Wednesday, September 29 v. Mill Springs Academy (3-2 win).
The first contest against the perennial AAC foe MSA Mustangs. After the pregame warmup walk due to a locked gate, the TCS Cougars were ready to continue their AAC winning streak. The Cougars spent most of the first period on the attack getting out to an early 2-0 lead. The MSA offense responded with their send and race offense scoring only one goal due to some spectacular saves from goal keeper Jack Kane. TCS led 2-1 at the half. MSA came continued the attack evening the score at 2-2. The Cougars ended the game with a balance attack. Six different players took shots on goal (Aidan Briggs, Blake Lackey, Ben Johnson, Liam Walsh, Michael Coryer, Nick Elliott) with three different players scoring goals (Ben Johnson, Braden Kramer, Liam Walsh). The team defensive play was just strong enough to fend off the Mustang offense until the final whistle. Game Highlights: Aiden Briggs – 6 shots, 1 assist; Ben Johnson – 1 goal; Braden Kramer – 1 goal; Gabe Belden – 3 shots, 1 assist; Liam Walsh – 1 goal; Jack Kane – 4 saves.
Friday, October 1 v. St. Georges Academy (4-2 loss) GISA State Tournament Semi-Final.
After finishing the GISA schedule 5-3, the Cougars earned the 2 seed and their first ever semi-final appearance. Despite a strong effort from the Cougar defenders (Alex Hogg, Anthony Kovach, Charles Young, Jack Kane, Jackson Barnes), St. George’s scored first with some accurate passing and sound mid field play and then held the lead into half. St. George’s up 1-0. In an attempt to bolster the offense, Aidan Briggs was moved from goal keeper to striker and Jack Kane replaced him as goal keeper. The strategy did not produce any results until after St. George had scored two more goals taking a 3-0 lead. With 15 minutes left in the match, Aidan Briggs scored off an accurate assist from Ben Johnson. The Cougars then pulled to within one on a perfectly placed free kick from Gabe Belden with 8 minutes left. Now with a tie in sight, St. George’s struck back with a free kick of their own taking a 4-2 lead. St. George’s then managed to kill the remaining time to secure the win. Although the final-semi result was disappointing, Hector and I are proud of the teams GISA accomplishments. Game Highlights: Aiden Briggs – 1 goal, 5 saves; Ben Johnson – 1 assist; Gabe Belden – 1 goal; Jack Kane – 4 saves.
The upcoming week brings the continuance of the AAC schedule with a home match against Tapestry on Wednesday, 10/06 at 3:15 with expected return time of 5:15. Looking ahead, the Cougars will complete their AAC regular season schedule with a home rematch against Mill Springs on Tuesday, 10/12. The AAC tournament will begin on Thursday, 10/14 at Mill Springs. Time and opponent to be determined.
