By Kevin Lopez
Grand Rapids Community College history was made when the first game of the women’s soccer season commenced in a road battle against the Jackson College Jets on Aug. 19.
Unfortunately, the Raiders were unable to get the victory as they fell to the Jets in a competitive battle, 2-3.
GRCC’s head coach Jason Hill noted the excitement of the first game in the program’s history and how it can affect the players.
Hill said “nervous energy” and “not knowing the speed and physicality of the college game,” likely factored into Saturday’s loss, adding that his players were eager to get their season started.
”They are really excited to play for GRCC,” Hill said.
Abby Buttermore, a forward from Cedar Springs, noted the mindset of the team going into their first game.
“The team’s mindset was extremely positive,” Buttermore said. “We’ve been preparing for our first game for a little over a month and we were all ready to get out there today. My fellow teammates all have a true love for the game and we’re ready for this conference how proud we are to be the first GRCC women’s soccer team.”
It was evident that GRCC has the jitters when the first half started as they couldn’t convert any of their eight shots on goal, while also committing eight fouls.
Still, despite the slow start, the Raiders kept their positive mindset as they looked to the second half.
With the team easing into the second half, the Jets were able to convert on another goal, but history was made for the record books as Samantha Hunting, a Midfielder from Ada, was able to score the first goal in GRCC’s soccer program history.
Not long after that Allyson Seevers, a forward from Lowell, scored off an assist from Hunting and Eden Palmani, a defender from Adrian.
Unfortunately, the rally was not enough after the Raiders found themselves in a 2-0 hole and ultimately fell to Jackson College, 2-3.
Alena Amaya, a Midfielder from Grand Rapids, felt that the Jets were a great test for them to start the season
“Jackson College was very competitive and played intensely as well,” Amaya said. “They played hard and gave us a good expectation as we continue into the GRCC women’s soccer first ever season.”
It seemed that overall the team was happy with the performance despite the loss.
“I feel satisfied with our overall performance. However, there will always be room for improvement,” Buttermore said. “First games are always tough, but I think we played better than most people anticipated. Moving forward I would love to see us apply a more compact defensive structure that will allow us to win balls and attack on the transition. I’m excited to see what we will do in the games ahead.”
Coach Hill felt that this would help the team to continue to improve.
“The end result didn’t go our way today, but we know as we continue to train and play together we will gain a better understanding of how we want to overall impress our style upon the match,” Hill said. “We will learn from this game and continue to gel as a team going forward.”
The Raiders look to notch their first win of the program’s history when they take on Kellogg Community College at 2 p.m. on Aug. 23 in Battle Creek.
