The past weekend proved to be a mixed bag for the Covenant College men's soccer team as they came away with a win and a loss at the 2010 Guilford Classic.
Battling numerous injuries and early season rust, the Scots entered the tournament having played Emory University to a tough 2-0 loss just two evenings prior to Friday night's opening game against the hosts Guilford College.
With several starters, most notably captain center-backs Josh Johnson and Hunt Davidson, struggling with injuries, the already tired team was stretched thin across the field, and Guilford set out to capitalize on these weaknesses from the start. Quick and crafty, the Guilford midfielders ran at the Covenant defense in an attempt to carve a path towards goal, but crucial tackles from senior Stephen Moore and critical saves from goalkeeper John Eger kept the game at 0-0 until halftime.
After weathering a similar storm in the early stages of the second half, the Scots were able to find a breakthrough against the hosts when Julian Allgeier's forty-yard free kick caught Guilford goalkeeper Peter Truitt flatfooted off his line. The goalkeeper then missed what should have been a routine catch, and watched as the ball sailed over his head and into the net for a 1-0 Covenant lead. “Goals like that often deflate a team,†said Covenant Head Coach Nathan Pifer after the game. “You could see that goal take the wind right out of Guilford.†Indeed, the stroke of luck turned out to be just what Covenant needed to turn the game on its head, and an inspired Scots’ side set out from that point to put the game beyond all doubt. Goal-scorer Allgeier turned provider for the Scot's final two goals, as his crosses found the head of sophomore midfielder Tyler Morrison and the foot of senior forward Brian Stair for 2-0 and 3-0 leads respectively. “It was good to get a win under our belt and get back to five-hundred,†said Pifer. “I was proud of the way our young team battled through injury and fatigue to pull out a victory.â€
If the fatigue of playing two games in three days was an initial test for the already banged-up Scots, then turning around in less than 24 hours to play a third game in four days against a fresh Averett University side was borderline torturous. “We knew going into that last game that Averett's biggest advantage was going to be that fact that they were well rested and we were worn out,†said Coach Pifer. “I encouraged the boys to try and overcome their tiredness and just play soccer.†The plan looked doomed from the start, however, as Averett found a way through the Covenant defense and scored in just the fourth minute of play. Averett then set out to dominate for the remainder of the first half, and scored in the thirty-fourth minute to double the advantage at 2-0.
Even with the tired legs, though, the Scots refused to lie down for their opponent and found a second wind when Julian Allgeier scored a penalty kick on the stroke of halftime to cut the deficit in half. Riding high with a newfound confidence and hope, Covenant came out in the second half looking to equalize. And, when sophomore midfielder Chris Pifer's through ball found the feet of Allgeier in the fifty-ninth minute, the senior made no mistake as he curled the ball into the far corner of the net to level matters.
“I thought we showed a lot of resolve coming back like that,†said Pifer. “Considering the circumstances, I thought we played good soccer for that comeback stretch, but we need to focus on playing complete games at a high level.†Indeed, almost as quickly as they had tied the game, the Scots turned around and gave the game right back to Averett by allowing two goals in the final fifteen minutes of play. The Scots also missed several opportunities of their own, most notably when freshman Caleb Peacock failed to put away a golden chance after senior winger David Pifer's run down the right-hand side had set him up. “We had our chances to pull a win out of that one,†said Coach Pifer, “but in the end I think three games in four days is a little too much. We're finding our stride, but we need to cut back on the defensive errors that have seen us concede 6 goals in three games, and we need to start making the right passes in the midfield and offensive third.â€
The 4-2 loss to Averett bumped the Scots down to 1-2 on the year, and the quest to return to five-hundred begins Thursday when the team travels to Reinhardt College for a 4:00 kickoff. The Scots then play in their first home game this Saturday at 1:00 against Faulkner University.