After a tough loss to start the season, the Ranger girls soccer team has already rebounded with a crucial win against Grandville on Tuesday, March 29. This win comes before a two-week pause due to spring break which caused the girls some trouble in their last game before the break.

The biggest problem that the girls had to face going into their game was the lack of girls able to play. Much of the team had already left for spring break or performed at the orchestra concert. Not only was the team low on substitutes, but the girls were also missing both of the goalkeepers which forced Coach Ludtke to have to pull up sophomore Gretta Kriekard. Not only did Gretta play well, only letting in one goal, but she also enjoyed playing with the varsity girls.

“It was fun playing my first varsity game, I enjoyed the team encouragement and how they made us JV players feel welcomed,” Gretta commented.

Thanks to the help from the JV players, the team took care of business and won 3-1 against the Bulldogs with goals from sophomore Tessa Grooters and senior Mackenzie Wintrich (2). The girls were finally able to get going in the attacking third. When asked what they did well junior Syd Ryan said, “We got lots of bodies in the box, winning 50/50 tackles, and playing into our striker.”

All three of those things the girls struggled with against Caledonia the week prior. The quick adjustments and improvements helped the team leave Ranger Stadium victorious last Friday. This rapid improvement is exactly what coach Ludtke wants early on.

“At this point in the season, there are so many areas we will look to improve on. We have high standards and expectations, but the more time we have together, the more time we have to put in the work effort and improve our game performance,” said Coach Ludtke.

The girls’ next game will be away against Byron Center on Wednesday, April 12 at 6:45.