Tuesday, Sept 3, 2024 
Ionia 4 vs Portland 6

Wild game tonight against Portland. We started out quickly with a productive attack that saw us go up by one very early in the first half. It was short-lived however when Portland came back with an answer of their own. In the first half, Ionia had the majority of the ball possession and  a lot of chances on goal. We really struggled defensively much of that first half in which we allowed Portland to take control and rack up 4 goals. That was a difficult outcome to accept so we knew we needed to reset at half-time and sort some things out.

The second half was different in that we still maintained our attacking pressure but we were better with our passing and played with a more controlled urgency. Also,  our defensive play was much improved over the first-half. The goals started to go in as we pressed and worked better as a unit. It was a nail-biter until the very end but unfortunately, we fell short with a 6-4 final score.

Derrick Santana scored a hat-trick tonight. the midfield trio of he, Damon Lautenbach and Carl Goeckel served as the foundation for our attack. Also in the second half, Emanuel Cardoso and Deigo Carlos worked hard defensively and also did a good job of pushing forward and providing support on the attack.

We were proud of the way this young team battled back when they could have easily folded. They definitely learned a lot about their character and what they are capable of when they pull in the same direction. 

Quick Stats:
Score: Ionia 4 - Portland 6

Goals:
Derrick Santana - 3
Caiden Sayers - 1

Assists:
Carl Goeckel - 1
Caiden Sayers - 1
Emanuel Cardoso - 1

Luis Lopez - in goal with 7 saves on the night.

Overall Record: 1W-4L-1T

Division Record: 0W-2L-1T

Next Match: Thursday, Sept. 5 @ 6:30 pm Varsity @ Greenville