Greencastle open season with 4-0 loss

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Last season, Greencastle's girls' soccer squad got thumped by Tri-West 17-0.

In opening with the Bruins for the 2012 season, the Tiger Cubs were a far more impressive bunch but could not find a way to goal in falling 4-0.

Tri-West opened the scoring nine minutes into the first half after Greencastle goalkeeper Amelia Smith could only turn a save from Cary Brown into the path of Abby Meyers, who tapped in from two yards out.

The Bruins missed two good chances to extend the lead on a missed header from Hayley Stroup and a save by Smith on Katie Parsons.

Mallory White had the best look of the first half for the hosts five minutes before halftime but shot wide after being played in on goal.

Greencastle was hit by a sucker punch to start the second half as Meyers doubled the Bruins' advantage 22 seconds in.

From the whistle, a quick exchange of passes sent Jordan Lightner clear down the right side and her cross eluded two Bruins and Smith before Meyers cleaned up.

Tri-Wes began to pile on the pressure but found Smith difficult to beat with her save from Sydney Carlson's volley the best of 13 saves during the match.

She could do little about the Bruins' next goal as Rachel Sutherlin was called for handball in the penalty box. Gabby Edwards nearly hit the underside of the crossbar but converted the penalty for a 3-0 lead.

Greencastle's Sydney Secrest had two good chances to get the Tiger Cubs on the board late in the game but was denied both times.

Tri-West finished the scoring with 11 minutes to play after Stroup bundled over a cross from Cary Brown that took the ball, Stroup and Smith all crashing over the goal line.

Greencastle head coach Jamie Grivas, while disappointed with the loss, was enthused by the squad's performance.

"I'm pumped. I think we looked really good going into this season and closing the gap by that much is a true testament to the girls' dedication this summer and their conditioning," Grivas said.

"They look good. They get the game. They're passing, shooting seeing the field and their conditioning is unbelievable."

The Tiger Cubs started five freshmen against the Bruins but Grivas noted that their experience at times surpassed others.

"There's a strong group of girls in this class and in the class behind them. That doesn't undercut what the girls did last year," Grivas said.

"A lot of the girls don't have as much experience. Some of them starting playing in high school, so some only have three or four years of experience while some of the younger girls have played for 10 years or more."

Among the freshman starters, goalkeeper Amelia Smith stole the show at times with an array of stops that kept the Tiger Cubs in the match and earned praised from Grivas.

"Amelia Smith is a smart player. We're working on her confidence as this is her first high school match. It's a tough team to play against and she was a little nervous but she played beautifully," Grivas said.

"The score line doesn't reflect her play. She did a great job of organizing the defense and making plays."

Greencastle hosts North Putnam on Thursday and Grivas said the squad is eager to get back to winning ways against the Cougars.

"North Putnam beat us last year for the first time in the history of the program. We've had a pretty good test going into the match Thursday," Grivas said.

"After that we play Southmont on Thursday. I think we're going to be competitive in these matches and everywhere we go."

At Greencastle

Greencastle 0 -- 4 Tri-West

Scoring:

1st half

31:28 -- Meyers (0-1)

2nd Half

39:28 -- Meyers (0-2)

23:22 -- Edwards Penalty (0-3)

10:59 -- Stroup (0-4)

Next Match: Greencastle hosts North Putnam on Thursday.