The Sun and News, Saturday, August 28, 2021/ Page 11Scots start conference play kicking past Eagles
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
It took most of the first ten
minutes for the Fighting
Scots to find their footing
Monday in the OK Red
Conference opener at the
newly remodeled Scotland
Yard.
That’s when the Eagles
completely lost track of
Caledonia sophomore for-
ward Nathan Maas. The
Eagles had to clear a long
cross, with Maas charging in
on goal, across the touchline
for a Caledonia corner kick
nine minutes in. Kyan
VanderWoude booted the
corner from left to right over
the Hudsonville keeper
Bailey VandenHeuvel and
the crowd by the near post.
Maas was all alone coming
at the back post and touched
the bounding ball into the
wide open net.
The onslaught was on
from there and the Scots con-
tinued their recent domi-
nance of their OK Red rivals
from Hudsonville with a 4-
victory.
“For our first game it was
good to be out here playing.
It is going to be a long sea-
son,” Caledonia head coach
Adetunji Ifaturoti said. “We
beat a great Hudsonville
team that is very tough. For
us there were moments
where we were able to get
some quality chances and go
in and score. We were able to
play our game. It wasn’t our
best game, but for our boys
the goal is just to keep work-
ing and play our best soccerlater in October.”
Caledonia’s Jack Mulder
got in deep on the Eagle
defense and dropped a pass
back to Camden Raffler who
was alone a stride inside the
penalty spot to fire the ball
into the net in the 12th min-
ute.
In the 23rd minute, Maas
drew a penalty in the box and
teammate Kyle Buchan con-verted the penalty kick for a
3-0 Caledonia lead.
“Every goal changes the
dynamics [of the game],”
Ifaturoti said. “Our boys,
after they got the first one,
they were eager to add a sec-
ond one. We just want them
to play and hopefully contin-
ue to do their job well.
Everyone on our team has a
role. You just have to trustthe game-plan, continue to
work and be a team.”
The Scots held that three-
goal lead until Raffler added
a second goal in the 37th
minute, finally finishing off a
long scrum following a cor-
ner kick.
Connor Beach earned the
shutout in goal for the Scotswith a steady defensive effort
in front of him.
The Scots returned to
action Wednesday, falling
2-1 at West Ottawa in anoth-
er OK Red Conference bat-
tle.village staff and volunteers at
Tuesday’s council meeting.
“That was fantastic. My
wife and I walked around
with some neighbors through-
out Heritage Days and it was
really well-executed,”
Trustee Kevin Smith said. “It
really felt like there was a
breath of fresh air breathed
into that event, and I really
look forward to next year in
matching, or making better,
that experience. It was phe-
nomenal to see the families
walking around. I have noth-
ing but positive things to say
about that event.”
“We have a very special
community, and it showed
both days,” Schmidt said.
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Alice Kiel and Juliet Kiel collect candy along the edge of the parade route in
Middleville Saturday during the annual Heritage Days Parade on Main Street. (Photo
by Brett Bremer)
The first Charlie Pullen Memorial Car Show filled Main
Street in Middleville Saturday afternoon during the
annual Heritage Days celebration. (Photo by Brett
Bremer)From previous page
TheFighting Scots’ Nathan Maas works his way past Hudsonville’s Micah Immink in
the midfield during the Scots’ win over the visiting Eagles to open the OK Red
Conference season Monday. (Photo by Brett Bremer)Caledonia senior Camden Raffler celebrates a goal
during the Scots’ OK Red Conference win over
Hudsonville at Scotland Yard Monday. (Photo by Brett
Bremer)