By Kevin Lopez
Grand Rapids Community College women’s soccer team continued their road play as they took on Kellogg Community College on Aug. 23.
Unfortunately, it seems that the Raiders are still trying to find their footing as they fell to the Bruins in a blow out loss, 1-7.
GRCC’s Head Coach Jason Hill wants his players to focus on the next game.
“Forget this game I told them, there are stumbling blocks along the way and we hit a big one,” Hill said. “They will need to improve their overall effort and they recognize it.”
The Raiders struggled to establish momentum as the Bruins scored four goals in the first half.While being aggressive the whole game. The Bruins took 20 shots at the goal and the Raiders only attempted 11.
Abby Buttermore, a forward from Cedar Springs, pointed out the struggles the team had this game.
“Unfortunately, our team was not connecting this game. Was it hot? Most definitely, however, we did not play to our strengths during this game in ways that would benefit our team,” Buttermore said. “Our chemistry was off and our work rates were low, the combination of those two things killed our chances at a comeback.”
Alena Amaya, a midfielder from Grand Rapids, agreed with her teammate.
“Our energy during this game wasn’t up to the intensity we should’ve started with, after the break at half we got it and tried to keep a strong mindset despite the score,” Amaya said.
This was evident as the Raiders came out more aggressive and determined in the second half. They attempted more shots at the goal than their opponent and were able to convert on a goal by Buttermore and assisted by Amelia Hancock, a midfielder from Lowell.
Still, it wasn’t enough as the Bruins scored three more goals to put the game out of reach for the Raiders.
With a 0-2 start in the program’s history, Amaya said it was important for the team to keep a positive mindset as they look ahead to the first home game for the women’s soccer team.
“The mindset for this home game is to keep our heads up and go into this game with a clear mind and to play hard and win,” Amaya said. “By staying ready, we will make sure what we learned from these two games, we will work on in practice and keep our mentality strong despite the games results.”
Buttermore was adamant about how the team will bounce back together for their first home game.
“I know these girls are great players and it’s important that we defend the home field by using this game as redemption to show the conference what we can do,” Buttermore said.
The Raiders continue to look for their first win of the program’s history when they take on Terra State Community College at 1 p.m. on Aug. 26 at Mackay-Jaycees Park in Grand Rapids.
