Hargrave 1 – Carlisle 1
The Hargrave Varsity Soccer Team came up one win short of finishing first in the VIC South Division after a 1-1 draw with Carlisle.
The game featured the top two teams in the VIC South Conference, and one in which both teams were competeing for the division title. With the 1-1 draw, though, Carlisle (12-1-1) finished ahead of the Hargrave Tigers (11-1-2) by one point, and, thus, winning the south division.
Hargrave found themselves down early in the contest with a Carlisle goal 14 minutes into the first half. Although the Tigers fell behind early the goal did not hinder the Tiger’s presence on the field. Hargrave continued to press for the equalizer, although, at the end of the half the score would remain at 1-0.
The Tigers continued to press heading into the second half of play, and change the course of the game. Finally, with 24 minutes remaining in the game Midfielder Nathan LeNoir struck for Hargrave sending a blistering shot from 20 yards out with a first time hit into the back of the net. Midfielders Austin Newman and Cody Cameron were credited with the assists on the play.
With the goal the Tigers knew they could not settle with the draw, as only a win would win the division for the Tigers. Despite continuous pressure, and several other opportunities the Tigers could not find the go ahead goal that they needed. With the nearly missed opportunities, and a late offsides call that took away a goal for the Tigers in the second overtime of play Hargrave were left with the 1-1 draw.
The Tigers played one of their most emotional games of the year putting every ounce of energy they had into the contest, and despite the unfortunate draw walked away proud of their performance on the field knowing they gave everything they had up until the final whistle.
The Tigers with the second place finish will now prepare for the VIC conference playoffs as they welcome VES to town; the third place finisher from the Northern Division. VES comes into the match as one of the top teams in the state, and will give the Tigers cause to prove themselves against a very good opponent. The game will be played on Tuesday, October 25th at Hargrave. Game time is TBA.
