The Winthrop men’s soccer team kicked off their season with a 6-0 win against Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, Aug. 25 with six different scorers.
Assistant coach Kyle Kenney stated, “We have been training very hard this preseason and we proved that against Georgia Southwestern. I enjoy coaching this teach and seeing them grow into better players each time they step out on the field.”
In the first 25 seconds of the game, freshman forward Alfie Rogers scored not only the Eagles’ first goal of the season [for the Eagles removed], but Rogers’ first goal of his college career.
Within 25 minutes of the first goal, the next goal was scored by junior forward Marc Carreras.
“It felt good to be in the scoresheet, but the most important is that the team did a really good performance and got that first win,” Carreras said. “I’m looking forward to working every day at practice to be able to help the team in every game. Hopefully we can have a positive season because we are working really hard for that.”
Shortly after Carreras’ goal, another goal was scored by midfielder Davis Bryan, a graduate student from Dacula, GA. At the halfway mark of the game’s first half, the Eagles were up 3-0.
As the first half was coming to a close, the Eagles scored yet another goal, thanks to freshman forward Jonathan Foster, making the Eagles up 4-0 at half-time.
Not even eight minutes into the second half, midfielder junior redshirt Jordan Walshaw scored Winthrop’s fifth goal of the game. Two minutes later, midfielder junior Leif Estevez scored the Eagles sixth and final goal of the game, bringing the final score of 6-0. The Eagles won their first game of the season and took the victory, making their record 1-0 to start off the season.
Redshirt sophomore Jack Pondy, a goalkeeper for the Eagles, played the second half of the game and is happy to see the season starting off in this way.
“Winning the first game of the season felt great. It was good to start the season strong,” Pondy said. “This year the team is very close, and I’m really looking forward to playing with my teammates and growing as a team, on and off the field.” This is Pondy’s second year on the men’s soccer team at Winthrop.
Sophomore defender Michael Smith played the entire game, defending the Eagles goal in the back line.
“It was a wonderful team feeling to be able to have a win like that at our first home game. The fans were great, and I couldn’t think of a better way to start the season,” Smith said. Smith has confidence in his team and very high hopes for the season.
“All in all, this years group is one of the best rosters Winthrop has had in a while. Everyone is working hard each day, and we are confident we can accomplish great things this year,” Smith said. “And of course with that extra support from our student body at our games hopefully we can bring the Big South trophy back to Winthrop at the end of the season.”
The Eagles have faced a few tough losses over the past couple of weeks against Mercer (0-2), Wofford (0-1) and Georgia State (1-3). The Eagles’ record is now 1-3. The Eagles prepare to bounce back as they play USC Upstate this Saturday Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. for their first Big South game of the season.
The Eagles will be playing at home for the next couple of weeks,
Saturday Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. vs Davidson
Saturday Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. vs High Point, BIG SOUTH game
For more information on upcoming soccer games and the entire 2018-2019 Men’s Soccer roster, visit the Winthrop Athletics website.
Scoring Summary
Alfie Rogers (FR/ Brighton, England/ Forward) First goal 00:25
Marc Carreras (JR/ Barcelona, Spain/ Forward) Second Goal 23:26
Davis Bryan (Graduate Student/Dacula, GA/ Midfielder) Third Goal 24:20
Jonathan Foster (FR/Lexington, SC/ Forward) Fourth Goal 42:42
Jordan Walshaw (Redshirt JR/Sheffield, England/ Midfielder) Fifth Goal 53:25
Leif Estevez (JR/Frickingen, Germany/ Midfielder) Sixth and Final Goal 55:25
