Wesleyan soccer opens new field with win
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer
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HIGH POINT — Wesleyan Christian got back on track with a win to open its new soccer field.
The Trojans controlled much of the action, applied steady pressure in the offensive half and raced past Concord Academy 5-0 in girls soccer Monday at Wesleyan’s Sandy Ridge field.
“We were glad we were able to play everyone the majority of the game,” said Wesleyan’s Sarah Denton, coaching alongside Lauren Sherwood. “And maybe work on a couple things we failed at this past week. So, it was good to get us back into a little bit of a rhythm. Our hope was that it was a new day today and we move forward.”
Madison Casteen had a goal and two assists to lead the Trojans (4-6), coming off a pair of tough road losses to close out last week. Molly Crim, Emma Rutledge, Gabby Johnson and Grace Thurman each added one goal.
Olivia Hoots had two assists while Katie Sledge had one as Wesleyan scored twice in the first half and, working in plenty of playing time for its reserves, added three in the second half.
“It felt really good to win, honestly,” said Caroline Heywood, a sophomore midfielder/goalkeeper, of the team’s response. “Last week was definitely hard. But I’m happy we won today because we have a hard game coming up Friday. So, that builds confidence in each player and helps us go into Friday better.”
The match was the school’s first soccer match on its Sandy Ridge campus. While the Trojans will, for the moment, still play the bulk of their matches at Sanford Field on their Centennial campus, it was a glimpse at what lies ahead.
“It was super cool, for sure,” Heywood said. “It was fun to drive out here together and come out here. It’s exciting for our future.”
Wesleyan grabbed the lead in the 12th minute when Crim took a short pass off a corner kick and fired a ball toward the net that ricocheted in. It added a score in the 19th minute when Rutledge headed in a corner kick.
The Trojans pulled away in the second half with scores by Casteen on a run through the defense in the 51st minute, by Johnson off a rebound in the 65th minute, and a last-second shot by Thurman.
Heywood and Crim combined for the shutout in goal, as Wesleyan had all 23 shots in the match. The Trojans are slated to next play Southwest Guilford on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Sanford Field.
“I think we’ve kind of taken two steps forward, one step back,” said Denton, who noted she appreciated Concord playing with only the minimum 11 players. “In terms of last week, if only we could erase it from our memory it’d be great. But there are moments to learn from that — how you respond from a loss and a lot of coaching points that needed to happen and expose our weaknesses.”
mlindsay@hpenews.com | 336-888-3526 | @HPEmichael
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
HIGH POINT — Wesleyan Christian got back on track with a win to open its new soccer field.
The Trojans controlled much of the action, applied steady pressure in the offensive half and raced past Concord Academy 5-0 in girls soccer Monday at Wesleyan’s Sandy Ridge field.
“We were glad we were able to play everyone the majority of the game,” said Wesleyan’s Sarah Denton, coaching alongside Lauren Sherwood. “And maybe work on a couple things we failed at this past week. So, it was good to get us back into a little bit of a rhythm. Our hope was that it was a new day today and we move forward.”
Madison Casteen had a goal and two assists to lead the Trojans (4-6), coming off a pair of tough road losses to close out last week. Molly Crim, Emma Rutledge, Gabby Johnson and Grace Thurman each added one goal.
Olivia Hoots had two assists while Katie Sledge had one as Wesleyan scored twice in the first half and, working in plenty of playing time for its reserves, added three in the second half.
“It felt really good to win, honestly,” said Caroline Heywood, a sophomore midfielder/goalkeeper, of the team’s response. “Last week was definitely hard. But I’m happy we won today because we have a hard game coming up Friday. So, that builds confidence in each player and helps us go into Friday better.”
The match was the school’s first soccer match on its Sandy Ridge campus. While the Trojans will, for the moment, still play the bulk of their matches at Sanford Field on their Centennial campus, it was a glimpse at what lies ahead.
“It was super cool, for sure,” Heywood said. “It was fun to drive out here together and come out here. It’s exciting for our future.”
Wesleyan grabbed the lead in the 12th minute when Crim took a short pass off a corner kick and fired a ball toward the net that ricocheted in. It added a score in the 19th minute when Rutledge headed in a corner kick.
The Trojans pulled away in the second half with scores by Casteen on a run through the defense in the 51st minute, by Johnson off a rebound in the 65th minute, and a last-second shot by Thurman.
Heywood and Crim combined for the shutout in goal, as Wesleyan had all 23 shots in the match. The Trojans are slated to next play Southwest Guilford on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Sanford Field.
“I think we’ve kind of taken two steps forward, one step back,” said Denton, who noted she appreciated Concord playing with only the minimum 11 players. “In terms of last week, if only we could erase it from our memory it’d be great. But there are moments to learn from that — how you respond from a loss and a lot of coaching points that needed to happen and expose our weaknesses.”
mlindsay@hpenews.com | 336-888-3526 | @HPEmichael
