Wildcats come out strong against Caldwell
GREENSBORO – Westchester Country Day took care of business right away against rival Caldwell.
The Wildcats scored the first six goals of the match – including three in the first six minutes – and rolled to a 6-1 victory against the Eagles in Piedmont Triad Athletic Conference boys soccer Wednesday afternoon at Caldwell.
“This senior class has lost so many close games on this field – sudden death, golden goal,” Westchester coach Adam Schwartz said. “And they just looked focused when the game started. Their leadership was phenomenal. We jumped on them early – that was the goal. Having nine seniors on the team really helps in that situation.
“We just wanted to jump on them. And we hadn’t played in a while, so we were fresh,” he said with a laugh. “So, we had a lot of energy and we have a lot of leadership. They listen and they have been through these games here, and usually these are one-goal games. And we just wanted to jump on them in the first couple minutes.”
Hamer Brigman had two goals and one assist to lead the Wildcats (4-1 overall, 3-1 PTAC), who tied Caldwell for the conference championship two seasons ago. Myles Patterson also had two goals, and George Culp added one goal and one assist.
Bo Brigman also had one goal, while Max Verellen had two assists and Ben Van Dessel had one as Westchester raced ahead with scores in the first minute, fourth minute and sixth minute – scoring on its first three shots of the match – while also locking down on defense in taking full control early.
“That’s one of our big focuses,” Hamer Brigman said. “Coming out strong, taking over teams. Coming out and scoring within the first minute, that puts a big damper on these teams we’re playing. That just gives us more confidence going in. It was 5-0 in the first half – that just gives us more confidence.”
The Wildcats outshot the Eagles 17-8 for the match and held Caldwell to only one notable chance in the first half that glanced off the crossbar. It wasn’t until the 53rd minute that the Eagles scored, and by that point Westchester had added goals in the 24th, 25th and 47th minutes to lead comfortably.
“I have so much confidence in these boys,” Hamer Brigman said. “I don’t think I’ve ever played on a closer team. All these young guys coming up filling in some big spots. I don’t know that there’s one player I don’t feel comfortable playing with out there. Young guys coming up with some big plays and so much unselfish play.”
Cook Smith made three saves while Harry Georgiadis added one save in goal for the Wildcats, who, because of a couple rain-outs, hadn’t played in a week. Westchester will play again Friday at home against Greensboro Day at 6:30 p.m.
“Caldwell has some really good players, and they didn’t get the chance to show their skill,” Schwartz said, highlighting his team’s defense. “So, it’s always nice when you can build a 5-0 lead. We knew coming out in the second half we’d get a good shot from them, and we did. It was good to get everybody in, and now we get ready for a really good Greensboro Day team.”
mlindsay@hpenews.com | 336-888-3526 | @HPEmichael
GREENSBORO – Westchester Country Day took care of business right away against rival Caldwell.
The Wildcats scored the first six goals of the match – including three in the first six minutes – and rolled to a 6-1 victory against the Eagles in Piedmont Triad Athletic Conference boys soccer Wednesday afternoon at Caldwell.
“This senior class has lost so many close games on this field – sudden death, golden goal,” Westchester coach Adam Schwartz said. “And they just looked focused when the game started. Their leadership was phenomenal. We jumped on them early – that was the goal. Having nine seniors on the team really helps in that situation.
“We just wanted to jump on them. And we hadn’t played in a while, so we were fresh,” he said with a laugh. “So, we had a lot of energy and we have a lot of leadership. They listen and they have been through these games here, and usually these are one-goal games. And we just wanted to jump on them in the first couple minutes.”
Hamer Brigman had two goals and one assist to lead the Wildcats (4-1 overall, 3-1 PTAC), who tied Caldwell for the conference championship two seasons ago. Myles Patterson also had two goals, and George Culp added one goal and one assist.
Bo Brigman also had one goal, while Max Verellen had two assists and Ben Van Dessel had one as Westchester raced ahead with scores in the first minute, fourth minute and sixth minute – scoring on its first three shots of the match – while also locking down on defense in taking full control early.
“That’s one of our big focuses,” Hamer Brigman said. “Coming out strong, taking over teams. Coming out and scoring within the first minute, that puts a big damper on these teams we’re playing. That just gives us more confidence going in. It was 5-0 in the first half – that just gives us more confidence.”
The Wildcats outshot the Eagles 17-8 for the match and held Caldwell to only one notable chance in the first half that glanced off the crossbar. It wasn’t until the 53rd minute that the Eagles scored, and by that point Westchester had added goals in the 24th, 25th and 47th minutes to lead comfortably.
“I have so much confidence in these boys,” Hamer Brigman said. “I don’t think I’ve ever played on a closer team. All these young guys coming up filling in some big spots. I don’t know that there’s one player I don’t feel comfortable playing with out there. Young guys coming up with some big plays and so much unselfish play.”
Cook Smith made three saves while Harry Georgiadis added one save in goal for the Wildcats, who, because of a couple rain-outs, hadn’t played in a week. Westchester will play again Friday at home against Greensboro Day at 6:30 p.m.
“Caldwell has some really good players, and they didn’t get the chance to show their skill,” Schwartz said, highlighting his team’s defense. “So, it’s always nice when you can build a 5-0 lead. We knew coming out in the second half we’d get a good shot from them, and we did. It was good to get everybody in, and now we get ready for a really good Greensboro Day team.”
mlindsay@hpenews.com | 336-888-3526 | @HPEmichael
