Saugatuck scores victory over archrival Fennville

By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
FENNVILLE—Rivalry matches tend to bring out tight, competitive play.
And the girls soccer matchup between Fennville and Saugatuck on Monday, April 27, was no exception.
In the end, it was visiting Saugatuck that came away with a 3-1 win, using a pair of penalty kicks and a corner kick goal to secure the result.
“The game started to look like it was going to be a standstill until less than 10 minutes remained in the half,” Saugatuck coach Neal Phillips said.
That’s when the Trailblazers broke through. After a foul in the box, Neave Rewa converted a penalty kick to give Saugatuck a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Fennville responded after the break, evening the score when Kimberley Mendoza-Huynh found the net off an assist from Candela Ruiz.
Saugatuck answered quickly.
Rewa put the Trailblazers back in front with a corner kick that curled into the net. And later in the half, Ellery Panapento drew another penalty that Avery Smith converted to provide the final margin.
“The girls move to 2-1 in the conference with the victory, aided by a stout defensive back line and three goals from and assists by our senior vets,” Phillips said.
While the Trailblazers capitalized on their opportunities, Fennville coach Mark Gray was encouraged by his team’s effort in a closely contested match.
“Saugatuck scored off two PKs and a well-taken corner kick,” Gray said. “Outside of that it was a 50/50 game and I thought the girls battled well.”
The win was the sixth straight for the ‘Blazers over the ‘Hawks.
Saugatuck also picked up a road win on Wednesday, April 22, traveling to Coloma and picking up the 8-0 decision.
The game was stopped early due to the mercy rule.
Smith started the scoring, followed by a goal from Jordan Sanders.
After that, according to Phillips, “the flood gates opened.”
Claire Robb added two goals, with Rewa, Karmin Kruithof, Mariela Garcia and Ryann Monroe each chipping in with one.
“The defensive line did a great job keeping our senior keeper, Julia Lowery, bored in the net,” Phillips said.