Freshman forward Nate Latigue attempts to keep the ball from two fellow teammates during their Tuesday afternoon practice. Photo by Jordan Paris

by BRYAN LAIL
Intern Sports Reporter

The Appalachian State men’s soccer team secured three consecutive wins on their way to a first-round home playoff opener last November.

They’ve had a long offseason to mull over the short-lived success.

Appalachian’s defense managed to hold each team they faced during their 2008-09 run under three shots scored.

Unfortunately, when it mattered most, the College of Charleston managed to break up that streak.

The Cougars snatched Appalachian’s momentum, claiming a 3-2 overtime win in Boone, an outcome made even more difficult to swallow in that Appalachian had bested Charleston 3-0 only one month earlier during regular season play.

“We want to get back there,” senior defender Kenny Orelaja said. “We just have to stick with [what we we’re doing] and everything will fall into place.”

If they don’t, defense will not be the reason. Appalachian lost only one starter from the squad to graduation in the offseason, keeping a solid core intact for second-year head coach Shaun Pendleton.

With offseason acquisitions and a greater emphasis on offense in practice, Pendleton has reason to believe the Mountaineers can go even further this season.

“Offensively we’ve recruited in those areas where we knew we were weak,” Pendleton said. “With the size and speed that we have, there should be improvement this year.”

Pendleton led the Mountaineers to their highest win total since 2002 last season, largely due to a fast start and the team’s ability to consistently keep the score low.

However, Appalachian’s own scores remained low throughout the year.

ASU was shut out three times on the season and never managed to score more than three goals in any regular season contest.

The Mountaineers have added 11 new freshmen, a group consisting primarily of forwards in hopes of improving a stagnant offense.

Pendleton’s lively practice Monday morning displayed just how much emphasis is being placed on offensive improvement as the players prepare for their first regular season matchup of the year against Emory and Henry Sept. 1.

“He brings a lot of energy to the game, more than any other coach has brought to me,” freshman forward Nate Latigue said.
Latigue scored the lone goal in a 1-1 tie against Lenoir-Rhyne Saturday in the first of Appalachian’s two exhibitions.

 “We have a couple of them that we’re counting on to come in and do well,” assistant coach Matt Nelson said. “A lot of it is going to depend on how they perform in the games, we expect the same from them that we do of everyone else.

Photo by Jordan Paris | The Appalachian

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments