LocalSportsJournal.com

The West Michigan Conference tournament championship didn’t come easily for North Muskegon in girls soccer on Thursday, but it did arrive with a 3-1 win over Whitehall.

Despite getting outshot 12-7 in the game, the Norse battled to an early 1-0 lead off a Kelsey Ocharzak goal five minutes into the contest. Summer Patricio assisted on the play.

Patricio put the Norse up 2-1 midway through the second half, connecting with the Ocharzak pass. Madi Grevel gave the Norse an insurance goal with five minutes left to seal the win.

“It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but the girls dug in and found a way to make it happen,” said North Muskegon coach Ryan Berends. “We gave the ball away too much tonight, but we made up for it with defensive grit all the way around, something we had been laking.”

Whitehall trailed 1-0 at halftime but tied the score 10 minutes into the second half on a Hanna Evans goal.