If you were one of the brave souls who sat, stood, or hunched under an umbrella Wednesday night at Paw Paw high school you were in for a treat! This was one for the ages, and a feat that won't soon be topped. Cold, wet, and intense are the words that can best describe the battle between your Bulldogs and the Redskins of Paw Paw. A Wolverine Conference match that has been a battle of two top teams over the last half-decade did not disappoint again this "spring".

The first 60 minutes of this match were a period in time the Otsego players would rather forget. Sloppy, disorganized defensively, weak and prone to turnovers in the midfield, and wasting good chances on the attacking end the match started off on the wrong foot to say the very least. An early tap in after the initial Matti Rayman save gave the hosts a lead that they certainly deserved. Narrow misses on the other end from McKenzie Milton and Grace VerHage left the door open for Paw Paw.

Bewildered and angry the Dawgs found themselves down 4-0 around the 60 minute mark and were searching for answers. They had allowed three more goals, all from inside 12 yards, and had created enough on the attacking end to have scored two or three of their own. Amazingly, after the fourth goal you never saw this team's shoulders slump or their head drop. They had the attitude and belief necessary to barge back into the match and hunt down a result.

Anytime a player has a hat-trick and an assist to go along with it you have to be impressed. The way Senior Captain Grace VerHage did it, and the timing involved made it that much sweeter. Grace netted our first, third, and final goal giving her the game winner. The first being a beautifully tucked away goal using her right foot to bend the ball around the keeper and into the side netting off a perfectly timed pass from McKenzie Milton. Her second was a towering nod down header at the back post off a set piece delivery whipped in by Alison Diller. Her third, the match winner, was a coolly finished PK that was earned by the ever dangerous Milton. Grace also added an assist on the team's second goal, setting a ball into the feet of Diller who deposited her long range effort over the Paw Paw keeper.

The game tying fourth goal secured at least a point for the Bulldogs, and though it was finished off by Junior Caitlin Kitchen who is a focal point of the attack, it was set up by a somewhat unlikely source. Senior defender Hannah Gagneur is known more for being hard into a tackle and excellent in the air than she is for her attacking prowess. Hannah doesn't show off her foot skills often, but when she does she can bomb forward and beat players on the dribble with the best around. On her third or fourth push up the field in the second half Hannah found herself at the edge of the box off the left side. She won the ball, beat two to get into the penalty area, and just as two more Redskins backs closed her down toe poked a beautiful ball through to the back post for Kitchen to knock home. Pure class, pure grit, and pure passion from a Senior who refused to accept a loss!

So much could be said about so many players after a win like that, but Ambre Powell and McKenzie Milton both came up huge for their teams! Milton was nearly unplayable up top, and had the Paw Paw back line scrambling all night. Her pace and ability to get in behind, foot skills and ability to shift the ball around defenders, and link up play with the mids made her a force. Ambre stepped into goal with half an hour left and helped her team out with three big saves. She didn't have nearly as much to do as Rayman, but she made the saves she had to and kept her team's chances alive. It is very difficult to step in as a goalkeeper in the late stages of a match, but especially difficult in those weather conditions!

An amazing finish after a woeful start to a match. It made for some must-see viewing, and nearly gave the parents a heart attack, but the girls found a way and dug out a memorable 5-4 victory. Two points in the Wolverine Conference book, and another match with a one goal differential. These ladies know how to play in tight matches and that will surely benefit them down the road!