It’s been 13 years since the Giants have conquered the mighty Knights on the soccer field. 

On Wednesday, Apr. 19th, the Loy Norrix women’s soccer team defeated  their crosstown rivals, the Kalamazoo Central (KC) giants. Having beaten the giants every year since 2010, the Knights were feeling the pressure to keep up the streak.

“KC is obviously our rival, so during this game emotions are always high,” said senior and team captain Nina Molitor. “I try my best to bring a certain energy to the field every time I’m on to leave a positive mark on my teammates.” 

Playing against a rival team can stir up a whirl of emotions. Some players actually think it makes them play better, while other athletes feel it makes them more nervous. 

“I was pumped, but I was more nervous than I thought I was going to be,” said senior and captain Wendy Miedema. “I play every rivalry game with a chip on my shoulder.” 

The Knights didn’t let their rivals get in their heads and started the game off strong with Molitor scoring a goal in the first half. Another goal was scored in the second half by freshman Madeline Chappa. The Knights continued their hold on the Giant’s offense, making the final score of the game 2-0.   

With this being Chappa’s first ever high school rivalry game, she certainly showed everyone what she was capable of. 

“It felt great to be a part of such a long standing derby,” said Chappa. 

Even though the crowd certainly couldn’t see signs of any struggle from the Knights, some of the players felt that it was a hard fight.

“Norrix has beaten KC every year since 2010. I think this year was especially challenging, as our team is very young and they [KC] seemed to have improved significantly from last year,” said Molitor. 

No matter what, beating a rival always feels good, especially when it happens for the 13th consecutive year in a row.

“It feels amazing. There’s nothing like beating your rivals in a statement win,” said Miedema.