Junior Sammy Postlewait’s goal only 4:50 into the game was the start of a successful offensive day for the boys varsity soccer team, as they defeated the Northview Wildcats 3-2.

“I just knew that we needed to get a win,” Sammy said. “We just needed 3 points to catch up in the conference race and we got 6 tonight, so that was huge.”

After Sammy’s goal, the Wildcats turned their energy up. Both teams played a very aggressive game both offensively and defensively. Northview scored six minutes later and had a lot of momentum the rest of the half. 

FHC got the halftime break they needed, and once the secnd half started, the Rangers looked like a whole new team.

Head coach Caleb Postlewait said he challenged the team in the second half, and that’s what led to the success.

“I challenged the boys in the second half to respond and think of what we have to do to win this game,” Postlewait said. “It showed in the second half that we were the better team and we pulled through with some great individual efforts by some guys.”

The second half was started a lot like the first with an early goal. This time it was senior Kai Hagerdon, who had scored the only goal Tuesday night against Lowell. The Ranger offense was not done yet, because only two minutes later senior Alec Norris put in another goal to give the lead back to FHC.

The Ranger defense also stepped it up in the second half. Junior goalie Kyler Williams was more composed and confident and saved some tough shots. Kyler shut the door on the Wildcats’ chances to score and allowed FHC to take the win 3-2.

The defense and offense were both vital components to the victory, but what contributed to the win the most was the drive and motivation to beat a tough Northview team.

“Our team really needed a boost from our coach,” Kyler said. “We knew we weren’t giving it our all and he called us out on it, giving us the drive to beat [Northview].”

This win inches FHC closer and closer to the top of the conference, as the Rangers sit just behind rival FHN on top. The Rangers look to focus on one game at a time and will take on the Cedar Springs Red Hawks at home on Tuesday. Effective communication will be important in this showdown with Cedar Springs. 

“I think we could use some work on communication,” Sammy said. “We still have some breakdown points where we aren’t talking, which leads to some careless errors.”