Game Recaps

Varsity

9.8 vs. Heritage Christian  (W 2-0)
A well coached Heritage team came to visit on Tuesday and gave us another good test.  Our first goal of the game came off of a corner kick play where the ball found Wes Minks with the header, initially saved by the HCA keeper, Harley Kendall was there for the rebound to finish (assist from Wes).  Brian Halcomb took advantage of a keeper-defender miscue in the second half to ensure the win.

9.10 vs. West Lutheran  (W 4-0)
We ended our season opening four game home-stand with the Warriors on Thursday evening.  Brian Halcomb opened the scoring in the first minute of the game by, again, taking advantage of a keeper-defender miscue.  Harley Kendall added a second to go into halftime 2-0.  
Second half saw even more opportunities to score, as it was somewhat of a "track and field meet" of a game where our forwards made a lot of runs forward and a lot of chances resulted.  Tommy Steffen slipped a nice pass to Delfin Cruz for the one-touch finish on the run for the third and Harley added the fourth with a nice individual effort to fire a great shot to the far post from distance.   

Defensive prowess
Recognition shouldn't go unnoticed for the great defensive effort our four in the back have been putting forth each game.  Led by captain Daniel Gerber, goalkeeper Jackson Manske, defenders Ben Stroyny, Taaron Rudzitis, James Smith and defensive subs Luke Hentges and Lucas Shank --- our defense has been giving us the best chances at success by keeping the ball out of our own net.  Not only are they getting the job done defensively, but also in starting up the build up for our attack, making it easier for the attacking players. 

9.15 @ Eagle Ridge Academy  (T 1-1)
Our first away game came with some adjusting to a different field and scenery.  As a team, we came out pretty slow to start, conceding an own goal in the first half.  Down 0-1 at halftime, we refocused and came out much better, and were looking for goals in the second half.  Fortunately we were able to find one to tie the game with five minutes to go -- Jack Domeyer's cross off a corner kick to Brian Halcomb for the header, a well executed soccer play.  Multiple chances for a winner were just inches away but we couldn't convert, sometimes soccer is like that.

9.19 @ Heritage Christian Academy  (W 3-1)
Our one and only Saturday fixture saw us down a few key players, but the boys persevered and had a nice game.  Lots of playing time for everyone, all the scoring was done in the first half.  Opening the scoring was Harley Kendall, assist from Delfin Cruz.  Heritage got one back on us, but it wasn't long after that we retook the lead, goal by Brian Halcomb, and we added a third (Delfin Cruz) to give us a cushion going into halftime.  Assists by Dominic Zoa and Brian Halcomb.  The second half was about maintaining the lead, and still saw some unfinished chances off the post.

JV
9.10 at Southwest Christian  (L 0-7)
Soccer can be a funny game.  Although there were many opportunities for us to score, (a penalty kick off the post), and other missed chances that would have changed the course of the game, sometimes the wind gets taken out of the competitive sails for a side that seems like everything is going against them.  Scores a lot of times don't reflect the game that was played.

9.11 vs. United Christian  (T 2-2)
A quick turnaround from Thursday's game, the JV responded on Friday by playing well against a physically mismatched and bigger team.  Goals by Andrew Mulvihill and Tyler Bertam.