Watching an opponent tally a go-ahead goal is disheartening under any circumstance.
It’s even tougher to swallow when that point is a result of a penalty call on your team.
Head coach George Lidster said the penalty on GW that allowed Coastal Carolina the go-ahead point in the 38th minute of Friday’s game was a “mystery” to him, one that deflated the Colonials on the field for the rest of play.
As play opened Friday, the Colonials quickly experienced the power of the Coastal Carolina team, a squad that appeared in the NCAA tournament last season before falling in the first round to Duke. After tight, back-and-forth play in the beginning of the match, Coastal Carolina broke open the game after the penalty call on GW, a call that fell inside the goal box, allowing the Chanticleers to line up a penalty kick. The shot hit the back of the net, allowing Coastal Carolina a one-goal advantage, a tally that Lidster said was the turning point in the match. But GW’s head coach wasn’t about to let his team focus on what he deemed an unfair call.
“A guy fell down and a flag went up. There was no clear push,” Lidster said. “But we have seen it a million times, we aren’t crying over spilled milk.”
Coastal Carolina continued to batter GW, extending its lead with a counterattack two-touch dribble and shot that added an insurance point for the Chanticleers in the 67th minute. After the first goal, GW attempted to fight back with a switch to more aggressive tactics and continued to ramp up their play when the second point was added to the board. GW outshot Coastal Carolina 12-8 in the first game of weekend action, with senior Yoni Berhanu and junior Zach Abaie racked up three shot attempts apiece, but each Colonials attempt fell short.
Junior Alejandro Almodovar made his first start between the posts for the Colonials, recording three saves over the course of the match. But despite his defensive efforts, GW was unable to capitalize on their shot advantage. Only five of their 12 shots were on goal, and all five were turned away. Lidster said his team was intimidated by Coastal’s reputation, but he underlined their strong effort during play.
But Lidster said his team wasn’t about to let the 2-0 loss to the Chanticleers mar their performance for the rest of the weekend, and GW (1-2-1) battled back to post their first win of the season against USC Upstate Sunday with a 1-0 margin.
“We played quite well, as Coastal Carolina is a very good team,” Lidster said. “The keeper came up with some big saves, the goals will fall and they will come in [Sunday]. We will play a little bit more offensively, we were wary of the Coastal offense. [Sunday] will be a very open game.”
The Colonials were determined to get off to an early start in the sweltering Carolina heat against USC Upstate, presenting a renewed offensive front that went into the half with a 7-1 shot advantage. GW again found themselves unable to find the back of the net, until sophomore Andrew Aluko’s cross-field pass found fellow sophomore Alex Sandland in the front of the net, who headed the ball in for a 39th minute goal. Sandland had just checked into the game as a substitute nine minutes prior to scoring, and Lidster credited the ability to utilize subs as a source of fresh legs with his team’s eventual 1-0 victory.
“It wasn’t a very pretty game,” Lidster said. “Both teams were tired from playing Friday, but we just had more in us then they had in them.”
The Colonials only needed one goal, and their defense stifled USC Upstate, holding them to just three shots compared to the Colonials’ 12. Almodovar again performed well in net, staying strong in the final six minutes of the match, when he saved two potential goals, preserving his first career clean sheet and his second career victory as a goalkeeper. When the whistle sounded on the end of play, GW found itself with its first victory of the season – and the 192nd of Lidster’s career.
“It’s good to get the first win behind our backs,” said Lidster. “We deserved this win.”
The Colonials next host Bryant Sept. 17 in the first home match of the season, with play scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
