1 

In Honor of Senior Night the Write Up will consist of the Senior Profiles. The Huskies came out to play in the typical cool rainy weather this season has given the girls. With multiple injuries and only 14 field players the Huskies honored thier Seniors Admirably by pounding out the win. Sammy Kay pounded 2 nice goals past a talented GL goalie, and Casey ended her scoring slump with 2 well placed second half goals. Thank you Seniors for your Leadership and dedication to this team of girls over the years.

Sydney Block #0

Sydney’s parents are Scott and Amy Block.  Sydney has been playing soccer for many years and has been a proud Husky varsity player for the last 3 years as a goalie. Although she tends to be the muddiest player on the field, her smile and laughter always brighten the team’s spirits.  Her future goals include going to KVCC to get pre-requisite classes finished then transferring to WMU to finish a degree in nursing. Although nursing is a tough field to get into, Sydney will be ahead of the curve having earned academic honor awards at PNHS. Winning a tournament after stopping every shot in a shoot out is her favorite soccer memory, one we can all envy!  Her role models include her parents because they are always there for her and help her every day.

CONGRATULATIONS SYDNEY AND BEST OF LUCK AT KVCC

Samantha Kay #5

Samantha’s proud parents are Kristin and Scott Kay.  Sam has been an integral part of the Husky varsity offense for the last four years playing as a forward.  Her strength and determination have made Sam an invaluable asset to the team. This year she also stepped up and took charge of the team as one of the captains, helping to command a very young Husky team. Her passion for Portage Northern soccer embodies the true meaning of Husky Pride.  Sam has also been very successful outside of soccer earning highest honors while in high school.  Her future plans include Attending Ferris State College on a combination academic and athletic scholarship where she will be playing soccer as a Lady Bulldog. Her most unforgettable soccer memory is beating Portage Central and scoring the winning goal with only three minutes left in the game.  Sam’s role models are her parents and the Sorensen family because they are just so cute.

CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST OF LUCK AT FERRIS STATE! 

Regan Crowell #13

Regan is the daughter of Keith and Sharon Crowell.  She came to Portage Northern only two years ago and has played on the varsity team for one year.   She has played for Portage Lightning Soccer Club prior to coming to PNHS.  Playing as a midfielder and forward, Regan has shown her presence many times on the pitch especially when she scored four goals against Battle Creek Central this year.  As a junior, Regan was awarded highest honors at PNHS.  Regan is planning on keeping her mind sharp this coming fall by attending Western Michigan University’s Honor Program.  Her most memorable soccer moment is attending the team dinners.  Regan’s role model is Jesus.   

CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST OF LUCK AT WMU REGAN!

Jenna Long #17

Jenna’s parents are Jack and Kathy Long.  She has played for Portage Northern as a defensive player and goalie for four years, two of those years on varsity.  Many a ball was stopped before making it into the net by Jenna’s quick thinking and fast reflexes. Like most of Portage Northern athletes, Jenna is not only a winner on the soccer pitch but is also a winner with her scholastics, achieving academic highest honors and being deemed an EFE Outstanding Business Senior.  Her future plans include attending Spring Arbor University and getting a double major in Business Administration and Marketing.  Jenna does not have one particular favorite soccer memory; they all revolve around the team as the girls are “so awesome and great to be around”.  Her role models are her parents as they have taught her almost everything that she knows and they have made her who she is today.

CONGRATS JENNA AND BEST OF LUCK AT SPRING ARBOR!

Laura Glass #19

Laura’s parents are Blake and Sara Glass.  She has been a varsity player for four years as a sweeper, stopper, marking back and central midfielder.  Her defensive skills have kept goals against PN to a minimum.  She brings her multi-sport athleticism to the soccer pitch and is able to stave off the toughest opponents.   Laura keeps her mind as sharp as her soccer skills by participating in the National Honor Society, the Latin Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She has also received Highest Honors at PNHS, been a recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution Award and received the B’nai B’rith Award.  Her unweighted GPA is an impressive 4.0. Her future plans include playing golf while attending Bethel College and majoring in Mathematics and Spanish.  Her most memorable soccer moment is when she scored her first goal of the 2010 season at Mattawan. When she was running back she saw her parents in their van honking and her Dad was waving out the window.  It was extra special as it was just after her Dad got out of the hospital and he was not expected at that game.  Her role models include her Grandmother, her parents and her brother. Each of them has overcome many challenges and has faced them with a positive attitude, perseverance and faith.

CONGRATULATIONS LAURA AND GOOD LUCK AT BETHEL! 

Seniors Laura, Sydney, Sam, Jenna, and Regan	Seniors and thier Parents celebrate Senior Night

Casey Drives Upfield	Erin on the Attack	Laura clearing the ball out of the back
Regan on the run	Kelsey keeping possesion	Shelby beating the defender
Savannah Looks to distribute	Sam with her second goal	Danielle wins the ball

 

 

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May 4, 2011 vs. EK

When it comes to playing East Kentwood, it pays to play at home.  For at least the last five years, the home team has been the victor.  EK has artificial turf; PN real grass.  The scoreboard looked artificial to Huskie fans, as the Falcons rang up six goals, four in the first half and two late in the game.

Northern scored twice in the first half to keep things interesting.  The first goal came from All-state golfer Laura Glass, who put away her nine iron and got out her three iron… from 50 yards out, putting the ball just above the goalies outstretched arms.  With three minutes left in the half, Casey Shauman worked a perfect cross that Sammy Kay trapped and finished.

The goal seemed to spark the Huskies, who dominated play for the first 20 minutes of the second half.  But EK regrouped and scored twice more late in the game, to complete the 6-2 victory.  There were some excellent individual matchups and performances for Northern, but the Huskies got a little lax near the goal, with the Falcons punching in three or four of their goals from loose balls in the box.

Please join the Huskies Tonight vs Gull Lake at Home as we honor our 5 Seniors in their last year as Lady Huskies.

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Monday May 2 vs Loy Norrix

As the Sun struggled to peak out of the clouds, and by struggle I mean it never made it out,  the Husky faithful settled in for yet another cold day of soccer. Where are you Spring?

The Varsity took the field at Loy Norrix after a fine performance by the JV Lady Huskies who won 6-0.

This game would contain many firsts for the Season. Today had no Ed Stinson to provide his usual insightful and in depth recap.  Today would also be the 1st game for the Huskies on Loy Norrix’s field with their new impressive Wind Screens that carry the LN logo….PN soccer boosters were seen conspiring to raise even more money after the car wash weekend as they salivated over the opponents Wind Screens. As they all huddled all we could hear was, wow that would look so cool in Orange, but “don’t tell Margie.”

Another first for the season was the game contained 2 Hat tricks…a Scoring Hat trick for Sam Kay, and an assist Hat Trick for Casey Shauman. Danielle Melgar, who had a great cross that resulted in classic header by Nicole Berry, will now be forever know as  “Miguel Melgar.” Everyone played well as the entire team that was not in the PN infirmary got substantial field time. Jenna Long got her first minutes in the Goal this season as she had a second half shut out to compliment Sydney’s first half shut out, and with the final first of the day….Grace Vandersloot in her first game as a permanent varsity member scored her first varsity goal  to complete the 8-0 mercy of Loy Norrix.

Wow, a lot a firsts…on the East Kentwood Wednesday.

Katie Drives the ball Downfield	Nicole takes on the defender
Hannah 1v1 against the Goalie	Sam shows off her low Center of Balance..
...and Scores	No one gets past The Wall
Grace serves the ball ahead	Erin controls the Serve

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April 29 vs. Lakeview Spartans
Half way through this season, and the sun finally provided some warmth and gave notice of spring.  The shining sun made evident the blooming hyacinths, daffodils, tulips… and the McClish family, fair-weather fans making their first appearance of the year.  Welcome home Master Defender Natalie McClish.
Another first for the season; Breanne Bye making her first appearance after recovering from an injury.  Bre played well in getting her wind back, until getting injured late in the game.  Hopefully not a serious injury, as the fan applause upon her entrance and upon her departure underscores her defensive value.
The first half of this game made one wonder whether the Lady Huskies got up at 4AM to watch the Royal Wedding, or the Lakeview Spartans played tough enough to take the Huskies out of their game.  The Spartans physical defensive play did indeed take the Huskies out of their game, enough to make the Huskies look a little lethargic.  The main bright spot for Northern occurred at the mid-point of the first half, when Kelsey Lewis hit a perfect header into the net, the start of a great all-around game for the freshman.  The score came off a cross from Danielle Melgar, who had fired up a few splendid crosses before this one.  That goal gave Northern a 1-0 halftime lead. 
With the first half moving along at a slow pace, the fans were extraordinarily quiet.  But upon closer look, nearly 75% of them were actually having dinner, eating hamburgers and chicken sandwiches from the Chez Huskie Grill.  Here is a mid-season toast to Master Concessionaire Tom Huss, tackling the volunteer job that most mortals run from.  Even with his daughter Josie nursing a season-long and ending ACL injury, Tom has still kept the concessions going.   THANKS TOM.
With Lakeview short-handed in the beginning and suffering two more injuries during the game, and with a different (but same) Huskie team taking the field, Northern pressured the Spartan goal for most of the second half.  But with all the pressure and shots on goal, PN scored just once more, with just seven minutes left.  Karli Fisher, with a little fancy footwork found Sammy Kay, who launched a soft but strategic 25 yarder just over the outstretched hands of the goalie for the 2-0 win.  The second half saw Casey Crossbar Shauman continue her streak of rattling the crossbar nearly every game, including twice this game, along with a couple of teammates doing the same.  Shelby Adams will be icing her noggin this evening after winning a half-dozen headers, and Katie Sorensen did a great job on the defensive end.  Sidney Block delivered the shutout in goal for Northern.
And, as a reminder, your car is dirty, so please attend the Husky carwash on Saturday!

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April 27, 2011 vs. BC Central
Some high school soccer programs thrive with travel soccer players, active boosters, multiple coaches, and a strong fan base.  In other places, such as Battle Creek Central, the public address announcer reads off the starting lineup, adding an exciting emphasis for his hometown Bearcats, turns on the National Anthem… and then runs back across the field to the bench, to coach his team.  So goes the soccer battle at places where soccer is more of an after school activity than a gut-twisting fight to be the best team around.
But cheers to the coach and the Bearcat team.  There they always are, showing up on the schedule, and showing up on the field.  They suffer lopsided defeats, but there they ALWAYS are ready to take on any team that shows up on their schedule.  Their attitude is evident:  don’t play passy back and forth, bring it at us and we will try to stop you the best we can.
Northern won this game, with Regan Crowell being the biggest scorer of the night.  But kudos to those kids who step out of the halls and onto the field, knowing they may end up on the short end of the score, but still say “Bring It”!   

Sam Shoots, Sam Scores	Savanah controls the ball	Emily passes downfield
Erin working through the defense	Grace shoots on goal	Regan heads to another goal
Kelsey with a left footer	Laura well upfield	Bailey driving for the goal

 

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PN vs KCentral Mlive Article

April 25, 2011 vs. KCentral
Although most thoughts of Kalamazoo Central athletics these days conjures up thoughts of 360 slam dunks, there are other sports (with bigger nets) and on this night the Maroon Giant’s soccer team came to Portage Northern and put up a spirited contest.  The Giants were truly still in the game with fifteen minutes remaining, down only 2-0, and putting a couple of late shots on goal before Northern finished with two goals in the last twelve minutes.
The 2-0 lead was courtesy of Sammy Kay, who scored off a header assist by Shelby Adams (her second header assist in as many weeks), and another off an assist from Bailey Burchette, who played a tough game throughout.
There was no rain on this night, a rarity for this spring season.  This was good news for Huskie fans, especially Jack Fuller, who although bikes everywhere every day, is not a fan of rain and curves.  Those of you who were afraid to ask Jack what happened to his face… now you know the rest of the story.
Northern did mount serious offensive pressure throughout the game, but KC goalie Grace Kiel did a nice job of stopping many opportunities.  Those final two goals near the end of the game iced it for PN.  Karli Fisher fed Casey Shauman for the third goal of the evening and Kay finished her hat trick by threading a free kick from just outside the box through an opening the size of a, well, a soccer ball.  Scott Kay got the assist on the goal, as just before the ball was struck Scott yelled “keep it low!” from the stands.
Nicole Berry provided one of Northern’s highlights by surviving a scrum in the corner with two Giants, disappearing momentarily but somehow coming out of the corner with the ball.
Northern has played without three of its players all year.  The injured reserve list includes Breanne Bye, Josie Huss, and Maggie Woolley.  For tonight’s game, they were joined by Danielle Melgar, who should just miss a couple of games.  Word is Danielle got hurt volunteering.  Actually, odds are, she probably did, since she does so much.  Congrats to Danielle for being a Kalamazoo Gazette STAR award winner for her volunteer efforts.  Use this link to see the article in last week’s paper.
Danielle Melgar Article

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3 for 1 Tournament, April 16, 2011

On a day that was hot and sunny… in Cancun, the Portages put on their annual Coast of Ireland Wet and Windy Three for One tournament, bringing in three top-notch teams from around the state.  The Chargers from Midland Dow, the Okemos Chieftans, and the Traverse City Central Trojans braved not only the weather, but also outrageous gas prices to come to Portage.
The Saturday morning contest, which cut into many adult’s coffee and newspaper time, was a tough battle that Northern lost 1-2.  Dow scored on a Huskie “own goal” in the first half, but moments later Northern scored in similar fashion, although the Charger defender was actually just protecting herself from a Sammy Kay Scorcher.  Midland countered again though, and Northern could not muster many final chances to tie.  A bright spot on the dreary morning was the fine defensive play of Morgan Muchez, who succeeded in many stops on a group of speedy forwards.  Also, two freshmen players were brought up for the three games and contributed excellent minutes throughout the day: Grace VanderSloot and Bailey Burchette.
Game two against Okemos was a tale of two halves.  The wind and rain blowing in hard from the Portage Post Office seemed to be a factor in both halves; however the Huskies seemed to play with a new passion in the second half, their best half of soccer of the season for sure.  Northern had one shot on goal in the first half, which had them fending off Okemos pressure for the entire thirty minutes.  Okemos did score with just over 20 minutes left in the game, but then Northern applied 20 minutes of goalmouth action.  It started with Casey Shauman banging one off the crossbar, and ended with Sam Kay hitting Scorcher Two into the upper tier of the net from 18 yards out (the ball zipped over the goalie’s head while the goalie’s brain was just processing that “…a…shot…is…being…struck…and…I…have…to…”).  Shelby Adams, a rock defender, helped jumpstart the offense with some spirited time at forward in the second half.  Katie Sorensen picked up any slack on defense and helped a strong defensive team effort that limited the Chieftans to their lone goal. 
The final game, with weather so nasty the best seats were in the restroom, saw most players wondering why they didn’t go out for forensics instead.  After a scoreless tie at halftime, Hannah Scafaria scored with 20 minutes left in the game. In quick succession after that, Casey Shauman scored off a header assist from Adams, and then Erin Pryor wrapped up the scoring for the game and day.  The Trojans scored a late goal, making the score 3-1 in the soggy final.  Northern finished the day with one loss, one tie, one win… and some really messy uniforms.
After a day of rest, the Huskies face a Schedule on Steroids, with a week of tough soccer with games at East Kentwood Monday, versus Portage Central on Wednesday, and versus Forest Hills Central on Friday. 

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PN Defeats Vicksburg - March 28, 2011

The long wait is over.  Nine months ago when a last second shot hit the post and ended another fine season of Huskie soccer, we shook our heads and said… “Next year!”  Well, here we are.  Of course that game was much warmer then.  With tonight’s temperature hovering at the freezing mark at Vicksburg’s beautiful field, we were grateful not only for the return of soccer, but also that there was no wind or precipitation.  Portage Northern started the season with a mid-season-like walking wounded list, but the healthy players remaining left little doubt about the depth this still-young team possesses.

Only eight minutes in, Northern notched their first goal of the season.  Sam Kay took a corner that bounded into the box, and Karli Fisher, knowing that heading the ball off one bounce hurts much less than heading it out of the air, knocked the ball into the net for the 1-0 lead.  Midway through the first half Danielle Melgar crossed a ball into Erin Prior, who was positioned with her back to the net.  Prior looked to be gearing up for a bicycle kick, but wisely and simply just caught the ball on the top of her foot and flicked it over her head, and the goalie’s head, for a 2-0 lead.  Minutes later Prior sent a perfect long through-ball to Casey Shauman, who found that shifting gears earlier did not work, so she put the pedal to the leather and raced in and beat the goalie in a one on one battle.

With seven minutes left in the half, Northern goalie Sid Block made a great point-blank save, but the Bulldogs used the ensuing corner kick to score their only goal of the evening.  For the last seven minutes of the half, Vicksburg totally controlled the action and had a breakaway opportunity as the last five seconds ticked away.  Again, a lunging save just before the buzzer by Block kept the two goal lead in tact at the break.

The mind-numbing temperatures did not seem to bother the players, but was affecting some fans.  Late in the first half Sprig Shauman yelled to the Huskie players “Play tough Yellow”.  However, the Huskies have been Orange for decades. 

The Bulldog’s could not keep their momentum going in the second half, thanks to a Rapid Hat Trick (not to be confused with a rabbit out of a hat trick) by Hannah Scafaria, scoring three goals in the first seven minutes of the second half.  The first was a nice spin move and quick shot from 20 yards out, unassisted.  Then, off assists from Shauman and Kay, Scafaria put the game out of reach with two more goals.

Sam Kay scored Northern’s final two goals to make it an 8-1 victory.  Kay had flirted with the outside of the posts all game long, but her persistence paid off later in the second half, finishing off assists from Fisher and Nicole Berry.

Two freshmen on the varsity saw ample action and performed well.  Emily Juzwiak and Kelsey Lewis showed they were ready to play with the big girls.

Spring break separates this game with the Huskies next game more than two weeks out.  This should give Sprig Shauman ample time to work on his colors.

 

Casey attacks the Goal	Sydney Punts the ball Downfield	Danielle controls the ball
Danielle keeps possesion	Morgan Drives on the ball	Hannah takes on the keeper

Click here for the form: 2011-12 Physical Form

Concession Stand Schedule

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