On Monday night, the Trailblazers of Lewis & Clark Community College (NJCAA) traveled to Principia College for the Panther's final non-conference match of the regular season.
Coming off of a hard-fought match against Missouri Baptist University on Saturday, Principia bounced back with a similar starting lineup against a solid Trailblazers team.
One notable change for the Panther's was
Mourad Sami, who played the entire match at goalkeeper and had an outstanding game and kept the Principia men. In the first half, Sami stopped a shot from point blank range.
Lewis & Clark dictated play for a good portion of the first half, while the Panthers patiently defended and held their shape. The Trailblazers sent several long balls into the box, but the Principia back line was up to the test and created a handful of counters from good clearances.
Lewis & Clark scored about 20 minutes into the first half as a result of some precise passing that ended with a tap-in from inside the six-yard box.
Seth Arens had Principia's best chance of the first half, with a quick run from the middle of the field that penetrated the Trailblazer's back line. Arens was through to goal and came within inches of scoring, but Lewis & Clark's goalkeeper came through with a good save.
The Principia Men took control of the game in the second half, pressing Lewis & Clark into their own half and creating numerous turnovers that turned into chances for the Panthers.
Kaden Keller connected with a cross inside the Trailblazers' box, but his shot went just left of the goal. The Panthers continued to threaten the Lewis & Clark goal until the final minutes but could not find the final act to put the ball in the net. The Trailblazers' first half goal decided the game by a narrow 1-0 margin.
E.G. Pierce,
Carson Hussey, and
Caleb Grow played a strong game in Principia's back line against a skilled a creative opponent.
Cameron Sellers and
David McCook contributed to the defensive effort as well, with strong performances as holding midfielders for the Panthers.
The Principia Men would love to show a result on the scoreboard from the efforts they put forward in the past two matches, but they have built a strong foundation as they head into the first SLIAC game of the season on Saturday (Oct. 5, 3PM), at home against MacMurray.
