Colts’ second half struggles continue
BY RYAN LEGER
RLEGER@HENDERSONDISPATCH.COM;
The Crossroads varsity boys’ soccer team hosted St. Thomas More in a 1A Carolina Independent Conference
matchup Tuesday night, emerging on the losing end of a 4-1 contest.
The Colts kept the match close during the first half, as they were able to possess the ball and create a few scoring chances in the wet, muddy conditions. The second half was another story, however, with the visiting Chancellors completely dominating time of possession.
“We looked okay in the first half. We were connecting on some good passes and actually setting up some plays. They didn’t materialize into a lot of scoring opportunities, but at least we were possessing the ball,” Colts’ head
coach Aaron Hale said. “In the second half, everything fell apart. We could barely even gain possession of the ball. I can’t really blame the conditions, even though it was a sloppy game. I think the conditions actually just exposed that we’re ver y weak in our fundamentals.”
St. Thomas More’s Jack Fitzgerald started the scoring in the first half, beating Colts’ goaltender Jackson Overby on a high shot to give the Chancellors an early 1-0 lead. Crossroads responded quickly though, as J. J. Balentine sent a
beautiful cross pass through the heart of the St. Thomas More defense and Cade Carlson booted it home to
even the score.
Chancellors’ midfielder Ian Lutz answered with about five minutes left inthe net after Overby came too far out to challenge the ball. Lutz’s goal gave St. Thomas More a 2-1 edge at halftime and gave the Chancellors all the momentum heading into the break.
Although he was overaggressive at times, Crossroads would’ve found themselves down by more than a goal at halftime if not for Overby’s stellar play in net. The Colts’ first-year goaltender continued his solid performance in the second half, as the Chancellors consistently created scoring chances and kept the pressure on the Crossroads’ defense.
“Jackson [Overby] played a great game, or else the score would’ve been worse,” Hale said. “And we haven’t even had a whole lot of time to train him as much as we’d like to because we’re trying to work on the rest of the team. He’s just been doing a great job.”
St. Thomas More’s Brendan Viscount and Greg Shamine were eventually able to beat Overby and extend the lead to 4-1, giving the Chancellors a few insurance goals even though the Colts couldn’t get anything going on offense. Overby finished with 10 saves on the night, many of which were diving stops.
Hale said this has been a theme for his squad this season, as they have usually been able to keep the score competitive in the first half before falling behind in the second. The Colts were also without Brody Stef fensen, who is one of their better players according to Hale, on Tuesday due to an ankle injury, which only made matters
worse.
“We got a lot of new guys and a lot of young guys, so there’s going to be some growing pains and this is all
part of the process. We’ren lear ning, still lea ning,”Hale said. With limited substitutes compared to other teams,
fatigue becomes an issue for the Colts towards the latter portion of matches. This was particularly evident Tuesday,
with fresh Chancellors’ subsn beating the winded Colts’n players to the ball and moving upfield at will.
Hale and his squad will continue to work, but it’s going to take time, especially with several players on the team who have never played soccer before this fall.
The Colts will return to action Friday evening when they travel to face local rival Kerr-Vance Academy in a crucial conference matchup.
BY RYAN LEGER
RLEGER@HENDERSONDISPATCH.COM;
The Crossroads varsity boys’ soccer team hosted St. Thomas More in a 1A Carolina Independent Conference
matchup Tuesday night, emerging on the losing end of a 4-1 contest.
The Colts kept the match close during the first half, as they were able to possess the ball and create a few scoring chances in the wet, muddy conditions. The second half was another story, however, with the visiting Chancellors completely dominating time of possession.
“We looked okay in the first half. We were connecting on some good passes and actually setting up some plays. They didn’t materialize into a lot of scoring opportunities, but at least we were possessing the ball,” Colts’ head
coach Aaron Hale said. “In the second half, everything fell apart. We could barely even gain possession of the ball. I can’t really blame the conditions, even though it was a sloppy game. I think the conditions actually just exposed that we’re ver y weak in our fundamentals.”
St. Thomas More’s Jack Fitzgerald started the scoring in the first half, beating Colts’ goaltender Jackson Overby on a high shot to give the Chancellors an early 1-0 lead. Crossroads responded quickly though, as J. J. Balentine sent a
beautiful cross pass through the heart of the St. Thomas More defense and Cade Carlson booted it home to
even the score.
Chancellors’ midfielder Ian Lutz answered with about five minutes left inthe net after Overby came too far out to challenge the ball. Lutz’s goal gave St. Thomas More a 2-1 edge at halftime and gave the Chancellors all the momentum heading into the break.
Although he was overaggressive at times, Crossroads would’ve found themselves down by more than a goal at halftime if not for Overby’s stellar play in net. The Colts’ first-year goaltender continued his solid performance in the second half, as the Chancellors consistently created scoring chances and kept the pressure on the Crossroads’ defense.
“Jackson [Overby] played a great game, or else the score would’ve been worse,” Hale said. “And we haven’t even had a whole lot of time to train him as much as we’d like to because we’re trying to work on the rest of the team. He’s just been doing a great job.”
St. Thomas More’s Brendan Viscount and Greg Shamine were eventually able to beat Overby and extend the lead to 4-1, giving the Chancellors a few insurance goals even though the Colts couldn’t get anything going on offense. Overby finished with 10 saves on the night, many of which were diving stops.
Hale said this has been a theme for his squad this season, as they have usually been able to keep the score competitive in the first half before falling behind in the second. The Colts were also without Brody Stef fensen, who is one of their better players according to Hale, on Tuesday due to an ankle injury, which only made matters
worse.
“We got a lot of new guys and a lot of young guys, so there’s going to be some growing pains and this is all
part of the process. We’ren lear ning, still lea ning,”Hale said. With limited substitutes compared to other teams,
fatigue becomes an issue for the Colts towards the latter portion of matches. This was particularly evident Tuesday,
with fresh Chancellors’ subsn beating the winded Colts’n players to the ball and moving upfield at will.
Hale and his squad will continue to work, but it’s going to take time, especially with several players on the team who have never played soccer before this fall.
The Colts will return to action Friday evening when they travel to face local rival Kerr-Vance Academy in a crucial conference matchup.
