Men’s and women’s soccer start seasons with shutout wins
Posted by The Skyliner on September 2nd, 2009Paul Conner
Sports Editor
The men’s soccer team opened their season last Thursday with a 2-0 victory on the road against Toccoa Falls. Two days later, the squad dropped a 1-0 decision at Catawba in a tight match where North Greenville could not capitalize on opportunities in front of goal.
Jonathan Restrepo, junior international business, and Matt Sekuras both netted goals in the Crusaders’ opening day victory over the Eagles. North Greenville controlled much of the possession in the first half but could not find the back of the net. In the 60th minute, Restrepo nodded in a cross from Ben Bosco, freshman, to put the Crusaders on the board. Ten minutes later, Sekuras scored on a break-away to put the game out of reach.
“It was a good opening game for us,” Crusaders coach Chad Gfeller said. “We’ve only been scored on once in our two games and three scrimmages, so our defense is playing pretty well.”
Catawba’s Deon Cuffie-Joseph scored in the 37th minute on an assist from Daniel Bailey. North Greenville created opportunities to score but could not finish the equalizing goal.
“It was a well-fought game,” Gfeller said. “We had some young players on the field last night, and we had chances to tie the game, but we weren’t able to.”
Freshmen and sophomore players are expected to see significant playing time this season, especially in defensive positions. Despite the fact that the squad has only a handful of seniors, Gfeller feels confident in his team’s quality.
“This is probably the best team that I’ve had since I started coaching here,” Gfeller said. “Now it’s a matter of learning to play together.”
The Crusaders will entertain Coker tonight at 7 p.m. at Pepsi Stadium.
The women’s team defeated Lees-McRae 1-0 in Banner Elk, N.C., in their opening match of the season. Ashlyn Henderson, sophomore outdoor leadership, one of the team’s leading goal scorers last year, scored the only goal of the match.
The Lady Crusaders defense held off a furious comeback by the Bobcats in the closing minutes to preserve the victory.
“It’s a great way to start off the year,” North Greenville coach Jesse McCormick said. “The players were really working hard. We had opportunities throughout the game, and we were able to capitalize on one of those.”
Lees-McRae managed 11 shots on either side of halftime, but it was North Greenville who scored first. Henderson, one of the team’s top scorers from last year, collected a loose ball inside the box in the 51st minute and fired it into the net. Goalkeeper Jessica Binkley made eight saves to earn the shutout.
In his second year as head coach, McCormick has high hopes for his squad that was unexpectedly knocked out of the NCCAA Regional Tournament in the first round last season.
“The women’s team has never made it to Nationals, but that is something I think we have the ability to do,” McCormick said. “Our team has been improving each year, and as long as we bring in players who work hard and continue to develop as a team, that’s the key to success.”
North Greenville will host Converse tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Pepsi Stadium.
Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 1