Defense propels Crossroads past KVA
• By Brandon White bwhite@hendersondispatch.com
HENDERSON -- Neither Crossroads Christian nor Kerr-Vance Academy generated much offense in a matchup between the two programs on Thursday.
A goal from Crossroads sophomore Will Alston with just over 20 minutes remaining in the first half proved to be a major turning point, as KVA failed to even up the score while Crossroads endured frustration trying to extend their advantage.
Crossroads head coach Holden Coghill was hoping that his players would show more offensive cohesion against a young KVA team but said that the performance of the defense on Thursday was a positive sign towards the team’s overall development.
“Today was two different stories,” Coghill said. “We had a bit of a frustrating game on offense but I’m very proud of the defense and goalkeeper [Gage Edwards] for pitching a shutout. We’ve been letting in goals early this season but we’re a very young team so that’s going to happen.”
Coghill anticipated some initial struggles as senior Nicholas Shah and junior Sam Boyd adjusted to their respective roles on defense.
After Crossroads gave up an average of 5.4 goals in their first five games, Coghill said that keeping KVA from putting the ball in the back of the net was a much needed development and highlighted the efficiency of Shah and Boyd as defensive leaders.
Shah and Boyd working with Edwards to keep KVA away from the goal created plenty of opportunities for Crossroads’ top scorers in Alston and senior Ryan Adcock to lead their team down the field.
Despite facing constant duress from Crossroads’ offense, KVA senior goalkeeper Shane Musselman saved one shot after another and gave his team a chance at tying up the game after surrendering a goal early in the first half.
Like Coghill, KVA head coach Hector Galdamez sees defense as one of his team’s strengths early in the 2021 season but stressed that execution on offense will be imperative towards winning more games, which he believes will come as his players gain more experience.
“We didn’t execute and ended up playing [Crossroads’] style,” Galdamez said. “Every time we got the ball, we just gave it right back. As a team, we stick very strongly to our defense but unfortunately we don’t have many guys to put on the field. We still have to seal the back and come out playing but we are working hard.”
While KVA now stands at 1-2 on the season, Crossroads has momentum on their side entering a weekend break with two consecutive victories. They previously defeated Henderson Collegiate 9-5 on Monday afternoon after dropping their first four contests.
Coghill is hoping to see more well-rounded games in which the offense can effectively compliment a stellar defensive performance, adding that his players need to be more focused when it comes to touches and holding onto the ball.
Coghill knows that his players are more than capable of correcting those mistakes and believes that Crossroads is turning a corner at the right time with many tough conference and non-conference opponents ahead.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how we do,” Coghill said. “We played a really difficult schedule on the front end but we held our own in some of those games. Now we’re hitting a groove and there are plenty of wins up for grabs in September.”
Crossroads will be back in action on Tuesday at 5 p.m. when they host Raleigh Christian Academy. KVA wrapped up a busy three-game week against Christ Covenant on Friday and will host The Burlington School on Wednesday.
• By Brandon White bwhite@hendersondispatch.com
HENDERSON -- Neither Crossroads Christian nor Kerr-Vance Academy generated much offense in a matchup between the two programs on Thursday.
A goal from Crossroads sophomore Will Alston with just over 20 minutes remaining in the first half proved to be a major turning point, as KVA failed to even up the score while Crossroads endured frustration trying to extend their advantage.
Crossroads head coach Holden Coghill was hoping that his players would show more offensive cohesion against a young KVA team but said that the performance of the defense on Thursday was a positive sign towards the team’s overall development.
“Today was two different stories,” Coghill said. “We had a bit of a frustrating game on offense but I’m very proud of the defense and goalkeeper [Gage Edwards] for pitching a shutout. We’ve been letting in goals early this season but we’re a very young team so that’s going to happen.”
Coghill anticipated some initial struggles as senior Nicholas Shah and junior Sam Boyd adjusted to their respective roles on defense.
After Crossroads gave up an average of 5.4 goals in their first five games, Coghill said that keeping KVA from putting the ball in the back of the net was a much needed development and highlighted the efficiency of Shah and Boyd as defensive leaders.
Shah and Boyd working with Edwards to keep KVA away from the goal created plenty of opportunities for Crossroads’ top scorers in Alston and senior Ryan Adcock to lead their team down the field.
Despite facing constant duress from Crossroads’ offense, KVA senior goalkeeper Shane Musselman saved one shot after another and gave his team a chance at tying up the game after surrendering a goal early in the first half.
Like Coghill, KVA head coach Hector Galdamez sees defense as one of his team’s strengths early in the 2021 season but stressed that execution on offense will be imperative towards winning more games, which he believes will come as his players gain more experience.
“We didn’t execute and ended up playing [Crossroads’] style,” Galdamez said. “Every time we got the ball, we just gave it right back. As a team, we stick very strongly to our defense but unfortunately we don’t have many guys to put on the field. We still have to seal the back and come out playing but we are working hard.”
While KVA now stands at 1-2 on the season, Crossroads has momentum on their side entering a weekend break with two consecutive victories. They previously defeated Henderson Collegiate 9-5 on Monday afternoon after dropping their first four contests.
Coghill is hoping to see more well-rounded games in which the offense can effectively compliment a stellar defensive performance, adding that his players need to be more focused when it comes to touches and holding onto the ball.
Coghill knows that his players are more than capable of correcting those mistakes and believes that Crossroads is turning a corner at the right time with many tough conference and non-conference opponents ahead.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how we do,” Coghill said. “We played a really difficult schedule on the front end but we held our own in some of those games. Now we’re hitting a groove and there are plenty of wins up for grabs in September.”
Crossroads will be back in action on Tuesday at 5 p.m. when they host Raleigh Christian Academy. KVA wrapped up a busy three-game week against Christ Covenant on Friday and will host The Burlington School on Wednesday.
