Calvary University started the soccer season on September 14th competing against Ozark Christian College. “We took the field against Ozark with a strong 11 players, however, one of our defensive pieces was already walking into the season with an injury,” Warrior Head Coach Jayke Maples said. “Declan sustained a knee injury early in the season while scrimmaging at practice. One of the biggest challenges a team will face when they have the minimum number of players is the constant struggle of an inconsistent product on the field. Because Declan was hurt, we then had to pull Jordan, one of our most technically gifted players, out of the midfield and put him into the defense. He did an incredible job on the defensive line, however, that meant we were missing his talent in the center of the field. This is detrimental to our overall product because the center of the field is where the most dangerous balls are played. That being said, with the 11 players that took the field that day, we were able to pull out a 4 to 2 result, and I consider that a great victory. Six of our 11 guys played their very first game and we were able to work together to score 2 goals. That’s a remarkable accomplishment for any team. No coach wants to lose, but I am confident when I say, no coach in the country would be disappointed in the performance that these boys put out.”
The Warriors traveled to Boyce College to play their second season game and struggled as another player got injured. Early on Ronnie was a valuable piece of Calvary’s defense, but 30 minutes into the game he was removed from the game due to an injury. “The boys went through those 90 minutes and succeeded in 14 goals,” Warrior Head Coach Jayke Maples said. “Boyce was the better team, they had the numbers, they had talent and they got the win. There were only nine guys for most of the game which proved challenging. For 90 minutes the boys worked together to put the opposition into tough situations but with the missing two players, there was far too much space on the field to keep Boyce out of key positions. That didn’t stop the boys from running every second of the game. They did so with their heads held high, encouraging each other to keep pushing to strive for improvement to develop areas where we were weak. Though we were outgunned, the boy’s character proved true. It was a real show of class, I was impressed. Give these boys a year to develop! With a little talent added to the character they showed, you’ve got a wrecking force.”
As the Warriors headed into game three they had three key players who were injured. By the end of the game, there were only eight white shirts defending the Calvary goal. “All the additional space we left the opposition made us completely exposed,” Warrior Head Coach Jayke Maples said. “There are names that must be noted during these games. Samuel Butler was resilient. He did everything that was asked of him and was even able to dismantle the opponent’s defense at will. However, the lack of experience that surrounded him on the field, left him with very few passing opportunities, which inevitably ended with a turnover. Credit to Butler for the way he taught the younger guys to play and how he continued to feed them with opportunities.”
The Warriors are focusing on healing and recovering to get back on the field as soon as possible. Warrior Head Coach Jayke Maples credited Ethan Austic as a stand-out player in these first couple of games. “He is a freshman, but he played his heart out every single game. He worked hard, and he learned quickly. He stayed committed for the entirety of every game he played. As he learns to be vocal out of the back, he will become an incredible leader.”
The Warriors season is canceled due to too many injuries.