MORGANTOWN – In the game of soccer, the team that generates the most chances, holds the majority of possession of the ball, and has the most shots-on-goal doesn’t always come out on top.
That’s precisely what Trinity Christian High School head coach Dan Lohmann told his players on Friday night after a tough season-opening defeat to visiting Notre Dame, 3-1.
The Warriors dominated possession and had multiple chances to score from inside the box, but failed to convert on any of their shots, while the Fighting Irish took advantage of their opportunities in the second half.
Notre Dame forward Nicholas Munro scored two goals to lead the visitors, and Jake Quinlan added the third. Trinity Christian senior Nate Adams equalized for the Warriors midway through the second half.
“You know, in the first half, it felt like we could’ve had five on the board from the number of chances that we had,” Lohmann said. “Their keeper made a few saves, but overall, we didn’t make him work enough. We didn’t place the ball where we needed to when we shot. However, I’m encouraged that we were able to create the chances. Obviously, we have a disappointed group right now, but I’d much rather lose this game now than at the end of the season.”
TCS nearly opened the scoring with two chances in the opening ten minutes as Austin Porta and Jakub Galik each saw efforts just miss the target.
Another close call came with ten minutes left in the first half as Galik sent a well-placed corner kick into the box that somehow bounced through the scrum of bodies without being touched. After a few swipes that came up empty, the Notre Dame defense found a clearance and negated the threat to send the game to halftime scoreless.
The Warriors came out after the break on the front foot, and Porta nearly found the back of the net five minutes into the second half with a header that didn’t have the power behind it. But the chance came early in the half, which is something Lohmann says was a result of a small tactical change up front that saw Porta swap from playing on the right to occupying the position on the left of the attack.
“That was something we talked about quickly at halftime,” Lohmann said. “And honestly, Austin was the one who wanted to do it. He typically performs well on the right side, but feels like he could do something on the left.”
Lohmann knows that with a roster of mixed experience, he and his team will need to be ready to make changes on the fly.
“We need to be ready for things like that,” he said. “We just have to find how to be fluid in doing it. Nate Adams, for example, started in defense for us, but we brought him up front, and that’s when we see more chances coming.”
Munro added his second goal with 15 minutes left in the game, and Quinlan followed five minutes later with the dagger to pull Notre Dame ahead 3-1.
“We’ll take the day off tomorrow and get back at it Monday after a reset,” Lohmann said. “I’m not discouraged one bit by this group.”
Trinity Christian will travel to visit Steubenville Catholic on Tuesday evening.
