After a disappointing loss on the 15th, the Calvary Warriors held a clean sheet Friday afternoon as the team defeated Barclay College 3-0 in Kansas City, MO. With the win, the Warriors improve to 5-7 on the season. Ethan Zeeryp finished the game with his third shutout of the year.
“Our guys played great today as a team,” Warrior Head Coach Daniel Nichols said. “It was good to have some patience offensively in the attacking third. We had 29 shots to their three.” “Today’s game was hard-fought,” said Senior Noah Wittenbach. “I am so proud of the team for honoring our seniors and the Lord with the win today.”
In the opening minutes, the Warriors were able to move the ball towards the Barclay net thanks to some good combination play. The Warriors seemed poised as they controlled possession and found open players. Oscar Palafox had a shot glance off the crossbar and barely miss at the ten-minute mark. The only goal of the first half was scored by Palafox a few minutes later when he fired a shot that found the top corner of the net off an assist from Noah Wittenbach at the 17-minute mark. The Warriors led 1-0 at the break.
During halftime, the team honored all five Calvary seniors for the impact they have had on the program during their time at CU. Masaki Ouch (3 years), Noah Wittenbach (4 years), Micah Wildasin (3 years), Josh Tomlinson (2 years), and Ian Montgomery (2 years).
The Warriors came out in the second half looking to increase their lead but were sluggish at the start. They slowly regained some momentum and in the 63rd minute, Palafox was able to play the ball past the goalie off a punt assist from Zeeryp. The third goal of the day came after Barclay cleared a ball out in the 84th minute. Ian Montgomery was able to put a screamer into the back of the net from 35 feet out for his first career goal. This was the exclamation point on the shutout as the Warriors defeated the Bears 3-0.
“Chris ODaniels was terrific for us today,” Nichols said. “He went from Center Mid to Stopper and did a great job of stopping Barclay’s offensive threats and setting up his teammates.”
Friday’s win was a big confidence booster for the Warriors. Next up, CU will be back in action on the 31st as they begin play in the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament.