Golden Eagles drop season opener at LMU
The Golden Eagles opened up its season with a tough match against a very highly skilled opponent in Lincoln Memorial (ranked #5 in the nation) and fell to the Railsplitters 8-1. The game started off as though the Golden Eagles were ready for the contest. However, after just 15 minutes into the match the Railsplitters of LMU were able to capitalize on a few Golden Eagle defensive mishaps. With the temperature near 100 degrees and the Eagles being down a few goals, it seemed all to far for them to climb out from this hole. The University of Charleston fought back in the second half when junior, Kyle Klingensmith found the Golden Eagles first goal of the season. He was able to slot the ball past the Railsplitters goalkeeper.
The assist on Klingensmiths' goal came from senior Adam Prestifilippo. The Golden Eagles had a few more opportunities to score, but failed to convert. Senior Adam Prestifilippo hit the crossbar on a free kick and freshmen Bryce Larsen missed the rebound.
Indeed it was difficult for UC to close the gap as the talented players from LMU were able to find the back of the net several more times in the second half. Both coaches Martinez & Watts were disappointed with the teams performance, but were still able to find some positive from their season opening loss. "After two weeks of preparation in pre-season and beating up on each other, we felt that the players were ready for a challenge," said UC head caoch Marty Martinez. "Playing a team of this caliber so early seemed a little too much to handle at the moment. One positive is that LMU is definitely one of the better teams we will face this year, says Martinez. The other positive is that we can learn so many things from this game, by playing the best. Martinez says, they will use this as a tool to prepare them for their upcoming opponents in the near future."
The Golden Eagles will take on Alderson Broaddus in their next match on Tuesday August 28th in Philippi, WV. Kick-off time is at 5pm. The Golden Eagles home opener will be played on September 2nd at 3:30pm versus Lees-McRae, NC.
The assist on Klingensmiths' goal came from senior Adam Prestifilippo. The Golden Eagles had a few more opportunities to score, but failed to convert. Senior Adam Prestifilippo hit the crossbar on a free kick and freshmen Bryce Larsen missed the rebound.
Indeed it was difficult for UC to close the gap as the talented players from LMU were able to find the back of the net several more times in the second half. Both coaches Martinez & Watts were disappointed with the teams performance, but were still able to find some positive from their season opening loss. "After two weeks of preparation in pre-season and beating up on each other, we felt that the players were ready for a challenge," said UC head caoch Marty Martinez. "Playing a team of this caliber so early seemed a little too much to handle at the moment. One positive is that LMU is definitely one of the better teams we will face this year, says Martinez. The other positive is that we can learn so many things from this game, by playing the best. Martinez says, they will use this as a tool to prepare them for their upcoming opponents in the near future."
The Golden Eagles will take on Alderson Broaddus in their next match on Tuesday August 28th in Philippi, WV. Kick-off time is at 5pm. The Golden Eagles home opener will be played on September 2nd at 3:30pm versus Lees-McRae, NC.