The Hargrave Tigers took a short drive up Highway 29 to take on the Bishops of Virginia Episcopal School on Thursday afternoon. The Tigers ultimately fell 3-0 but showed great improvement in defeat.
Blistering temperatures have been sweeping through the Southeast this past week and Thursday afternoon was no different as the Tigers and Virginia Episcopal faced off for the second time this season, this time in Lynchburg, Virginia. In their earlier matchup, the Tigers were defeated 6-0 early in September and the team was still learning how to play together as one unit. Prior to Thursday’s game, Coach Zerpa emphasized to his team that they have grow considerably over the past month and that they were a much improved, more cohesive team. Throughout the first half, Hargrave heeded Coach Zerpa’s words and played incredibly sound soccer, trailing only 1-0 at halftime. The Tigers were poised to come out strong in the second half.
However, being shorthanded, the weather conditions weighed on the young Tigers as the game moved forward. Fatigue set in and Virginia Episcopal was able to take advantage of a couple Tiger mistakes, including an own-goal off a deflection, to secure the victory. With a young team, such as this one, the scoreboard doesn’t always indicate the type of performance on the field. During the post-game handshake line, the Virginia Episcopal head coach made note that this Tiger unit was much improved from their early season matchup and he made sure to congratulate the Tigers on the strides they’ve made this fall.
With team chemistry now at an all-time high, expect the Tigers to continue improving throughout the month of October as they are becoming closer on and off the field.
The Tigers will be back in action as they head to St. George, Virginia on Tuesday, October 8th to take on the Barons of Blue Ridge School. Kickoff is set for 5:00 PM.
