Berean Christian deals Conquerors shutout loss
By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on September 15, 2010 1:47 PM
This wasn't the home opener Jon Corbett had in mind.
Busy defending its half of the field for most of the game, Faith Christian never got its offense going in a 2-0 non-conference loss to N.C. Christian Schools Association rival Berean Christian on Tuesday afternoon.
Play got bogged down in the midfield for most of the first half as both teams struggled to maintain possession.
Midway through the opening 40 minutes, the Bulldogs began linking passes together and applying pressure to the Conquerors' defense.
James Birkholz's long-range shot tailed over Faith keeper Silas Denlinger's head to give Berean a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute. The Bulldogs had an 11-1 edge in shots on goal in the first half.
"We're not experienced, so what we tend to do is chase the ball around," said Corbett, the Conquerors' head coach. "I encourage them not to do that. Once they figure that out, they start to spread it out and pass the ball better."
Faith failed to convert on four corner kicks in the second half and finished with a 6-2 advantage in corners.
"We had some good chances," said Corbett. "I hate losing our first home game like this. I graduated nine seniors last year and I've got eight guys that have never touched a soccer ball before this year. I'm proud of them, I can't complain a whole lot."
Alex Lambert's late goal put the game away for Berean. The Bulldogs held a 19-4 edge in shots on goal.
Denlinger finished with nine saves.
The Conquerors (3-2-1 overall, 3-2-0 region) play host to Falls Road on Friday.