As a result of solid defense, smart, simple soccer, and steadfast goalkeeping, the Panthers enthusiastically traveled home Wednesday night with their second win of the season. Due to windy conditions in Yanceyville, the Panthers opted not to play balls in the air and chose instead to play crisp, close passes on the ground. Working through one side of the field before sending a long cross worked for the Panthers, as they moved around the Buccaneers with a much more relaxed and controlled style of play. One- and two-touch passes dominated the Panthers' play Thursday night, with the majority of the attacks coming from the wings as opposed to straight up through the center of the field. The center midfielders redistributed plays through the center quickly, finding forwards in the corners up top.
As always, the Panthers' attacking options started from a solid, quick-thinking defensive line, run by Morgan Collins, Hector Paredes, Tyler Taubenheim, Chris Lamay, and Finn Hubbs for the majority of the game. The defense looked much sharper Thursday night at picking up marks quickly, redistributing balls out wide, and calling for the drop passes to give the midfielders easy options. The coaches are ecstatic to see how far the defense has come in just over a month of play and practice.
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| Austin Goehring |
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Outshooting Bartlett Yancey 11-2, the Panthers found their forwards through seams in the Buccaneer defense. Caleb Anderson again dominated at the forward position, totaling 6 shots on frame. Just over half-way into the first half, the Panthers had a corner kick from the right side that Eli Lockwood lofted over everyone in the box. Austin Goehring, playing outside left midfield and picking up the far side of the box on the corner kick, ran through the ball just as it landed and touched it into the far side goal, giving the Panthers momentum to finish the first half with a strong lead.
The second half was hard-fought. After a quick barrage of Bartlett Yancey attacks early in the second half, the Panthers settled down and started making concise plays up the sidelines. With fifteen minutes left, the Panthers switched from their attacking 4-3-3 to a defensive 4-4-2, pulling Bowen Collins out of a forward position and back to defense. In the last few minutes of the game, the Panthers had two narrowly missed chances, one by RJ Jackson that just nicked the crossbar and another by Caleb Anderson that chipped the Buccaneer goalkeeper and was on its way over the line before a Bartlett Yancey defender scrambled to the goal to make a goal-saving bicycle kick. The Panthers rounded out the last fifteen minutes with tight defense and held on to their 1-0 lead.
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| Gerardo Figueroa |
There were two Players of the Game, both who split time at outside left midfield and took turns taking on players with confident moves up the sideline. Austin Goehring (#31, pictured above left) and Gerardo Figueroa (#33, pictured right) both had excellent games, Austin with his speed at outside midfield and commitment to getting back and marking up, and Gera with his newfound understanding of when to take defenders on and when to play the early pass inside. Both players made some excellent opportunities for the Panthers, and Austin finished the one goal that sent the Panthers home with a win. Great games, Austin and Gera!
The Panthers go into the weekend with a day off on Friday to catch up on work and recuperate. With five players either coming out of being sick or starting to get sick, the Panthers need to make sure that they are 100% healthy by Monday for practice. Rest and hydrate. The JV Men's soccer team plays Cedar Ridge for the second time at home on Tuesday at 5 pm, and the Panthers are champing at the bit for their third upset.
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