This last week in Spring Arbor Athletics saw some big wins from Men's Soccer and Volleyball, along with the first ever match for the Spring Arbor Pickleball team!
Here is an in-depth look at the highlights from last week:
Men's Soccer
Results:
Loss vs. (20) Grace, 4-1; Win vs. (23) Marian, 2-1
Top Performers:
David Magalhaes – 3 Goals, 6 Points
Guilherme Micaelo - 1 Assist, 1 Point
The Spring Arbor Men's Soccer team came into last week riding a 3-game winning streak, looking to continue their hot streak as the season enters the homestretch. Two ranked matchups would stand in their way, with (20) Grace first up.
The match began as a stalemate, with both teams trading opportunities, but neither able to convert throughout the first half, as the contest appeared to be heading into the break at 0-0. Things quickly changed with 20 seconds remaining however, as a Spring Arbor turnover with Goalie Jack Cristini far out of the net led to a shot from near midfield by Grace's Diego Yanes that found the back of the nylon, giving Grace all of the momentum, along with the 1-0 halftime lead.
Grace would channel their momentum from the first half, controlling the ball early, and creating multiple opportunities before converting in the 62
nd minute, as Luis Munoz netted his 7
th goal of the season, giving Grace the commanding 2-0 lead. Just over five minutes later, Spring Arbor would get back into the match, as David Magalhaes was fouled in the box, leading to a penalty kick that he would convert on for his 6
th goal of the season, cutting the deficit in half, 2-1.
Any momentum the Cougars got from the Magalhaes goal was quickly thwarted however, as Grace would continue to pile on the shots, eventually converting twice, in the 75
th and 77
th minute, to essentially seal the contest with a 4-1 lead, which would end up being the final score.
After the disappointing performance against the Lancers, Spring Arbor would return to the Cougar Soccer Complex on Saturday, looking for redemption against another ranked league opponent in (23) Marian. The match began much how the one against Grace did, as both teams had some opportunities, but couldn't convert, until late in the half, wehre Magalhaes was fouled in the box in the 41
st minute, setting up another penalty kick opportunity. He would once again convert, good for his 7
th goal of the season, propelling the Cougars to a 1-0 lead, which they would take into intermission.
Early in the second half, Magalhaes would strike again, knocking one in courtesy of a Guilherme Micaelo assist, doubling the Spring Arbor lead, 2-0. From there, the Cougar defense would bend but not break, allowing a Marian goal in the 77
th minute to Alexis Lopez, but otherwise holding strong, as backup goalie Tommy Farrell locked down the net after an injury to starter Jack Cristini. The Cougars would take the match 2-1, securing their first ranked win of the season.
The Cougars only have one match this week, but it is a big one, as (3) Bethel comes to town on Saturday, with the match starting at 2:00 PM.
Women's Soccer
Results:
Loss vs. (17) Grace, 2-0
The Spring Arbor Women's Soccer team had two ranked matchups on the docket for last week, with (17) Grace and (3) Marian due up, but only took on Grace on Wednesday, due to severe storms postponing the Marian matchup until Monday.
In that contest, the Cougars were beat at their own game, as the Lancers outshot them 12-3, and controlled the possession for most of the game. Audrey Abel lead the scoring for the Lancers in the 24
th minute, and that lead would hold for nearly the entire game, until the 88
th minute, where Madelief Lowik added some insurance to make the final score 2-0.
Things don't get any easier for Spring Arbor, as the Lady Cougars traveled to Indianapolis on Monday to take on the (3) Marian Knights, before hitting the road again on Saturday to take on Bethel at 6:00 PM.
Volleyball:
Results:
Win vs. Goshen 3-0, Win vs. Grace 3-1
Top Performers:
Kendall Bollenbacher – 20 Kills, 30 Digs, 3 Aces
Keely Hinzman – 19 Kills, 4 Blocks
Kelsie Lilly – 17 Kills, 6 Digs, 5 Blocks
Isabelle Kirkendall – 15 Kills, 7 Digs, 1 Block
Natasha Bickel – 13 Kills, 1 Block
Camy Wedge – 54 Assists, 25 Digs
Palmer Fortress – 35 Digs, 5 Assists, 2 Aces
The Spring Arbor Volleyball team looked to put themselves back in the mix in the Crossroads League last week, taking on Goshen and Grace. Goshen was first up, and the Cougars did not mess around, completing the season sweep of the Maple Leafs in a dominant 3 set win, and extending their streak of consecutive set wins against the Maple Leafs to 12 over the last two seasons. Natasha Bickel lead the offense with 10 kills, followed by Keely Hinzman and Kendall Bollenbacher with 7 apiece. Gabby Bryja and Camy Wedge both shared the lead in assists with 14, while Palmer Fortress led in digs with 18. Bollenbacher added 12 digs of her own.
On Saturday, Grace came to town, as Spring Arbor looked to avenge their early-season five-set loss to the Lancers. The first set was a precursor for what would prove to be a tightly-contested match, as Grace would take a 23-15 lead, and looked like they had the set in hand, but Spring Arbor had other plans. The Cougars rattled off a 10-1 run, taking a 25-24 lead, completing flipping the script and putting them one point away from an incredible comeback victory. However, Grace found some fight, and the two teams would battle all the way to 28-28, before the Lancers finally won the set 30-28.
Set two started as the first one finished, as the two squads found themselves deadlocked at 12-12. From there, Grace would gain momentum, going on a 6-0 run, putting themselves in great position to take a 2-0 lead. However, Spring Arbor stayed strong, and rallied back, tying the score at 21 apiece, and surging at the end to claim a 25-23 win, and even the match at 1-1. The Cougars took that momentum into the third set, as they completely dominated the Lancers, cruising to a 25-15 set win, and suddenly taking advantage of the match.
Set four proved to be a microcosm of the entire match, as the teams would trade leads throughout. Eventually the two teams would find themselves tied at 24 all, staring down another extended match, but Julia Mitchell decided to call game, pairing up with Isabelle Kirkendall for a block to get the advantage, and sending home the game-winning kill, ending the set at 26-24, and giving Spring Arbor the 3-1 victory.
The Cougars had three players in double figures on the kill sheet, with Kelsie Lilly leading the way with 14, adding in 5 blocks, Bollenbacher right behind with 13, racking up a double-double with 18 digs, and Hinzman adding 12 along with 4 blocks. Kirkendall also added 9 kills. Wedge led the way with 40 assists, also recording a double-double with 18 digs. Fortress was strong at the libero position with 18 digs and 2 service aces.
This week, the Cougars will travel to Upland, Indiana on Wednesday to take on (20) Taylor at 7:00 PM, and then stay on the road on Saturday to take on Saint Francis at 1:00 PM.
Tennis
Results
Mens:
Loss vs. Davenport, 4-5
Womens:
Loss vs. Davenport, 0-7
Top Performers:
Men:
Results not available at time of writing
Women:
Results not available at time of writing
The Spring Arbor Tennis teams were back in action this week, with both teams taking on Davenport at the Jones Tennis Complex on Saturday.
The Men's team had a highly-contested matchup with the Panthers, falling by a narrow 5-4 margin. The Women's team competed well, but ultimately came up short, falling by a 7-0 score.
These matches conclude the fall season for both tennis squads, as they will resume their season in the Spring.
Pickleball:
The Spring Arbor Club Pickleball team had their first match ever last week, hosting the Grand Valley State Pickleball team at Crossroads Pickleball in Jackson. The team lost a close matchup to the Lakers, but will have a chance to redeem themselves in two weeks, when they will travel to the 2025 Adidas Collegiate World Championships in Farmers Branch, Texas.
Home Events This Week:
Monday:
Women's Reserve Basketball vs. Huntington
Tuesday:
Women's Basketball vs. Hillsdale (Scrimmage)
Wednesday:
Men's Soccer vs. (21) Grace, 7:00 PM
Thursday:
Women's Reserve Basketball vs. Lawerence Tech, 7:00 PM
Saturday:
Men's Soccer vs. (3) Bethel, 2:00 PM
