Midfielder George Apgar picked a good time to score his first two goals of the season.
More impressive is that they were only 3 minutes, 15 seconds apart.
The junior’s performance Thursday night helped Greenwood Christian Academy defeat host Whiteland 3-1 in an extremely physical boys soccer match.
“It was physical, but (officials) were consistent,” Cougars coach George Huizinga said moments after his squad upped its record to 6-0-1. “We were able to keep our composure down the stretch, but that was a tough game.”
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“There are not a lot of players on this team that have played at a high level, so they’ve got a good work ethic and just their competitiveness.”
All the scoring occurred in the opening half.
Whiteland struck first at 36:21 when sophomore Logan Beers struck a header off a corner kick from classmate Dalton Spangler.
Greenwood Christian tied the score on a goal from freshman midfielder Jonathan Amador at the 33:08 mark. Apgar’s goals followed — the second off a corner kick from Cougars’ sophomore Josue Mier.
After allowing a goal not even four minutes into the match, Greenwood Christian Academy sophomore goalkeeper Gabe Vessely settled down to record eight saves. He now has 47 for the season and has helped limited opponents to a total of only seven goals.
Apgar’s go-ahead goal at 31:37 of the first half was actually his second attempt in the same sequence after Warriors goalkeeper Caleb Sanders snuffed out his first try.
“It was very, very physical. We try to stay mentally tough and not let it get in our heads,” Apgar said. “I just like to present opportunities for myself by being aggressive.
“As a team, we’re all really together. We feel like we’re family. We’ve been together for a long time now.”
The Cougars are now off until Sept. 9 when they celebrate Homecoming by hosting Central Christian Academy.
Whiteland takes a 4-5 record into Saturday’s match against Roncalli at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium.
