Playoff Game v. Hartland Eagles- West Region, Quarterfinals Oct. 13—HARTLAND, MI The EGR Lady Pioneers Field Hockey team traveled to Hartland, MI on October 13 to play their first playoff game as a contender for the West Region title on their path to the State championship to be held on Oct. 26 at Ann Arbor-Huron High School. With MHSAA recognizing Field Hockey as a sport this year, the playoff structure changed into one playoff bracket for all 36 teams, regardless of school size. The top four seeds in the state were placed into regions with eight other teams who were otherwise in relative geographical proximity to each other. This put EGR in the West Region along with OK Conference rivals Rockford, Hudsonville and Spring Lake, Pinckney, Brighton, Hartland and Grand Blanc. The West Region’s top seed was the overall top seed for the state, Saline. After stepping off the bus into the playoff atmosphere, the girls from EGR switched into game mode with focus and determination to go to the next round, where the likely opponent would be Saline. However, it did not distract from the task at hand on this crisp afternoon in Livingston County. The Lady Pioneers were the more dominant team from the outset as they put relentless pressure on the goalkeeper and defense of the Eagles. Most of the first quarter was played in the offensive zone inside the 25-yard line. EGR had multiple offensive penalty corners, but were unable to break the seal on the Hartland goal. It was not until the second quarter when the Lady Pioneers, on yet another penalty corner, had Addi Storrs (’26) insert a pass to Avery Albers (’27) who slid a pass across the top of the circle to Peyton Astrauskas (’27). Astrauskas used that feed to get her feet set and tee up a patented drive on goal from the top. The netminder had a whisper of a second to react, but too late as the ball pounded against the backboard to signify EGR was up 1-0. Just a few minutes later, the goalie for Hartland stopped a shot by Dutch exchange student Neel van Woudenburgh (’26), who was not to be denied a second time, as she thumped a the rebound into the net for a 2-0 lead. However, this is a playoff game and the win-or-go-home format means no one will go quietly. Although the EGR team dominated play with many more corners and play in the offensive zone, the Hartland defense had a bend-but-don’t-break mentality and held the score at 2-0 going into the halftime break. Once play resumed, the Lady Pioneers continued to have the upper hand, however, the Eagles were getting many more opportunities to play on their offensive side of the 50-yard line. Led by Senior central defender Isla Westra (’26) and Senior goalkeeper Ellie Hilgendorf (’26), the East Grand Rapids girls fended off all the thrusts Hartland had anywhere close to the goal. Toccoa Lepley (’29), the only Freshman on Varsity this season, continued her strong play in helping to dominate the right side of the field along with Storrs and defender Carly Conway (’27). The balance in the attack and the defense prevented Hartland from finding holes to exploit and when they did get close, the aggressive play and strong clears of Hilgendorf kept the Eagles from sustaining any threat in the Lady Pioneers defensive circle and putting the ball in the cage. When the final whistle blew, the girls from EGR came away with a 2-0 win with solid efforts from front to back. The team awaits meeting Saline on the pitch on Thursday, Oct. 16 with eager anticipation for the match-up against a perennial contender and last year’s Division 1 runner-up from Saline. Thank you to Athletic Director Mr. Zylstra for making the trip to Hartland, along with the cadre of parents and some of the JV players, to support these young women as they make their journey onward in this year’s state playoffs.